Valorant
Valorant
Valorant fans left with raised eyebrows over Chamber nerfs
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant agent Chamber is being nerfed once again, but some think the developer may have accidentally buffed the French Sentinel. Chamber has singlehandedly been wrecking the Valorant meta with his overpowered toolkit. Due to him, other agents have also been feeling out of place. Patch 5.12 finally tackles the issue, but his TP changes have raised eyebrows. The changes have gone live in PBE and will arrive worldwide on December …
Valorant
Here’s when the next Valorant Night. Market returns
Fariha Bhatti
It’s time for broke Valorant players to stack up their inventories—the Night. Market is returning! Riot Games regularly rolls out extravagant, expensive bundles for skin collectors. Some are affordable, but others are just outrageous pricey. However, the developer is not counting out the regular players who like to enjoy a nice gun skin. Night. Market is Riot’s way of letting all players in on the fun. The Valorant thrift store …
Valorant
Youngest Valorant Radiant player banned on Twitch
Nicholas James
The youngest Valorant Radiant player has been banned on Twitch, and fans are split on whether or not the ban is justified. A Brazilian 11-year-old boy named Lucas is likely the youngest Valorant Radiant player, and streams his gameplay on Twitch. However, he has recently been banned on Twitch for breaking Twitch’s terms of service when it comes to the minimum age for someone to possess a Twitch account. Now, …
Valorant
Killjoy can self-boost on Ascent and it’s too OP
Fariha Bhatti
Boosting isn’t an intentional mechanic in Valorant, but some players are too good at tinkering with toolkits that they can get to odd spots. Killjoy can self-boost using her Turret on Ascent. The jolly German, Killjoy, isn’t developed for aggressive plays or tricks. Her simple toolkit is perfect for locking areas for safety. Killjoy must stay alive for her kit to work effectively, which is why it’s best if she …
Valorant
What Valorant PBE actually is and how to register for it
Fariha Bhatti
Riot lets the Valorant community test out the significant Valorant changes through Public Beta Environment, but joining the PBE is more complicated than it seems. Since 2020, Riot has consistently rolled out patches to deliver instant bug fixes. However, some patches include game-changing nerfs, bugs, quality of life tweaks, and more that could be a hit or miss for regular players. So Riot whipped up a new way to see …
Valorant
You’ve been breaking Sova’s dart all wrong, here’s the right way
Fariha Bhatti
Breaking Sova’s dart usually involves revealing your position, but a less-known technique can keep you out of the crossfire. Valorant is almost three years old with more than 20 characters. But some agents are still unexplored. However, their complex kits have numerous easter eggs that will keep getting unveiled with time. Each Valorant agent is unique, with simple-to-use utility hiding tricks and techniques that only a few know. Content creator …
Valorant
Valorant’s female-only Game Changers posts incredible viewer count
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s esports scene is truly thriving in 2022 as the first international VCT Game Changers becomes the second most-watched female tournament. In March 2021, Riot Games lifted the curtain on Valorant’s premier league for marginalized genders. It wagged many tongues, but a year later, the small circuit has blossomed into one of the biggest female tournaments in history. Besides entertaining games, the final has posted incredible numbers, prompting the Valorant …
Valorant
This Viper setup on Icebox proves she’s still better than Harbor
Fariha Bhatti
The poison handler and second-in-command, Viper, remains the top controller even after Harbor’s recruitment. This new setup for Icebox B-site proves why she’s still the best. Valorant Episode 5 Act 3 rolled in with a water-based controller Harbor who is Viper’s twin. Unlike other smokers, Harbor followed Viper’s lead and brought walls and waves to the game. However, he’s still not as viable as the poison handler. Viper’s ability to …
When will disabled Valorant agent Harbor return to ranked?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games recently disabled Harbor from the competitive queues to fix a game-breaking ping bug, but when does he return? Valorant has plenty of bugs, but they’re all short-lived. The FPS developer quickly notes significant glitches and delivers timely fixes. However, it often causes players some inconvenience. This time, a Harbor bug has narrowed down controller mains’ character options as Riot pulled the Indian agent out of active duty. Harbor …
Forsaken Operator returns in Valorant’s 2022 Give Back bundle
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has unveiled a brand new Give Back bundle in Valorant that brings back the game’s iconic weapon skins. In 2021, Riot Games lifted the curtain on its charity campaign dubbed Give Back. Valorant skins are worth their weight in gold, so Riot decided to generate money through virtual cosmetics for a charity. 50% of the proceeds from 2022’s Give Back bundle’s weapon skins go to Riot Games Social …
Riot’s new effort to combat chat toxicity in Valorant is on-point
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games is once again trying to rid Valorant of toxic players in a new real-time text evaluation system. Valorant community is not for the weak-kneed. Riot’s FPS roped in players from some of the best games in the shooter genre. Fortnite, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were the top three to contribute to Valorant’s player base. Naturally, the game was crammed with nurtured players from the outset who were …
Cypher, Harbor finally buffed in Valorant patch 5.10
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Competition in Valorant is about to get steep. Patch 5.10 brings Cypher back into the game, with some buffs for Harbor on the side. The latest Valorant patch is a big one. Besides some game changes, Fade, Cypher, and Harbor will get long-due tweaks to mix things up in ranked Valorant. The duo of Cypher and Fade has been on Riot’s radar for some time now, but Harbor’s low pick …
How to get the VCT Game Changers drops by tuning in
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Game Changers Championship is around the corner, bringing exciting free prizes and steam drops for the fans. Riot Games announced a year-long circuit for women and other marginalized genders to partake in Valorant’s cut-throat esports. In 2022, VCT Game Changers has developed enough to have its own Championship. Eight teams have made it to the ultimate podium of Game Changers from the globe, who will now lock horns for …
Who is Harbor’s voice actor in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games recently unveiled the voice behind the beefy controller Harbor, and it’s a name familiar to League of Legends fans. Valorant agent 21, Harbor, recently joined the protocol with abilities to block bullets and sights. He loves cricket, enjoys a nice plate of samosa, and is currently on the run from REALM. Gameplay-wise, Harbor has been decent, but his cheeky voice lines have impressed the Valorant community. We finally …
Riot explains why Valorant doesn’t have an esports franchise
William Davis
Valorant
In a recent interview, Riot Games President of Esports John Needham explained the main differences between the esports franchises in League of Legends and a potential Valorant franchise. League of Legends and Valorant are arguably the biggest esports with some of the most popular international events in the year. While both titles are under the control of Riot Games, the developer has taken a vastly different approach when it comes …
Valorant cheater gets roasted on the internet for being bad
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant has its fair share of cheaters, but few are daring enough to be blatant about it. This TikToker went ahead and streamed live with cheats on. Riot Games has always been transparent regarding cheaters and bad actors: they are not welcome in Valorant. Reports and video proofs lead to instant bans from the game, which is why Valorant is still somewhat safe from serial cheaters. If anything, such players …
Cypher camera trick on Haven can help destroy enemies
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Cypher is yet to be buffed in Valorant, but some players are already making huge plays with his current toolkit. Some Valorant agents were spawned as all-powerful beings who barely had any counter in Project A. Riot Games’ efforts to balance the meta resulted in gradual but severe nerfs for such agents. So, for example, Cypher is no longer the master of intel and Reyna is struggling among the other …
Official Valorant YouTube channel hacked by crypto scam
Nicholas James
Valorant
The official Valorant Esports YouTube channel was briefly hacked on November 6, resulting in all of its videos going unpublished in favor of a scam stream promoting cryptocurrency. The pattern of malicious actors hijacking popular YouTube channels to promote cryptocurrency scams to their audiences isn’t new, but it’s the first time Riot Games has fallen victim to the scheme. The interruption was only brief, but it certainly kept things interesting …
Valorant map nine codenamed Jam could be located in India
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s next map is codenamed Jam, and while it doesn’t give away any key details, leakers have connected the dots to figure out the map’s origins. Earlier in 2022, Riot Games settled on the magic number seven for Valorant map rotation, kicking Split out of active duty. But that doesn’t mean that the developer would stop adding new locations. Similar to Apex Legends and other titles, Valorant might have rotations, …
Players are causing mayhem in Valorant with this Raze bug
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A new Raze Boom Bot bug is creating a monstrous noise audible throughout the map. The party monster Raze is equipped with an Initiator-style robot that blows upon detecting enemies. It’s easily one of the deadliest damage-dealing abilities in Valorant, but it can also be used to blanket footsteps and just annoy enemies. A new glitch is making the rounds for that hilarious last reason. Players have discovered that the …
Riot Games has long looked to expand its footprint beyond the success of popular MOBA League of Legends, and one of its biggest successes to date in this regard is the tactical shooter, Valorant. Blending traditional first-person shooter elements with unique and flashy hero abilities, Valorant seeks to combine the best attributes of tactical shooters and hero shooters into one cohesive experience.
Based on player feedback, the game has largely succeeded in accomplishing those aims. It’s not an easy balance, and it’s one that is arguably still tenuous, but Riot Games seems to be doing as good a job of it as most fans have hoped for.
What type of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a first-person shooter that represents a unique blend of the tactical shooter and hero shooter subgenres. There are some games that represent similar gameplay elements, but not many that offer the exact experience that Valorant puts forward to players.
The tactical shooter genre is often considered to have been defined by the release of the original Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod for famed single-player PC title Half-Life that later became a standalone game of its own. While most multiplayer FPS games to that point emphasized prolonged battles between opposing players zipping around the game at high speeds, Counter-Strike slowed things down significantly and made players much more susceptible to each other’s firepower, requiring players to take a more tactical approach to play.
That slower and more tactical approach, combined with the lightning-quick nature of action when it does occur, proved reliably popular. That popularity can still be seen today with the ongoing success enjoyed by the Counter-Strike franchise, and it’s this gameplay type that represents the core of Valorant. It’s no accident that former Counter-Strike developers were drafted by Riot Games to help create Valorant during the game’s formative stages.
What differentiates Valorant from CS and other tactical shooters it that each of the game’s characters, called agents, wield a number of unique abilities. Some are typical for tactical shooters, like flashbangs and smokes, while others are wildly different, such as an ability that transports two players to an isolated dueling arena for its duration.
These agent abilities are more reminiscent of hero shooters, a subgenre that arguably got its start with the Team Fortress games but has best been popularized by Blizzard title Overwatch. The abilities, combind with the tactical considerations that are at the core of Valorant, separate it from most any other FPS experience available for play.
How does Valorant esports work?
Like many other popular competitive shooters, Valorant does have a thriving esports scene. That scene is differentiated by the way it’s run and controlled by developer and publisher Riot Games. Riot uses a model based on the success of its League of Legends esports scene, which sees the globe’s competitive players and team’s separated by region. These regions play out their own competitions in their sections of the world before coming together at regular intervals for international tournaments featuring the best teams from each individual region.
While League of Legends once boasted a variety of regions and regional types, Riot sought to simplify that model when setting up esports for Valorant. The game has only a handful of major regions, and these regions are held as largely equitable, each sending their best teams to international events leading up to the year-end VALORANT Champions event.
