Valorant
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Valorant player performs Dude Perfect tricks on Ascent trash cans
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s very own Dude Perfect has broken the internet with his impressive trash can trick shots. Aim is of the utmost importance in any first-person shooter game. The same goes for Riot’s tactical shooter, where climbing ranks without crisp aim is a tall order. This Valorant player has incredible accuracy, but not with his rifles. SamQ is just another Valorant player who occasionally shares his gameplay on YouTube, but …
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All you need to know about VCT Masters Reykjavik Iceland
Fariha Bhatti
After months of hard-charged competitions, the moment of truth is finally around the corner. Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters is just four days away and we have all the details in one place. This is a significant event for many reasons. Not only it is the first event LAN event for Valorant ever, but this platform will pit the best teams of the world from all regions directly against …
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sinatraa is streaming again, wants to return to pro Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Jay “sinatraa” Won has already revealed his future plans soon after receiving a six-month suspension from Riot Games. Riot Games’ unexpected announcement that forbids sinatraa from pro Valorant play has just dropped, but the former Sentinels player is already back on Twitch. The 21-year-old is also eager to return to pro play after serving the suspension period. In the official verdict, Riot clarified that the punishment comes from sinatraa’s lack …
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Agent 16 leaks point to Grenadier as Valorant’s next new agent
Fariha Bhatti
As the latest addition to the Valorant agent roster, Astra is still finding her footing in the loaded squad of duelists. While players are still adjusting to her kit, Riot Games may be gearing up to deliver a whole new character. Valorant’s new agent may have grenades similar to Raze’s paint shells, new leaks suggest. Reliable leaker and data miner Mike revealed a potential name for the upcoming Valorant agent. …
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Sinatraa responds to Riot Games’ 6-month suspension
Nina Forneloza
Jay “sinatraa” Won has responded to the six-month suspension he was dealt by Riot Games. The suspension comes from an alleged refusal to cooperate with Riot Games’ investigation into sexual misconduct involving an ex-girlfriend. The former Overwatch League MVP and current Sentinels player took to social media to discuss the situation and seemingly accepted the suspension. Response regarding investigationRead: https://t.co/lqXRX47qoo — Jay Won (@sinatraa) May 17, 2021 sinatraa claims that …
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sinatraa banned from competitive Valorant for 6 months
Olivia Richman
Update: sinatraa has issued a response to Riot Games’ suspension. Details can be found here. Jay “sinatraa” Won has been suspended from competitive Valorant for six months. It’s been a couple months since sinatraa was initially suspended following abuse allegations from his ex-girlfriend, Cleo. sinatraa was benched from Sentinels and barred from official Valorant tournaments until the investigation into the claims was complete. Cleo claimed she had been subjected to …
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Here’s how to jump over Sage walls without any abilities
Fariha Bhatti
Playing against Sage mains on a map like the Icebox or Split can be vexing, but a new trick shows a great counter to one of her key abilities. Sage’s abilities shine the most on smaller maps where her walls can block off an entire site entrance. Slow Orb makes space for teammates to get easy kills in tight corners, making Sage a valuable asset on locations like Split and …
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Is Valorant coming to consoles soon? Here’s what we know
Steven Rondina
Riot Games is aggressively expanding into mobile gaming, but console gamers are still without any official word about a console release for Valorant. Developers have been finding ways to make auto battlers and MOBAs work on a controller, with games like Auto Chess already out on PlayStation 4 and League of Legends: Wild Rift currently in the work for Nintendo Switch. Numerous hero shooters have already been successfully ported to …
ScreaM rage quits deathmatch, hates on Valorant DM
Fariha Bhatti
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Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom is the new player to complain about the Valorant deathmatch being bad. Crisp aim is the bedrock of any first-person shooter game. In Valorant, you can master your agent abilities to perfection, but you can’t ladder up unless you have good aim. For this purpose, the tactical shooter has a deathmatch mode specifically for players looking to hone up their shooting. However, most players aren’t happy with …
Should Valorant allow players to queue for specific maps?
Steven Rondina
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One of the most sought-after features in Valorant is an update to the matchmaking system that allows players to choose which map they will play on. But will Riot ever add this option to the game? For converts from other team-based shooters like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Team Fortress 2, this seems like it should be fairly obvious as these games have always allowed players the ability to queue for …
New Valorant skin bundles Minima and Tethered Realms revealed
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant has new skins coming soon if you’re already feeling bored with Silvanus and Forsaken. It’s not a Valorant patch update without a new skin bundle. Patch 2.09 is here, and apart from significant game tweaks, it delivers two new skin bundles. Minima and Tethered Realms are reported to be the latest weapon cosmetics coming to the Valorant store. Riot Games has added dozens of visually pleasant and fierce skins …
Valorant patch 2.09 adds a new game mode Replication, nerfs Viper
Fariha Bhatti
News
Replication mode arrives in patch 2.09 and it’s basically a horror version of Valorant. Patch 2.09 is upon us, bringing significant updates to the game. Heavily buffed Viper gets balancing touches to her kit, new game mode enters Valorant, and Breeze gets tweaked in the latest patch update. Viper spent almost a year being the least played agent in Valorant, as other controllers overshadowed her toxic kit. After numerous random …
Even pro players can’t believe this Sona dart lineup for Icebox
Fariha Bhatti
News
Players are constantly pushing the limits of Sova’s arrow lineups, but this new one has managed to shock even retired FPS pro Tarik “tarik” Celik. During tarik’s recent stream, the former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player witnessed an insane Sova arrow that shocked his entire team. Icebox’s A site is relatively enclosed, which limits Sova’s abilities to execute exceptional plays. A player made his bolt travel from the middle area …
Sinatraa says he is unsure of his return to professional Valorant
Nina Forneloza
News
On his girlfriend emmyuh’s stream, Jay “sinatraa” Won said that he didn’t know if he was going to return to professional esports but that he’d be back to streaming no matter what happens. Sinatraa is currently under investigation for sexual abuse and is suspended from professional Valorant by both Riot and Sentinels pending the outcome. Sinatraa is accused of sexual and emotional abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cleo “cle0h” Hernandez. Since …
Twitch streamer Shroud wants shotgun Judge deleted from Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
News
Judge may be one of the deadliest weapons in Valorant but Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek isn’t a fan. Valorant has an extensive arsenal loaded with weapons that have a steep learning curve. Tapping with Vandal and spraying with Phantom requires tons of practice and warm-up, which is also the essence of any shooter game. Every weapon has a unique pattern that players must master before entering the battlefield, but some guns are …
Valorant agent tier list: The best picks for patch 2.08
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games’ shooter has evolved into a cutthroat game that has players spending hours in practice servers to get better. Even with good aim, some players still struggle to gain Rank Rating. The race to climb the ladder is difficult, but can be made easier by picking the best agents. In Counter-Strike, gaining rank relies heavily on aim but that’s not the case in Valorant. The ability to effectively use …
Riot reveals new Valorant game mode named Replication
Olivia Richman
News
Valorant is getting a new game mode. Fans of the tactical shooter got a sneak peak of the upcoming “Replication” game mode on Valorant’s official Twitter on Saturday. In the clip, players first hear footsteps getting closer and closer. Then, circles appear on the map. Circles made of a dust-like material drop onto those targeted spots until viewers are unable to see. It initially seems to be Breach’s Sky Smoke …
Riot Games wants to address smurfing in Valorant, but how?
Fariha Bhatti
News
Smurfs are under Riot Games’ scrutiny, the developer has revealed in a recent Ask Valorant episode. Climbing ranks in Valorant is no easy feat. Unlike other shooter games, the learning curve in Valorant is a bit steep due to agent abilities. New players have a hard time understanding agent kits, spray pattern, and aim placement. On top of all that, smurfs can ruin the competitive experience. Many players complain that …
Valorant Mobile reportedly on the way, will it debut at E3?
Steven Rondina
News
This summer might be one of the biggest yet for mobile shooters, and Valorant fans might be very happy with the reason why. Over recent months, there have been multiple rumbles that a number of AAA titles are set to receive mobile ports. Apex Legends Mobile is already in a regional beta stage. PUBG: New State is set to be a successor to PUBG Mobile, is also poised for a …
Valorant Champions Tour Stage 3 final to be held on LAN in Berlin
Fariha Bhatti
News
The final iteration of Valorant Champions Tour Stage 3 has officially been announced by Riot Games at the Esports Media Preview Event held on May 5th. The series to filter out the best out of every region is finally reaching its end, and fans may see a few events offline. The final run of VCT stage 3 will be held on LAN from September 9-19 at the Verti Music Hall …
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.
