Valorant
News
Valorant agent tier list: The best picks for patch 2.08
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Riot reveals new Valorant game mode named Replication
Olivia Richman
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 …
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Riot Games wants to address smurfing in Valorant, but how?
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant Mobile reportedly on the way, will it debut at E3?
Steven Rondina
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 …
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This Valorant player created a realistic Prime Vandal out of cardboard
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant skins can be a bit hard on the pocket. So this Valorant fan took things into his own hands and created a weapon skin from scratch. Reddit user RivalRudra designed his own Vandal skin since he couldn’t purchase one in-game. The creator shared the images with other Valorant players who were impressed by the accurate replica of Prime Vandal. Prime skin bundle is one of the legendary cosmetic lines …
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shroud thinks Breeze is the best map in Valorant, and this is why
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s newest map Breeze has received a mixed response from the game’s players thus far, but Twitch streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek thinks it’s the best map in the game. Breeze is the latest map in Valorant with tons of stuff for players to sink their teeth into. Initially, fans seemed to enjoy Breeze’s long duels, but most players are now complaining about the large size of the map. shroud has a …
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Why is Riot Games now recording your voice chat in Valorant?
Steven Rondina
Riot Games is looking to combat racism and sexism in Valorant, but its method for doing so is a cause for concern for many players. The publisher has announced a change to its privacy policy that centers around the company recording voice chat. According to Riot, this will help the company better action on reports of abusive communications. “We want all of our games to be safe and inclusive for …
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Pokimane requests her own Vandal skin, Riot Games responds
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys has jumped on the Valorant weapon skin hype train after a designer revealed a Vandal explicitly created for her brand. A 100 Thieves designer whipped up an eye-catching Vandal skin spray-painted in bright colours, in line with Pokimane’s energetic persona. The designer also added the streamer’s signature on the weapon to add a personal touch. The blueprint of the “Pokimane Vandal” went viral among the …
Astra is bad for Valorant, according to top pro players
Fariha Bhatti
News
Players are eventually figuring out Astra’s kit, and they’re not sure if it’s actually good for the game. New agent Astra is a controller who has one of the most versatile kits in Valorant. Not only can she smoke off crucial points, she can also pull enemies into her crosshair. Her stars are enough of a threat to pause enemy pushes on the defender’s site. On the attacker side, her …
Aimlab releases hot new custom training map for Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
News
Ranking up in Valorant may soon become a little easier for those willing to put in the practice. Aimlab has revealed custom Valorant maps designed to help players improve their aim. The popular aim training map brings good tidings for Valorant players who are stuck in the game’s lower ranks. Aimlab has partnered up with Riot to bring Valorant maps to its training facility to help players improve and ladder …
Leak reveals Pride Cards in Valorant to support LGBTQ+ community
Fariha Bhatti
News
Pride Cards are soon coming to Valorant to celebrate Pride Month in June, a leak showed. Credible Valorant data miner Mike revealed seven player cards with different combinations of rainbow colors titled “Pride Cards.” The cards show the developer’s support for sexually marginalized groups and speak volumes about inclusivity in Valorant. PRIDE Playercards | #VALORANT ~ Will be available with Code Redemption on June 3rd pic.twitter.com/27AVdhFh5C — Mike – Valorant …
Valorant patch 2.08 adds coach slots, Breeze-only queues, fixes bugs
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games has finally delivered a new patch for Valorant and it has tons of exciting updates. Like the final act of Episode 1, this one adds a new map Breeze to the Valorant map pool. However, this time the developer wants you to learn the entirety of Breeze quicker and better. For this purpose, Breeze-only unranked queues will be available for two weeks after the release. Players will be …
Valorant battle pass adds a spray dedicated to Sykkuno
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant Episode 2, Act 3 is upon us, and it comes with tons of cool skins, gun buddies, and other in-game cosmetics. However, this one spray might interest the fans of popular Twitch streamer Sykunno. A new season is coming to refreshes ranks and adds a new level. Along with these primary updates, the developer is rolling out a new battle pass with lots of stuff for players to sink …
These are the 3 best agents to play on new map Breeze
Fariha Bhatti
News
Breeze is finally here and it’s absolutely great. The sixth Valorant map is a fun, playful addition to the generally grim map pool that basically had a color palette entirely made of gray and brown. The new location is completely the opposite, with the tropical location serving as a background for tight chokepoints, restricted aim duels, and a heavy focus on ability usage. Breeze is an ideal map for Vandal …
New Valorant skin bundle Forsaken coming for Operator, Vandal
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant’s upcoming Episode 2, Act 3 will bring a bundle of new premium skins named “Forsaken.” Valorant weapon skins can carry a large price tag. The skins are available for a limited time, which is why it’s recommended to stay in the loop, save up some cash, and buy a bundle as soon as it hits the store. The new skin bundle is dubbed Forsaken, and it will be available …
New map Breeze officially revealed, release date revealed
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant Episode 2, Act 3 is finally upon us and it adds a brand new map to the Valorant map pool. The last Act of Episode 1 patched up the ranked experience, but it also expanded Valorant’s limited map collection. Icebox was the fifth map, boasting a lot of vertical firefights, close-quarters combat, and a snowy aesthetic. The sixth map, Breeze, was basically designed to be the complete opposite Icebox. …
Here’s everything new that’s coming in Valorant Episode 2, Act 3
Olivia Richman
News
Valorant Episode 2, Act 3 is dropping April 27 and it’s bringing a lot of major changes to Riot’s tactical shooter. Alongside a roundup of new skins, the next season in Valorant will also add a much-needed sixth level. Here’s everything you need to know about Valorant Episode 2, Act 3. According to an official press release from Riot, Valorant’s new map, Breeze, will be released on April 27 with …
Valorant pro Germsg accused of match fixing in Singapore
Olivia Richman
News
A Singaporean Valorant pro who was competing in the Ignition Series has been accused of match fixing. Another player from Singapore, Calel, shared a Google doc that exposed fellow Singaporean Germsg purposely throwing matches in order to win money. The tournament in which Germsg allegedly purposely lost to win money off of several bets was the Epulze Royal SEA Cup, which was a $25,000 tournament in the Ignition Series’ Southeast …
New Valorant map Breeze confirmed in official teaser by the developer
Fariha Bhatti
News
Episode 2 Act 2 is wrapping up soon and the developer has dropped more details about what’s coming in the new act. Each Valorant Act lasts for about two months, which gives players plenty of time to grind and ladder up before their rank is locked. Apart from rank changes, new Acts in Valorant bring significant updates and new additions to the game. Previously, the developer added new agents like …
Valorant player falsely banned after ShahZaM reported him for hacking
Fariha Bhatti
News
There are plenty of Valorant players who got banned on live stream, but this recent ban on Sentinels’ professional player Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan’s stream comes with a twist. Riot’s Vanguard system has caught dozens of hackers on live streams through a strict method that detects high-end third party software while the game is running. The ban system has made examples out of the likes of Xhade, Solista, ReFleck, and many …
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.
