Valorant
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Valorant patch 3.0 nerfs agent flashes, lowers weapons prices
Fariha Bhatti
Patch 3.00 will bring drastic changes to Valorant that will be felt across all levels of skill in the popular tactical shooter. Valorant’s newest episode is finally here, and it rolls in with brand new agent Kay/O, heaps of changes to agent abilities, a modified competitive experience, and new weapon prices. The sizable update seems promising as it addresses long-standing issues with agent powers that have limited the impact of …
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Valorant esports championship event in LA teased by Riot
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s first-ever championship event may take place in Los Angeles, judging from the newest Watch Cinematics. The colorful, bubblegum-themed Valorant Year One Anthem dropped various hints about a potential new map and a brand new agent. Fans also noted the subtle mention of the venue for Valorant’s ultimate championship, Valorant Champions. The Year One Anthem featured renowned Valorant streamers playing their primary agents on vibrant machines enhanced with colorful effects. …
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Riot still wants to nerf “run and gun” accuracy in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Subpar gunplay being overly rewarded has been a hot topic among Valorant players for some time now. The game’s developers at Riot Games have improved the overall shooting experience by some margin, but erratic and sometimes overly effective gunning while running remains an issue. After tweaking the game’s weapons in search of a fix for accurate shooting while running and walking in patch 2.02, the developer is now looking to …
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Tons of agent ability & weapon price changes coming to Valorant
Olivia Richman
Episode 3 Act 1 is bringing a lot of big changes to Valorant, including new agent KAY/O and some impactful nerfs that will affect the meta. Most of the changes revolve around the cost of abilities and ultimates. Many weapons in the game will also see price changes. While Riot Games has not officially released patch notes on these changes, the details have been collected from the latest Valorant update. …
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Leaks provide first look at Kay_0, Valorant’s new agent 16
Fariha Bhatti
We finally know what Valorant’s agent 16 will like, and it turns out that the memes about a bot escaping the practice range weren’t entirely wrong. Plenty of fan theories about Valorant’s brand new agent have been floating around, but developers at Riot Games managed to keep the details under wraps. Btu dozens of images have now slipped through the cracks, providing a first look at this new agent, a …
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Here is how to unlock free weapon skins in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Default Valorant skins can be dull to play with but buying extravagant bundles isn’t cheap either. You can get your hands on select Valorant skins for free through a long but worthy process. Riot Games has made Valorant free for all, but certain perks are reserved for those who have cash. Weapon skins with unique sound animations come off at hefty rates that not everyone can afford. However, it’s not …
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Riot reveals awesome Give Back bundle, includes Reaver skins
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games has announced a fan-picked bundle that will have some of the best skins in Valorant. The developer has unveiled a brand new collection of weapons picked by Valorant players. The new Give Back bundle will let players get premium skins for all the most important Valorant weapons at once. This unique bundle will be available in the store starting June 22. Here are the winners of the Karma …
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This is how Valorant agents would look as Among Us characters
Fariha Bhatti
Ever wondered how Valorant characters would look as Among Us imposters? Cir Draws is an avid Valorant player famous among the game’s community for his artistic creations around Valoranr characters. His most recent design included fierce, battle-scared agents in a new avatar that is just as cute as it’s hilarious. Cir Draws squished tall, heroic Valorant agents into palm-sized cutesy Among Us crewmates. Among Us was originally published in 2018 …
Valorant dev warns of big changes coming to your in-game rank
Fariha Bhatti
News
Buckle up, agents! Valorant ranks are going to get some significant changes in the upcoming patch updates. Valorant ranking hasn’t got any fresh updates in the past few acts, but competitive designer EvrMoar has warned the players about major changes incoming. These updates won’t completely overhaul ranked ratings, but will significantly impact the new Act rank. The complaints regarding smurfs in Valorant have reached fever pitch. Many Valorant players create …
Is the Phantom a better rifle than the Vandal in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
News
The Vandal versus Phantom rifle debate is becoming more common as the game gets older. Stats and logic can help you pick the better weapon. Have you ever found yourself torn between Vandal and Phantom when choosing a rifle? Most players hover their cursors between the rifles mere seconds before buy time ends. The two primary guns are similar and may seem almost identical, which makes it a bit tricky …
V1 Zellsis suspended by Riot for discrimination, to miss events
Olivia Richman
News
Version1 player Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro has been suspended from Valorant’s upcoming Challenger Open Qualifier and Challenger Main Event following offensive comments he made that were aimed at a tournament official. Zellsis allegedly made discriminatory comments about a tournament official that went against Riot’s VCT Global Competition Policy. Rule 7.1.2 states that “offensive comments made on the basis of gender or race are in direct violation of the standards expected of …
These molotov lineups show why Viper is the best agent on Breeze
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant’s latest map Breeze can be a bit challenging due to its vast size, but playing Viper can win you games. Viper has been one of the most neglected agents in Valorant for a long time. However, recent buffs propelled her to the top of the agent tier list. While she was always an appropriate character for her category, the changes made her one of the most efficient controllers in …
This player spent $4400 to buy every single Valorant skin ever
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant is free to play but the in-game cosmetics can put a strain on your wallet. While many players think 10 times before spending a penny on hefty Valorant skins, ArcticSoldier went ahead and invested $4,400 to buy every single gun in Valorant. IT HAS BEEN DONE #ValorantArt .@PlayVALORANT pic.twitter.com/dKt9ouYm7X — ArcticSoldier (@arcticsoldier_1) June 9, 2021 Riot Games is known for rolling out some of the craziest skin cosmetics in …
Valorant pro banned after showing himself stream sniping
Fariha Bhatti
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Aspiring Valorant pro and Twitch streamer S2Aval has been banned from the platform for blatant stream sniping. It’s not just toxic players and hackers you need to watch out for in Valorant, as stream snipers can be just as irritating for anyone with a following on Twitch. Team Synergy’s content creator diaamond exposed a Twitch streamer who was watching his stream in the background to gather intel. YOU CANT MAKE …
Riot dev explains why Valorant performance optimization is not easy
Fariha Bhatti
News
Following the recent update that improved the framerate by 1%, a Valorant developer has provided an insight into the complicated process behind game optimization and performance. Playing video games is undoubtedly easier than creating and optimizing one. There’s tons of work that goes behind managing Valorant’s assets, keyframing, and test planning, QA Manager Kevin O’ Brien revealed. In a detailed thread, the developer explained how the process keeps getting complex …
New Origin skin bundle for Valorant has been leaked
William Davis
News
A new set of alien-themed Valorant skins have been data-mined by a well-known leaker. The Origin bundle includes skins for the Vandal, Operator, Frenzy and Bucky along with a new Melee weapon. Each skin features four different upgrade levels in addition to green, red, and white variants. The Origin bundle’s final kill effect summons a mysterious ring to abduct the enemy player before disappearing in a flash of green …
Use this Sage one-way wall on Breeze to trick your enemies
Fariha Bhatti
News
Sage isn’t just a healer but an incredibly tactical agent who can pull off insane plays, a new wall find proves. Valorant’s first healer Sage is often looked at as a delicate agent who can pause pushes with her walls and support teammates. While this is her ultimate job as a Sentinel, new tactics are proving that she has much more to offer. This latest lineup for her barrier on …
Valorant becomes fourth most-watched game, category on Twitch
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games’ first-person shooter Valorant has become the fourth most-watched category on Twitch for the first time, surpassing major esports title like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Fortnite, and more. Valorant was initially badgered for being a copy of CSGO, but tons of players flocked to Riot’s shooter, making it the hot FPS game in 2021. Following a successful first anniversary, new data has revealed that Valorant is climbing charts …
How you can use Phoenix’s molotov on all maps without lineups
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant’s most underrated duelist Pheonix is not just a self-sufficient entry, but he’s instrumental in post-plant situations, a new find proves. Twitch streamer AverageJonas has uncovered a secret Pheonix trick that can be game-changing. The fiery duelist’s molotov is one of the most impactful post-plant utility in Valorant if used correctly. Here’s my new Phoenix minimap trick to molly anywhere consistently without knowing lineups ???????? Tag a friend who needs …
Leak shows price increase for Judge, other guns get cheaper
Fariha Bhatti
News
A few weapons in Valorant have always been a thorn in the players’ sides since the game’s release. A recent leak suggests that one of the most irritating weapons, the Judge, has finally landed on the developer’s nerf radar. ValorLeaks is a reputable source for Valorant updates, and the data miner has recently dropped a massive leak regarding weapon prices. According to them, many guns in Valorant will become much …
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.
