Valorant
Valorant
Here are all the Valorant ranks in order after Episode 5
Fariha Bhatti
The competitive mode for Valorant has received a bit of an upgrade in Episode 5. New players may benefit from this Valorant rank badge guide. Valorant was initially released with 22 ranks spread across eight tiers. In episode five, Riot has slipped in the green Ascendent badge to the rank order to deliver some much-needed balance. It’s not an earth-shaking update, but it could have a major impact on Valorant’s …
Valorant
Here are all 7 of the Valorant maps in rotation for Episode 5
Fariha Bhatti
With the release of the fantastical eighth map, Pearl, Riot Games has introduced a new rotational cycle. Here are all the active Valorant maps in Episode 5. A sparkling green Ascendant badge and the futuristic utopia Pearl have shaken Valorant to its core. To top it all off, Riot decided to narrow the map pool down to the magic number seven. This will make the next season a head-scratcher, especially …
Valorant
Here are the best agents to use on new Valorant map Pearl
Fariha Bhatti
New Valorant map Pearl is an underwater city encapsulated in a clear Radianite shield, adding yet another unique gimmick to Valorant. But what agents work best in this peculiar location? The Kingdom has taken it upon itself to secure Omega earth’s future in Valorant Episode 5. The wonder beneath the waves dubbed Pearl was once a city on the brink of collapse, but was ultimately saved by the heroes. While …
Valorant
Here is how to change your Valorant home screen
Olivia Richman
Looking to customize your Valorant home screen? Some gamers have discovered it’s possible, but it may not be advised. A Valorant player recently took to Reddit to show the FPS community a neat trick they uncovered. They found the background of the home screen could be changed to just about anything by going to a special file location. VALORANT/live/ShooterGame/Content/Movies/Menu/HomeScreen.mp4 On a social media thread, the user even showed a video …
Valorant
Here’s the 1st look at Pearl, Valorant’s new map for Episode 5
Fariha Bhatti
Images of Valorant map eight, Pearl, have slipped through the cracks ahead of the official release and it looks fiercely competitive. It’s been a while since Riot Games has updated the map pool of Valorant. Since Fracture, players have been working with the same seven maps. The H-shaped layout of Fracture did spice up the game, but players have been on edge to get a peek at Pearl, the dome-shaped …
Valorant
Here’s the Valorant Episode 5, Act 1 and Pearl release date
Fariha Bhatti
Episode 4 is coming to an end, which means a brand new map and a battle pass are on the horizon. Here’s the Valorant Episode 5, Act 1 release date, content, and more. Riot Games has been generous with new skins and agents in recent acts. In Episode 4, Fade and Neon joined the flashy roster of Valorant, bringing kits packed with electricity and dark magic. However, players now want …
Valorant
These Omen one-way tricks are game-changing on Ascent
Fariha Bhatti
Omen’s one-way smokes can be extremely rewarding when used correctly and Ascent’s layout offers up plenty of opportunities to use them. On larger locations like Ascent and Haven, Omen is generally a top pick among players. Unlike other agents, his smokes can pierce through objects, allowing him to lock down large areas. Omen’s Dark Cover is powerful on Ascent, where walls are scaled with ornaments that facilitate one-ways. Unlike A, …
Valorant
New Valorant map Pearl looks a lot like CSGO’s Inferno
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant fans have gotten a first look at upcoming eighth map Pearl, and fans have noticed some similarities to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map Inferno. The developer has been busy building on the Valorant agent roster, so it’s been a while since the map pool has received an update. Players have finally found their footing on Fracture and with that, Riot has decided to expand the collection in Valorant Episode 5, …
Valorant fan makes a must-see Genshin Impact crossover
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Genshin Impact is cozying up with Valorant in this fun, fan-made crossover that no one expected. Valorant has previously joined forces with its sister game, League of Legends. But other than that, crossovers have been non-existent for Valorant. That hasn’t stopped creative players from whipping up their own bizarre fusions with other gaming IPs. This new agent-select trailer has proved that Riot’s tactical shooter can blend together with other titles …
Xbox Game Pass will unlock all Valorant agents, LoL champions
Steven Rondina
Valorant
Xbox Game Pass is offering players the ability to have instant access to all League of Legends champions and Valorant agents. During the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, Riot Games made a surprise appearance to announce a new partnership with Microsft. This partnership will see the gaming subscription service offer instant access to all characters across all of Riot Games’ released multiplayer titles. To be precise, it offers instant access …
Here’s a first look at Valorant map 8, an underwater city
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has quietly teased what Valorant map eight will look at, giving fans a first look at an underwater dome map. While players were busy discussing the Xenohunter bundle, Riot Games dropped a massive teaser for the “Pitt.” As the official release day draws closer, the developer is becoming more forward with what’s coming. After strings of leaks and speculations around the codename, fans can finally look at a …
Xenohunter skins in Valorant are causing big visibility issues
Olivia Richman
Valorant
The new Xenohunter Phantom skin has created some game-breaking problems in Valorant. The Xenohunter bundle was initially met with a lukewarm reaction from the Valorant community thanks to its futuristic take on military-style weapons but otherwise simplistic design elements. The skin also added a radar to a few weapons to detect heartbeats in very specific situations. But some players have noticed that the skin obscures enemies at certain angles, a …
Riot disables Split from queue after major bug discovered
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Split has gone into the workshop after players highlighted significant bugs on A towers. New Valorant patches often bring minor glitches that get fixed quickly. Riot keeps a watchful eye on community forums and social channels to ensure that game is free of significant problems. However, some bugs slip through the cracks and mar the game. A newly discovered Jett bug is an excellent example of a game-breaking bug that …
Players are exploiting an OP angle on Split with new Jett bug
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games’ attempts to keep Jett in line with other Valorant agents are proving to be fruitless, with players finding a new bug to keep her a step above the competition. Jett has consistently remained one of the top agents in Valorant. The duelist has incredible mobility that is currently unmatched. Even with various nerfs and gameplay changes, Jett has remained very strong in pro play, ranked play, and casual …
Valorant map eight codename leaked, but what could it mean?
William Davis
Valorant
Riot Games has a very strange codename for Valorant map eight according to recent leaks. Reputable Valorant leaker ValorLeaks has revealed Riot Games’ internal codename for Valorant’s unreleased eighth map. The map is currently being referred to as “Pitt.” It’s not clear exactly what this name means, Valorant players think it may also hint toward a possible map gimmick. As with many other big leaks, this new information comes from …
Players unhappy with new Xenohunter bundle, and here’s why
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
New Valorant skins are dropping soon, and players are already complaining. The minimalistic Xenohunter bundle includes a default-like bayonet and plain skins. Riot Games has recently put out numerous skin bundles on simple and dark beats. While fans love immersive backstories and themes, minimal aesthetics can be appealing on their own. The recent Endeavor bundle drew a negative response for being “too bland” and boring, so Riot introduced a couple …
Patch 4.11 brings new clutch mute system to Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A new clutch mute system allows Valorant players to control what they hear during intense moments. Riot has rolled out a shiny new feature to block out background noise. Valorant is a team game, but it often comes to down clutch situations where a player may be left alone against multiple enemies. Even a slight distraction can ruin an easy shot and, in turn, an entire round. Unfortunately in Valorant, …
This is the ultimate Cypher setup to lock down sites on Split
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Cypher’s pick rate has fallen dramatically in the current act but handling his kit correctly can make ranking up easy, as this new Cypher setup on Split proves. The release of new sentinels has pushed Cypher into the background. No one wants to go the extra mile to learn Cypher setups, but it’s definitely worth the time and effort. Learning a few Cypher setups and lineups can yield easy wins …
Valorant players can now reveal enemies inside TP with Fade
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Fade is the perfect antidote to Bind’s teleporter tricks. The automatic doors can be annoying to deal with, but not when Fade is watching. Bind’s teleporters reshaped the concept of rotation. Riot Games introduced the gimmick to cut flanks and add detail to shooter maps. But that’s not all these doors are used for. Trolls love Bind’s teleporters. They’re a great hiding spot to save weapons and an excuse for …
Raze’s deadly Boom Bot comes to life with IRL fan-made model
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Raze’s in-game popularity may have taken a beating recently, but her loyal fans still firmly believe in her kit. One fan made a Boom Bot IRL to prove that she’s still among the best-loved agents in Valorant. Only a few agents have retained their initial prowess. Valorant meta has evolved drastically since 2020, bringing fresh faces to the roster. With new agents, players’ options have also diversified. Many old characters …
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.
