Valorant
Valorant
shroud is here to tell you whether CSGO or Valorant is harder
Steven Rondina
One of the most interesting discussions regarding newer first-person shooter Valorant is how it compares with rival tactical shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has been on the forefront of that discussion since Valorant’s original reveal. Over the last 18 months, shroud has flip-flopped on whether Valorant or CSGO takes more skill to reach the top. Early on, shroud was somewhat dismissive of Valorant’s skill ceiling due to …
Valorant
Valorant fans demanding nerfs for Jett after VCT dominance
Olivia Richman
Valorant fans want to see Jett nerfed before the Valorant Champions Tour Finals in December. VCT Masters: Berlin was an exceptional event that showcased top teams from all over the world. It also shined a light on the game’s evolving meta and the most popular agents for competitive play. One agent stood out to fans, and that’s the omnipresent Jett. One of five duelists in Valorant, Jett had an 84% …
Valorant
Why are duelists no longer top picks in pro Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
You may see Reyna and Pheonix running rampant in ranked games but agent comps have changed in professional tournaments. Duelists are no longer the top pick and it’s a good thing. The final stage of Valorant’s biggest circuit VCT is approaching an end, with the last race to bag qualifying points in Masters 3 Berlin. Agent selection from Valorant Champions Tour Stage 3 proves that the agent compositions have changed …
Valorant
Split bug creates a new vantage point for Jett and Raze
Fariha Bhatti
An old exploit has returned to Valorant that buffs Jett and Raze’s kit drastically. The movement duelists Jett and Raze can gain you an edge over enemies with their ability to hoist themselves on unexpected positions. However, some areas are just unfair to use. This powerful bug is an excellent example as it allows the duo to get on a higher spot on Split. https://www.reddit.com/r/VALORANT/comments/ppnc03/apparently_you_can_boost_on_these_heights_now/ Since the game’s release, Riot …
Female CSGO veteran Juliano quits for Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Female Counter-Strike: Global Offensive esports takes a significant hit as veteran player Julia “juliano” Kiran announces her big move to Valorant. There are a few female CSGO players who have competed at a higher level of pro play. Juliano has earned her stripes in Valve’s shooter as one of the best female Counter-Strike players, and now she’s geared up to dominate the battlegrounds in Valorant. The pro player has been …
As sinatraa ban ends, Dafran and Cle0h battle over accusations
Olivia Richman
Twitch
Daniel “Dafran” Francesca may just be a simple farmer these days, but he has been creating quite the uproar on Twitter ever since Jay “sinatraa” Won was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend. Cleo “Cle0h” Hernandez accused sinatraa of mental and sexual abuse earlier this year, leading Sentinels and Riot Games to investigate the claims. Cle0h provided audio recordings of sinatraa allegedly pressuring her to have sex, which sinatraa later claimed …
Viper 1-way allows her to completely shut down sites on Ascent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Viper is an absolute menace on Ascent with the map offering up some juicy one-way poison smokes options. Despite being released in the original Valorant roster, Viper long struggled for relevance. Several buffs later, players refuse to pick any other controller in Valorant over Viper. This new one-way smoke on Ascent’s point B shows why she’s the favourite smoker in Valorant. Ascent’s point B is hard to defend against enemies …
800,000+ viewers watch G2 vs. Sentinels at VCT Masters Berlin
William Davis
Valorant
VCT Masters Berlin is delivering on all fronts so far as the best Valorant teams in the world face off on LAN, but two teams are attracting more attention than the rest. So far, Sentinels and G2 Esports have been the teams that viewers have been most interested in by far. The two star-studded rosters are playing in the same group, which means two best-of-three series between the two have …
Jett is OP when you use the highest spot in all of Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Ever wondered what the highest spot on Icebox is? This player might have found the perfect vantage point. Few agents can truly shine on the tiny tundra of Icebox. Jett rules this cold location in the duelist category, thanks to her ability to hop on top of boxes. The content creator and ace Jett main HowtoNoodle has kicked things up a notch by finding an overpowered spot on Icebox using …
Valorant fan creates Omen clay figure that’s adorable, spooky
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Omen is still a fan favorite in Valorant and this tiny clay statue by a Valorant player is proof. Released as part of the original 10-man Valorant roster, Omen has remained a crucial agent in his own category. Even after a number of major balance patches and other additions to the lineup, players still prefer the spooky controller over other smokers. A Valorant player paid homage to the character by …
shroud says Fracture is “hard to play,” explains why it’s good for Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s brand new map Fracture hasn’t yet entered the ranked queues but Michael “shroud” Grzesiek thinks it’ll be the perfect addition to the pool. Riot Games recently expanded the map pool by adding dual attacker base location Fracture, loaded with lore and story elements. The new location is fresh with a split layout, and shroud thinks it’ll rejuvenate Valorant’s “stale” gameplay. Seventh map Fracture brings a unique design to the …
Is Brimstone’s arm map bugged? Players encounter issue with smokes
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players are complaining that Brimstone’s arm map may not be accurate, causing his smoke clouds to drop at incorrect spots. With the expansion of Valorant protocol in each act, the original smoker Brimstone’s pick rate saw a dip. Fewer players now choose to run the controller agent in ranked games. However, those who firmly believe in Brimstone’s power have noticed a slight issue with his minimap. A player named EmEhAreSeeOh …
Valorant devs say Kay/O is “weak,” buffs are possible
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s Terminator Kay/O has been a stronger addition to the roster than other agents, but Riot Games is still looking to buff it up. The Valorant roster saw an expansion with Kay/O, who rolled in with a no-nonsense toolkit for the fans of traditional first-person shooters. While it quickly found its footing in the roster, players aren’t really preferring it over older initiators. The developer is aiming to rectify this …
Riot Games may be considering a map pick feature for Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
After rolling out its seventh map, the team behind Valorant is now considering the addition of a map pick feature for the game. Since Valorant’s release, players have complained about not being able to queue in desired locations. Unlike other first-person shooters, Valorant’s has a random map pick system that can be a bit of a nuisance. However, Riot Games recently expanded the map pool with Fracture, and players are …
Cypher might be OP on Fracture thanks to these unique lineups
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Fracture’s complex underground design calls for a reliable Sentinel who can watch the backlines, but Cypher has the added bonus of being able to completely lock down flanks. Valorant’s seventh map has an interesting design that sandwiches defenders between attackers with the H-shaped layout. Coupled with an underground zip line feature, Fracture is one of the most complex maps in Valorant so far. While attackers on Fracture have an edge …
sinatraa’s Valorant esports suspension is over, but what’s next?
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Valorant star Jay “sinatraa” Won is no longer suspended from Valorant esports. sinatraa received a six-month suspension in May following sexual assault allegations made against him by his ex-girlfriend, Cleo Hernandez. Hernandez opened up about her negative experiences with her ex-boyfriend, claiming emotional and sexual abuse during their time together. These allegations included screenshots and audio recordings. Riot Games opened up an investigation into the allegations. This resulted in a …
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
