Valorant
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Leak reveals Pride Cards in Valorant to support LGBTQ+ community
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant patch 2.08 adds coach slots, Breeze-only queues, fixes bugs
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant battle pass adds a spray dedicated to Sykkuno
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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These are the 3 best agents to play on new map Breeze
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant pro Germsg accused of match fixing in Singapore
Olivia Richman
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 …
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New Valorant map Breeze confirmed in official teaser by the developer
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant player falsely banned after ShahZaM reported him for hacking
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Use this OP Viper setup to take control of A site on Bind
Fariha Bhatti
The buffed up Viper is deadly on a map like Bind, where entryways can be choked with her poison. Learn this setup to annihilate defenders on Bind’s bomb point A. The latest patches to Viper’s kit have brought her back into the game’s meta. Omen heavily dominated the controller category, but the new updates and recent addition of Astra have added some variety for controller players. More players are opting …
Is sinatraa returning to Valorant? Is he streaming again?
Olivia Richman
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Jay “sinatraa” Won’s fans have been wondering if the popular Valorant player would be returning to the game after being accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend. Now it seems like they are finally getting some answers. sinatraa was benched from pro team Sentinels after Cleo “cle0h” Hernandez came forward with a TwitLonger outlining the abuse she allegedly faced while dating sinatraa. The TwitLonger included an audio recording in which Cleo could …
This insane Brimstone molotov on Bind will blow your mind
Fariha Bhatti
News
Team Liquid’s James “Kryptix” Affleck has demonstrated that Brimstone is still in the game despite Viper’s buffs with an insane molly that travels all the way across the map. Recent buffs to rejuvenate Viper have received a mixed response from Valorant players who think that the agent is now overpowered. Her damage-inflicting smokes are unique, making her a top pick for controller players. While many believed that the “Viper meta” …
Radiant Valorant streamer Solista banned for cheating on live stream
Fariha Bhatti
News
Ranking up in Valorant is no easy feat. Renowned Valorant streamer Solista dodged the straight path and used cheats to rank up, but he was caught on livestream. Riot’s Vanguard system to filter out cheaters has been winning the hearts of Valorant players. Vanguard has actively plucked out hackers marring ranked games, some of them getting banned on live broadcasts. However, Solista’s ban has left players who avidly watched his …
Use these Cypher one-way lineups to rain kills on Split
Fariha Bhatti
News
Cypher’s tripwire is the perfect antidote to deal with aggressive enemies on Split. His unique cages are just as effective, new lineups demonstrate. Valorant has specifically levied blocking sights on controllers, but a few other agents are also gifted with unique smokes. Cypher is essentially a Sentinel, but his hollow cage shrouds entries and rackets when an enemy comes in contact with the milky grey ring. While his smokes are …
TenZ says Valorant ranked games are bad for streaming
Fariha Bhatti
News
Streamer and Valorant pro player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo has revealed a reason why he’s not a huge fan of ranked games in Valorant. Earlier, tons of Valorant professional players have discussed how ranked games can be frustrating due to queue time, rank disparity, lobby restrictions, and random teammates in solo queues. TenZ cosigned this notion and has called out the developer to introduce a 10-man hub like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s …
New Silvanus skin bundle adds unique looks for Vandal, Phantom
Fariha Bhatti
News
Prepare your wallets! New Valorant skins are dropping soon. Riot Games has actively been delivering rip-roaring skins for Valorant weapons, but this new addition is in a league of its own. The serene yet spooky skin bundle has a novel theme that was earlier spotted in Winter Wunderland, released in Christmas holiday patch. The new skin bundle dubbed “Silvanus” will likely arrive before the upcoming map Breeze, currently being teased …
Riot drops hints about new tropical map Breeze coming soon
Fariha Bhatti
News
A new Valorant map has started showing its presence in the game, as posters of warm and summery scenery have appeared on existing maps. Riot Games’ tactical shooter is gradually maturing into a cut-throat competitive esport with the addition of new agents, locations, and more polished in-game features. However, the lack of map variation continues to bug both casual and competitive Valorant players. Leaks suggested that the developer is working …
shroud explains why bottom fragging in Valorant is no big deal
Fariha Bhatti
News
shroud has come out in support of bottom fraggers, explaining how first-person shooter games go deeper than how many kills you have. shroud’s opinion on FPS games carries a lot of weight due to his decorated resume in CSGO and now Valorant, and he’s often seen educating his viewers about the details of shooters. This time, the former pro player has spoken out about negative K/D scores on his recent …
Valorant fan creates a real-life version of the Phantom
Fariha Bhatti
News
A Valorant fan has taken his love for Phantom to a whole new level by creating a real-life version of the rifle. Reddit user Tinch0n has put his creativity to good use and brought Valorant’s powerful rifle to life in his 3D creation. Tinch0n revealed his work of art in a time-lapse video, showcasing the entire process and hard work that went into this incredible piece. The creator revealed that …
TenZ on loan to Sentinels through Valorant Challengers Finals
Nina Forneloza
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Tyson “TenZ” Ngo is officially on loan to Sentinels thorugh the end of Challengers Finals, if the team makes it that far, for the Valorant Challengers Stage 2 tournament. TenZ is subbing in for Jay “sinatraa” Won, who is currently under investigation after accusations of sexual assault were brought about by his ex-girlfriend. The accusations came just before the start of Masters Stage 1, which meant that Sentinels needed a …
Raze’s ultimate can help you trick enemies in post-plant situations
Fariha Bhatti
News
Raze is not just your aggressive duelist, shooting rockets to cause chaos. The agent can be valuable in post-plant situations with this little trick. Fake tapping the Spike is one of the most common tactics to bag rounds on the defender’s side. In Valorant, the trick becomes easier as you can always half defuse the bomb, punish the attacker for peaking and go back to defusing. However, the clear tap …
New lineup shows that Sova can still dominate on Split
Fariha Bhatti
News
Sova is a jack of all trades, but his abilities aren’t especially well-suited to Valorant’s smaller maps. Some new lineups prove that the initiator can still be viable on Split, at the very least. Sova is one the hardest agents to master in Valorant, but his pick rate remains sky-high despite the learning curve. The initiator has become the top pick of both casual Valorant players and professionals on almost …
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.
