Valorant
Valorant
This Viper setup on Breeze guarantees easy rounds on defense
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s largest map Breeze isn’t easy to tackle, but it’s a cakewalk for the poisonous controller Viper. The addition of Breeze to the Valorant map pool had sent players into a frenzy, with most used to playing in enclosed locations with choke points. But Viper mains breezed through the new experience with extended walls and damaging smokes. The poison handler Viper’s setups and lineups are tricky to break through, making …
Counter-Strike
KovaaK goes free, gives away 3080 GPUs for Latency Challenge
William Davis
A free week for KovaaK is the perfect time to try out the best aim trainer. First-person shooter training tool KovaaK 2.0 has officially left its beta period. To celebrate, the developer New Meta has teamed up with NVIDIA for a special contest. The prizes include esports-ready monitors, mice, and RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards. KovaaK will also become free to download and play for a full week to celebrate …
Valorant
Valorant matches taking too long to find, Riot fixes queue time
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant queue time has been unbelievably long for many players. Riot Games has finally found a way to cut the wait time by half after players’ demand. Players have long been complaining about the sudden hike in Valorant smurfs, prompting Riot to take intense action. The developer found a middle ground, which came with a downside of prolonged wait time in Valorant rank queues. However, Riot Games has now rectified …
Valorant
How to get free holiday gun buddy in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Christmas is just around the corner, and Riot Games isn’t holding back from showering its players with winter-themed goodies. A boxed holiday gun buddy is next on the list of Riot’s 2021 gifts. It’s been a whole year since Valorant was first made available to play for everyone. To commemorate the end of the year, the developer is thanking the dedicated player base with a gift pack gun-buddy in Valorant …
Counter-Strike
Understanding differences between aim training maps in KovaaK 2.0
Fariha Bhatti
Shooting bots isn’t enough to sharpen up your aim. But, if you’re still whiffing shots after spending hours in KovaaK, you may want to understand your aim training routine and revise your warmup maps. Whether you play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Valorant, these FPS games require razor-sharp aim, reaction time, awareness, and more. These skills can be honed up in practice ranges like KovaaK 2.0. However, a thorough understanding of …
Valorant
Jett is the most OP agent in Valorant, VCT Champions stats prove
Fariha Bhatti
New stats from Valorant Champions 2021 prove that the wind ranger Jett is a top pick of both casual and competitive Valorant players alike. Valorant’s biggest circuit has finally come to an end at Verti Music Hall in Berlin. The intensely competitive event touched the soul of esports enthusiasts, but it also left a meaningful impact on the game meta. Tons of players watching the last stage of VCT 2021 …
Valorant
Acend topples Gambit to win VCT Champions 2021
William Davis
Acend has taken the first-ever Valorant Champions Tour with a 3-2 victory over Gambit in the grand finals. https://twitter.com/AcendClub/status/1470152038512308224 The European roster took the inaugural VCT final with a back-and-forth series against the favorite. Acend’s playoff run included solid victories over Team Secret and Team Liquid before the razor-close final series. The match featured multiple comebacks and insane clutches from both sides. Mehmet Yağız “cNed” İpek distinguished himself as the …
Valorant
Valorant teases Agent 19 with new abilities during VCT finals
William Davis
Agent 19 got a surprise reveal at the VCT finals. The Valorant Champions event has already produced many exciting moments. KRU Esports managed an insane upset over Sentinels, ACEND and Gambit finally met in the grand finals, and Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom pulled off some of the most insane one-taps the game has ever seen. Riot Games pushed one more surprise for Valorant fans to truly immortalize the grand finals as …
Learn how to play Yoru, Valorant’s most underrated duelist
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Yoru may not see much time in ranked games, but he’s a viable and deadly agent in the right hands. Here’s how to effectively play Yoru in your ranked games. Riot Games extended the Valorant duelist roster in Episode 2 with Japanese stealth agent Yoru, who was expected to add a new twist of wits to the first-person shooter game. When used correctly, the agent can be a game-changer despite …
New Cypher cam on Breeze is deadlier than the illegal bug
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players have discovered a lineup for Cypher cam on Breeze after Riot Games removed an illegal spot that provided defenders with an edge over enemies. The Moroccan spy is having a ball on Breeze as players discover yet another game-breaking Spy Cam lineup. The developer recently removed a glitched spot on the extensive after it got a team punished during Valorant’s biggest esports event so far. During a game between …
These Viper lineups on Ascent can’t be countered
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The poisonous controller Viper has some of the deadliest smokes in Valorant. These Viper one-way lineups on Ascent prove that. Viper was one of the least-picked agents in the first six months after the game’s release. However, a rework boosted her pick rate dramatically, making her a must-have on any team. Her smokes are the key reasons players prefer her over other controllers, as they’re comparatively large, deal damage, and …
Valorant devs announce insanely big rework for Yoru’s kit
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has finally released an update for the much-awaited Yoru rework, and players might actually start using the neglected agent. Valorant’s stylish agent Yoru was released as part of Episode 2 to amp up the dull duelist roster. While his blockbuster release and chic attire managed to pique players’ interest, his kit fell short in practice. Valorant players have long been requesting a Yoru buff, and Riot Games has …
Valorant Night. Market returns
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant cosmetics can be a bit too pricey, but players can still enjoy the animated cosmetic without spending big bucks thanks to the Valorant Night. Market. It’s back with cut-price skins. Riot Games’ tactical shooter is unique in many ways, but its animated in-game bundles bring tons of pizzazz to the realistic FPS genre. Unfortunately, these cosmetics aren’t affordable for all. The extravagant skins can put a strain on your …
Who is KRU Esports, the team that kicked Sentinels out of VCT?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
KRU esports has shocked everyone at VCT Champions by sending tournament favorites Sentinels packing. Here’s all you need to know about the argentine powerhouse. Valorant’s biggest esports circuit is finally wrapping up in Berlin at the prestigious stage of VCT Champions. The arena has already seen many upsets, but KRU Esports’ win over Sentinels is foremost among them. The Argentine team did the impossible by kicking the unbeatable Sentinels out …
Details on Valorant agent 19 revealed in secret room recording
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players can listen in on a secret message in Brimstone’s “secret” firing range office, and it hints that a new agent is coming soon. New teaser, which seems to be a voicemail from Chamber, hints at Valorant agent 19 and a training expansion for the protocol. Valorant currently has 17 agents, including the brand new Frenchman Chamber. However, it seems that their services are lacking as the threat gets more …
TenZ cries over KevJumba tribute song after VCT Champions loss
William Davis
Valorant
Kevin “KevJumba” Wu gave has been working on a special gift for the world’s best Valorant player. Twitch streamer KevJumba fans a sneak peek at a Valorant-themed rap mixtape. KevJumba dedicated the song “With You In The Clouds” to his favorite Valorant pro, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo. Whether he knew it or not, TenZ was watching live with his girlfriend Kyedae Shymko. The Valorant pro’s reaction started with awe and quickly …
Valorant players to get free special gun buddy at end of 2021
William Davis
Valorant
A free gun buddy is on its way to Valorant at the end of the year. According to leaks, Riot Games is giving players a gift to celebrate the first full year of Valorant. Every player will receive a free gun buddy that they can attach to any weapon in the game. The cosmetic will most likely be a small gift package with Valorant-themed wrapping. Valorant could surprise players with …
New Valorant Christmas bundle Snowfall leaks, doesn’t impress fans
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
New Valorant bundle Snowfall is full of Christmas spirit, and it adds a unique crystal knife to the game’s melee collection. Valorant is popular for its cut-throat gameplay and agent tactics, but players love the animated skins that Riot Games continue to put out. The developer doesn’t usually roll out bundles to celebrate festivals and events, but Christmas gets its exclusive skin line just like last year. The collection isn’t officially …
Patch 3.12 brings agent profiles, team damage penalties to Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant patch 3.12 is finally here, and it brings exciting changes for versatile players who like to swap agents. Riot Games has finally rolled out a brand new patch, tackling the toxicity issues and adding a brand new feature for versatile players. The latest update is expected to improve game quality and rank experience in Valorant significantly. https://twitter.com/PlayVALORANT/status/1468233857564659726 Valorant has 17 agents, each of them having distinct powers that players …
Valorant fan creates a real-life version of the Glitchpop dagger
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A Valorant player has brought the game’s premium and high-demand Glitchpop dagger to life in his 3D creation. Riot Games’ tactical shooter has changed the FPS genre with the twist of abilities, but that’s not all that keeps players hooked to Valorant. The pricey animated skins add to the game’s entertainment value, and while they may cost big bucks, they’re worth every penny. Valorant’s extravagant skins can put a strain …
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.
