Valorant
Valorant
Want to know how many hours you’ve spent playing Valorant in 2022?
Fariha Bhatti
Wondering how much time you’ve spent playing Valorant? Riot Games currently doesn’t have a tracker, but players can still check hours played in Valorant. Riot Games’ new tactical shooter is visually pleasant, challenging, and addictive. Once you press play, it’s hard to stop competing for ELO. The transparent ranking system makes it all the more cut-throat as it pushes players to do better and beat enemies. Valorant experience can be …
Valorant
This is the best Valorant stat tracker in 2022
Fariha Bhatti
Stat trackers can help keep in the loop with the meta in Valorant, as well as tracking your personal performance and hours played. We can recommend a great Valorant stat tracker to read up on your gameplay. Valorant is still a relatively new first-person shooter that doesn’t provide in-depth statistics. In-game progress trackers are accurate, but they show very limited data. Players can get exact numbers from third-party Valorant stat …
Valorant
This insane Kay/O bug could actually work as an intended buff
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s robot is malfunctioning, but players like it. Kay/O has started controlling its movement in downstate, which could potentially be the new buff Kay/O needs to be viable. Kay/O is equipped with a knife that forces overpowered agents to use their guns. Despite his unique kit, he isn’t seeing much playtime, and players think this new bug could help him. https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/rt9p9p/new_kayo_mechanic/ Kay/O was Riot Games’ attempt at fixing the game …
Valorant
Here’s how to refund skins and VP in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Don’t like the extravagant Valorant skin you paid big bucks for? Fret not. Players can luckily refund skins in Valorant. Riot Games has rolled out over 25 skin bundles in Valorant so far. Most of these skins are keenly priced, but a few guns can cost an arm and a leg. Sometimes, these heavily animated skins turn out to be mediocre in the game. That’s when players regret spending their …
Valorant
Where is Valorant’s missing agent 8? Everything we know so far
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games has introduced new Valorant agents so frequently that many players have forgotten about the game’s mysterious missing agent. Where is agent 8, and why did they go missing? Valorant protocol recently got an update in the form of Chamber, who rolled in with custom guns. The developer is now set to release a new face to the duelist roster in Sprinter who’ll speed up the meta. Amid …
Valorant
Here’s every Phantom skin in Valorant and how much they cost
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games has rolled out exquisite skins for each weapon in Valorant that make the experience a whole lot better. The Phantom has over 25 skins, and we’ve compiled them into one place. Valorant’s Phantom is often preferred over its counterpart Vandal for smooth spray potential. The gun deals heavy damage in close-range duels, and its one-taps are also not too bad. The Phantom is deadly, but why not have …
Valorant
New agent Sprinter’s abilities could be from these famous characters
Steven Rondina
The upcoming 19th Valorant agent, codenamed Sprinter, has sparked the imagination among tactical shooter fans around the world. Many of them are asking the same question: What will Sprinter’s new abilities be? It’s clear from the name that Sprinter is meant to be quicker than most other agents. While that’s a big deal given Jett has been the only agent built around mobility-based skills so far, it’s uncertain what form …
Valorant
What’s the best Valorant agent to play on Bind?
Fariha Bhatti
Bind’s dusty bomb points aren’t tricky to enter or defend, but the map’s small size still makes it challenging one to play. But there are some agents that may increase your odds of winning on Bind. Maps like Breeze, Fracture, Icebox may have torn players into two, but almost all Valorant players enjoy Bind. The desert-themed location is small, tactical, and brings unique teleporters to Valorant. However, dealing with those …
Is Valorant coming out on PS4 or PS5?
Steven Rondina
Valorant
First-person shooter Valorant is a game that would work brilliantly on consoles, but when is it coming to PlayStation 4 or 5? Valorant is almost 18 months old at this point and developers at Riot Games openly discussed the possibility of porting the tactical shooter to consoles ahead of its release. Since then, there’s been little word on a Valorant release for the PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or …
Mad Valorant players are demanding friend request notifications
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Valorant players are calling on Riot Games to improve the first-person shooter’s social system, which the game’s community feels is deeply flawed. Most games have a pretty underwhelming social system, often missing key features that could improve the in-game experience. Valorant is no exception, and now players are raising their voices to point out these issues in hopes that Riot Games will make some changes in 2022. On social media, …
This insane Sage exploit on Split blocks mid in a brand new way
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Battle Sage players have discovered a new one-way wall that locks down Split’s middle area in a unique way. Valorant’s first healer Sage is equipped with passive powers that allow her to keep hostile enemies away. Her wall is designed to minimize damage and the opportunity for duels, but battle Sage players are built differently. This new exploit on mid-area transforms Sage into a deadly duelist. https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/rnkiud/overpowered_sage_wall_on_mid_split/ Sage’s robust wall …
These Chamber trap lineups in Valorant are too good to be legal
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant players are pretty satisfied with Chamber’s new kit, but new lineups prove that he may not be as balanced as players think he is. New Valorant agents always returned to the lab a week after their release for balance and changes. But Chamber comfortably settled into the protocol as players didn’t find him too disruptive. Now, new spots for his trap are now making everyone second guess his potency. …
When is Valorant agent 18 coming? All we know about Episode 4
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent protocol is about to get extended with a quick Sprinter. Here’s everything we know about Episode 4 and agent 18’s release date. Valorant Episode 3 Act 3 is nearing an end, which means Riot Games is preparing a whole new batch of content. Episode 4 would bring a fresh face into the agent roster, which will speed up the Valorant meta once again. Riot Games has rolled out …
These are all the tactibears and plushies in Valorant so far
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant ranked games can be painfully competitive. But cute tactibears and plushies scattered around Valorant maps add a nice touch to the otherwise grueling games. When Riot Games released the original map pool, players didn’t pay much attention to fluffy animals placed at random spots. Maps like Breeze, Icebox, and more indicated that the devs purposely hide these easter eggs for players to hunt. All Valorant maps have tons of …
Riot officially reveals Valorant agent 19, codenamed Sprinter
Nicholas James
Valorant
Riot Games is teasing even more information about the upcoming 19th agent for Valorant, a superhumanly quick Filipino codenamed “Sprinter.” The upcoming addition to Valorant’s roster has been hinted at in multiple ways, and was identified in hidden files some time ago. Sprinter channels lightning to generate bursts of mobility that can be used to disrupt enemy positioning. Agent 19’s codename sheds a lot of light on their possible skillset …
Fan turns plain white Stan Smiths into Killjoy party shoes
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s crafty agent Killjoy has some pretty creative fans, and this new hand-painted pair of Stan Smiths proves it. According to Valorant lore, Killjoy has contributed much to weapon inventory, map designs, and agent peripherals. The jolly agent is a genius who’s dexterous and creative. Her fans are just like her it would seem, and a video posted to social media shows the results. https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/rkmj0h/custom_killjoy_stan_smiths/ Valorant agent Killjoy is known …
How to whisper to teammates in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Chatting during a ranked game is pretty easy. But ever wondered how to whisper in Valorant to send a discreet message to a teammate? Here’s how. Valorant is a team-based shooter game that requires heavy communication. Popping heads might get you into higher ranks, but retaining that ELO becomes a menace without interactive teammates. It’s pretty simple to chat with random teammates in ranked games, but Valorant’s “whisper” feature works …
How to quickly rank up in Valorant during the holidays
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
December is the best time to grind Valorant ranked if you’re a busy gamer. Here are some tips to help you rank up quickly during the holidays. The ranking system in Valorant is no joke. Escaping Silver and Gold ranks becomes a menace if you’re queuing solo due to smurfs and trolls. The role feature in Riot’s shooter makes it even more challenging to break through low ranks and enter …
Use this new Yoru teleport bug to trick enemies into rotating
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
While most players have just been ignoring Yoru, dedicated players have found a valuable trick to make the agent more viable. This new Yoru teleport trick is subtle and powerful. Valorant’s least-played agent, Yoru, is better than most think. This new Yoru teleport trick shows what he’s capable of in the right hands. It’s a weird bug that works in a unique way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFG0bBSnGS4 Yoru never quite managed to live …
The complete guide to playing Cypher in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Cypher may have a complex kit, but he is no less deadly than a duelist in the hands of those who understand how to play Valorant’s sneaky Spy Cypher. The spy-like agent has a complicated toolkit that remains a must-have in the current Valorant meta. The sentinel is capable of locking down an entire map, making him an overpowered detective. Cypher’s strength isn’t about firepower, so he becomes useless …
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.
