Valorant
Valorant
Vandal or Phantom? Valorant agent Viper has a preference
Fariha Bhatti
The infamous Vandal vs. Phantom debate may have died down for a bit, but Viper’s Valorant takeover has reignited it yet again. A whole year after the game’s release, players still can’t seem to find common ground for primary rifles. Valorant’s arsenal features two rifles, and both have their own fanbase. A new official poll proves that despite a well-developed meta, players are still torn between the two weapons. Riot …
Valorant
We now have proof that Valorant may come to consoles soon
Fariha Bhatti
A mobile version for Valorant is already in the pipeline, but Riot Games has bigger plans than that. A new job posting from Riot Games shows that Valorant may soon be coming to consoles. Valorant is easily 2022’s most popular shooter. Players have quickly taken a liking to the game’s lively characters equipped with death-dealing powers. Within a year, Riot’s shooter has attracted millions of new players. It’s safe to …
Valorant
Here’s how to get the free Dance of Luck Buddy through Prime Gaming
Fariha Bhatti
Another Prime Gaming reward is coming to Valorant soon, and it is likely hinting towards a popular skin bundle. Here’s how to claim your Dance of Luck Buddy. Extravagant Valorant skins aren’t affordable for everyone. Riot Games’ regular free rewards help all players enjoy Valorant’s in-game cosmetics. These free skins may not be as lavish as the exclusive items, but they sure add some color to inventory. Valorant developers recently …
Valorant
Here’s how to get access to the Valorant Mobile beta
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant players will soon be able to dash away with Jett on their mobile devices. A beta version of Valorant Mobile will go live soon, but only a few will get the opportunity to try it out early. Valorant has quickly become one of the top PC shooters in 2022, but Riot Games isn’t stopping there. The developer plans to roll out a mobile version for players that like to …
Riot testing email-based reports to fight Valorant toxicity
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Toxicity complaints in Valorant have increased tremendously in the past few months and Riot Games is experimenting with a new program called Alarmbot to target trolls. The number of trolls in Valorant is growing with the game’s popularity. Despite Riot’s effort to minimize toxicity, player complaints are through the roof. The developer has encouraged players to report malicious actors so that an automated system can deal with them. However, it’s …
This creepy Omen bug teleports the agent outside the map
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Omen has likely taken offense to players refusing to pick him in ranked games. The agent is now teleporting out of bounds in an insanely game-breaking bug. The shadow-lurker Omen was easily the top-pick of players in the first few acts of Valorant. Riot Games’ gradual tweaks immensely nerfed his kick, making him one of the least player agents. While a buff from Riot is still out of sight, Omen …
Are you playing the wrong agent? Learn about roles in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Have you been pushing sites as Killjoy? You probably don’t understand all the roles in Valorant and may want to switch your agent. Riot Games took a page out of the hero shooter playbook by adding clear roles for characters to fill. Valorant players understand their responsibility in a team, which ultimately leads to a better gaming experience. However, toxicity still persists in Valorant as some players fail to understand …
Valorant map bind was recreated in Minecraft, and it’s amazing
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Remember when a player recreated Ascent in Fortnite? Valorant has now reached Minecraft, and it’s an amazing sight to see. Within a year of its release, tactical shooter Valorant has garnered a loyal count of around 14 million players. Unlike some other shooters, Valorant’s player base includes fans of a broad variety of games including Overwatch, Fortnite, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and even Minecraft. This variety has bolstered Valorant’s popularity in …
Riot reveals new Yoru rework and it could be OP
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has fulfilled its promise of making Yoru a master of deception. The first teaser of his rework shows that he’s cloned himself into a flash. Something strange happened to Yoru during his weak Dimensional Drift. The agent has come out with a clone of himself that baits enemies into flashing themselves. The new Yoru rework looks tremendous as it brings a unique blind to the game. Valorant’s most-anticipated …
Here’s how to use Viper’s ultimate perfectly on every map
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
When we talk about the most powerful ultimates in Valorant, Viper tops the list. Despite its viability, many players don’t know how to use Viper’s ultimate in Valorant. The venomous agent carries a tanker full of toxic gas. She uses her toxins to kill enemies slowly, but she really lets loose when she has her ultimate. Her lethal gas emits in a large area, affecting all enemies that come into …
Use this Sova lineup to expose all enemies on Fracture
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The darts of Russian initiator Sova become deadlier as Valorant’s meta grows. A single recon bolt can expose the entire A site of the map Fracture. Intel gatherers are crucial to winning a game of Valorant. The Initiator agents can help gain first information and clear route for aggressive duelists. But, Sova players have taken things up a notch with this spawn lineup. Using this dart, teams can strategize within …
Tarik says Valorant is easier as nitr0 struggles in CSGO after return
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The buzz around Nick “nitr0” Cannella’s return to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive after a short stint in Valorant has finally fizzled out. The professional player is struggling a bit, and Tarik “tarik” Celik thinks it’s because CSGO is harder than Valorant. CSGO pro players may quickly succeed in Valorant after transitioning, but switching back is a different story. Many Valorant professional players who returned have had difficulty adjusting due to numerous …
Valorant players call for vote kick system, will Riot listen?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has been trying to neutralize toxic players through indirect means. Now Valorant players want to take matters into their own hands with a vote kick system. Aim may help a player drop 30 kills, but winning a game of Valorant requires team effort and coordination. Unfortunately, teamwork is a luxury in Valorant games that few people enjoy due to toxic players, smurfs, and trolls. Toxicity in Valorant is …
When is the next Valorant Night. Market?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The latest Valorant skins are pricey, extravagant, and tempting. But fret not, Valorant Night. Market is coming soon and it comes with some cut prices. In 2022, Valorant has over 25 skin bundles that include innovative designs for all guns. However, some of these skins are fancy enough to empty out your entire wallet. Riot Games introduced Night. Market in 2020 to make these pricey weapons affordable for all. The …
This mysterious pig may be hinting at a new Valorant agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Some cute animals hanging out on a Valorant card may be hinting at a new agent. Or is it just another returning agent in disguise? Banners in Valorant aren’t just for decoration. Developer Riot Games often hides cheeky hints about new agents, maps, and reworks in these cards. Many cards drop clues about Valorant lore to help players better understand their favorite agents. The community has created its own Valorant …
Viper’s smoke can destroy Skye’s tiger and it’s hilarious
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A Valorant player has made a unique discovery. Not only does Viper’s smoke hack block off vision, but it also destroys Skye’s creatures including her Tasmanian tiger. This new trick proves that you can never know everything about Valorant. After almost two years, 18 agents, and seven maps, new interactions are still being discovered. For example, this new little Viper smoke hack may not be as helpful, but it sure …
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.