Valorant
Valorant
How to win Valorant games with Astra
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s celestial controller Astra is tough to master, but she’s extremely rewarding when used appropriately. In high ELO games, Astra can be the difference-maker when all else fails. Astra has been part of Valorant protocol for months now, but she’s still rarely seen in ranked games. Her high learning curve makes her a rare pick in low ELO games, but professional players like to run the controller. Her kit is …
Valorant
What is Valorant PBE, and how do you apply for it?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant PBE, short for Public Beta Environment, is a testing sandbox for new features, agents, and bug fixes that are being developed for Valorant. Players can become a part of this program to help Riot better the game. Riot Games has rolled out regular patch updates for Valorant since the game’s release in 2020. The developer has been keen on ensuring the best FPS experience for its players. The PBE …
Valorant
How to get RiotX Arcane gun buddies in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant has dozens of unique gun buddies, but Arcane themed cosmetics are rare. Players can grab still grab the tiny charms to partake in Arcane celebrations across various Riot titles. Riot Games recently announced another crossover between sister games League of Legends and Valorant to commemorate the release of the animated Netflix series Arcane. Valorant players received a brand new bundle that included a Sheriff skin and other goodies. However, …
Valorant
Valorant devs explain how rank points work
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games has implied that there is a transparent ranking system, but players still find it confusing when they score fewer points upon losing. A developer has finally clarified how Valorant calculates rank rating. Ranking up in Valorant is no easy feat. The skill ceiling continues to go up as the game gets older, making ranking even more challenging. However, the developer has made it clear why players often score …
shroud wishes Valorant had custom maps and modes like CSGO
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is a big Valorant fan, but he isn’t afraid to speak his mind about where Riot Games’ first-person shooter could still improve. shroud has become a top streamer on Twitch not only due to his incredible skills but also his honest opinions. The former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro recently discussed why Reyna is a must-pick in Valorant even after her recent nerf. Now, shroud is thinking of …
Riot issues Valorant ban wave to combat smurfs
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players should observe a change in their ranked games. Riot Games has wiped out tons of smurfs in a new ban wave. Players have long complained about smurfs in Valorant, and Riot Games has finally decided to tackle the problem. In a recent tweet, the developer revealed that smurfs had been wiped out from its first-person shooter. According to the tweet, the developer targeted compromised accounts that violated the game’s …
Is the Classic still overpowered after its nerf? Pros say yes
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s Classic recently got nerfed, but professional players still think it’s overpowered. Riot Games has continued to rework Valorant weapons after considering community feedback. Recently, players started complaining about the starting pistol being overpowered when compared to the game’s pricier sidearms. The developer nerfed the Classic right-click to better suit the current meta, but it doesn’t seem to do much. The firing error for Classic was changed from .05 to …
League of Legends and Valorant available in Epic Games Store
Nicholas James
League of Legends
Riot Games is continuing to shake up the video gaming world this week, opening the flood gates on announcements galore ahead of the Worlds 2021 finals and the release of Arcane, their flagship animated series on Netflix. After an announced collaboration with Fortnite, Riot is taking its partnership with Epic Games a step further. Today, Epic Games announced that all of Riot Games’ titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight …
How to play every duelist in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant currently has five fierce duelists and while all of them are equally viable, some are better on certain maps than others. Riot Games’ shooter was unveiled with three duelists in the original roster. The developer later added Yoru and Reyna, making it one of the most crowded categories. Though every agent has their uses, it’s rare that an agent is flexible to the point where they’re a true must-pick. …
Brimstone now has a secret office in Valorant’s firing range
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A secret room has been added to the range, offering players more information about Brimstone’s past. Valorant lore continues to become denser as the game gets older. Riot Games has slipped in a secret door to Brimstone’s office, which shines a light on the agent for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gnn4uJJH0kQ Newer agents in Valorant have enjoyed tons of spotlight in terms of lore and background. Most stories are developments based …
Riot Games confirm 5-stack queues for all ranks coming to Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has confirmed that five-stacks are returning to Valorant, but it won’t be as simple as players think. Players have long been complaining about a ranking system that limits five-stacks. The developer has implied rank disparity on full lobby queues, which forces higher-rank players to queue in duos. Leakers suggested that this will change in patch 3.10, and Riot Games has responded with a confirmation. https://twitter.com/PlayVALORANT/status/1455617616718942209 After the leakers …
Classic’s right-click finally nerfed in Valorant patch 3.09
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has heard the woes of players tired of getting alt-tapped by the Classic and patch 3.09 will nerf the deadly right-click once and for all. Valorant players have been complaining about weapons being overpowered since the release of the game in 2020. The developer has delivered fixes regularly, balancing the guns to suit player needs. Except for the Classic. A whole year since the game’s release, players were …
Valorant Arcane Collector set, Radiant Crisis 001 skins includes baseball bat
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has unveiled a brand new skin bundle, which is a treat for baseball fans. A new Valorant bundle has introduced a new melee weapon into the game. The Radiant Crisis collection comes with a baseball bat that is equally hilarious and cut-throat. Players have long been waiting for premium edition skins with unique kill banners and animations. The Radiant Crisis bundle is a bit on the minimal side, …
These are the best and worst Valorant maps in Episode 3
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games continue to expand the Valorant map pool by delivering unique locations in each episode. After three episodes, Valorant has seven maps as developers prepare the players for more to come. Riot Games has the habit of modifying game meta with the release of the new map. The developer introduces a new mechanic in every new map, heavily impacting the agent pick rate. While most of these features were …
Riot devs announce Arcane themed items for Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games recently announced that Valorant and other titles would be crossing over with League of Legends during the release of the animated series Arcane. Arcane is coming to Netflix and Riot Games is making sure that players across all titles are informed. The developer has announced League of Legends’ Arcane-themed content for all games, including Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and Valorant. https://twitter.com/LeagueOfLegends/status/1455188017786732547 Riot Games’ Netflix series …
This is how to play Viper, Valorant’s venomous agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The poisonous Viper is a complex agent. It’s important to learn how to play Viper before even looking at the ladder, since her kit can be awful in the wrong hands. Hybrid agents in Valorant became the hot meta when Viper’s kit was overhauled. The controller became more than just a smoker, also enjoying the ability to deal heavy damage to enemies. However, her unique Toxic Screen and Ultimate can …
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.
Valorant
Valorant
Valorant
Valorant
