Valorant
Valorant
You can get Valorant’s Wingman Avatar on Discord for free, here’s how
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s Wingman is so cute that players would take him everywhere if possible. For now, you can hang out with him on Discord for free. Gekko’s Wingman is deadly, but he’s criminally cute. A cross of penguin and armadillo, the cute companion has become pretty popular in the Valorant community. From plushies to figurines, players keep finding ways to keep Wingman with them at all times. Now, Riot is allowing …
Valorant
Riot is giving a free Valorant console beta card, here’s how to get it
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant console beta is finally out in the wild, open for everyone to install. However, Riot has a special reward for those who played the game during closed beta. On June 14, Valorant became available on the console for a few lucky players who signed up for early access. During this time, players enjoyed several new updates and tested the identical game on controllers. After more than a month, Riot …
Valorant
Valorant announces VCT Seoul groups, here are all 16 teams
Tokoni Uti
The official Valorant Champions Tour team has announced the groups for the 2024 tournament being held in Seoul. According to a statement and image shared on the Valorant Champions X account, four Valorant Champion tour groups will be taking part in the competition in Seoul, South Korea, from August 1st to 25th, 2024. Related | Valorant console release date has been leaked, and it’s soon VCT 2024 EMEA champions Fnatic …
Valorant
Valorant console release date has been leaked, and it’s soon
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant console release has been leaked by a data miner who believes the game is coming sooner than anyone expected. On June 7, Riot Games announced the long-awaited Valorant console at the Summer Game Fest 2024, confirming rumors that had been swirling for two years. According to the developer, the game would work similarly to the PC counterpart and would even receive updates on the same day. This was proven …
Valorant
“My brain gets cooked”: TenZ complains about Evori Dreamwings bundle
Olivia Richman
The recent Valorant weapon skin bundle, Evori Dreamwings, initially had gamers enchanted, mesmerized by the cute little animals and adorable animations. But now pro player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo is feeling some concerns over the new skins. The Evori Dreamwings bundle was released with the drop of Episode 9 on June 27. Since then, players have been loving the adorable little creatures dancing around their guns, including an enchanting butterfly melee …
Valorant
Valorant Agent 26 could be a plant-based initiator
Fariha Bhatti
More details about Valorant Agent 26 have emerged, and we may be looking at an initiator. Valorant agent 26, previously leaked with the codename Sherry, finally has more details. As previously speculated, Sherry may hail from Spain, as this is all we could glean from the leaked codename. But Riot has dropped major hints about the next agent’s toolkit, lore, origins, and more in Valorant episode 9, act 1 trailer. …
Valorant
How to register for the Valorant console beta
Olivia Richman
Valorant coming to console is a big deal for FPS fans that haven’t had a chance to play Riot’s colorful shooters on Riot. Valorant console has finally been confirmed and gamers can check out the console beta right now. The Valorant console beta has already started. It opened on June 14, 2024 and is currently going on for an undisclosed amount of time. The beta will be for the PlayStation …
Valorant
Valorant PS5 trophy list leaked, here’s all we know
Fariha Bhatti
PlayStation 5 players will be glad to know that the Valorant trophy list looks pretty simple and straightforward. However, it doesn’t offer Platinum accolades. After months of wait and teasers, Riot finally announced Valorant’s port to consoles at Summer Game Fest 2024. According to the developer, the game would run similarly to its PC counterpart and get the same updates. But of course, PC players can’t grab the shiny PS5 trophies …
New Valorant map Abyss has game-breaking exploit
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Abyss is the latest Valorant map, featuring interesting easter eggs and enabled death drops. The challenging map was intriguing players at first but now gamers are growing frustrated with some game-breaking exploits. Riot tries to bring something new to every Valorant map, introducing new gimmicks like doors and ziplines. In Abyss, death drop is enabled and there are a lot of scary jumps that have created new gameplay opportunities. A …
Valorant map Abyss drops the biggest hint about missing Agent 8
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot is tight-lipped about the next Valorant agent, but it may have dropped a massive hint about Agent 8 in the latest map Abyss. Abyss was recently released as the 11th Valorant map. After a long while, Riot released a map that was completely unique from others, bringing a gimmick of its own. With death drop enabled and dicey jumps, Abyss is a complicated but fun location. But it has …
New Valorant map Abyss introduces a CS2 map-style gimmick
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Abyss has officially been revealed at Valorant Champions Tour 2024: Masters Shanghai as a map set in the Hourglass Kingdom. Here’s your first look. Abyss is Valorant’s 11th map, which will be entering the rotation in Episode 9. It was earlier leaked as Bastion, but now Riot has officially lifted the curtain on a brand new location that takes us into Hourglass organization’s territory. For those unaware, Hourglass was the …
Will Valorant console have crossplay? Riot has responded
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Since Valorant has been confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S, players all have one question: Will Valorant console have crossplay? Valorant has been out on PC for four years. Over the past three years, the esports industry has burgeoned into a massive force, gaining global traction. Besides Riot’s consistent effort to boost Valorant esports in all regions, the game is inherently competitive. For this reason, it …
Valorant console release date, limited beta, and more
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant has been confirmed for consoles, specifically PlayStation 5 and Xbox X | S, and will be available globally in 2024. Riot Games has been discussing the possibility of bringing Valorant to consoles since the game’s release on PC in 2024. Despite rumors about Valorant coming to mobile, there hadn’t been any news about a console version. Now, Riot has dropped a bombshell at Summer Game Fest 2024, confirming Valorant …
Valorant patch 8.11 buffs Neon’s run and gun, nerfs Reyna’s heal
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant patch 8.11 has revealed heavy buffs for Neon and much-needed balance changes for Reyna. Earlier, Riot Games hinted at major changes for Valorant duelists, a move to diversify agent picks from the popular Raze, Reyna, and Jett. Now, leakers have discovered the entire Valorant patch notes 8.11, revealing major buffs for Neon and some balances for Reyna. The upcoming update will balance all duelists, safe for Jett. Iso is also getting some upgrades to his …
Valorant Mobile is confirmed, here’s all we know about it
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Mobile is officially happening. Credible sources at Liquipedia have confirmed that the game servers have been approved in China. Here’s what we know about the release date. Valorant Mobile has long been in the making. Multiple leaks and in-game screenshots have been circulating online, indicating that the release was imminent. Riot Games has also confirmed that they are developing a handheld device version of the game. However, there have …
Riot will now hardware ban toxic players in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant, like any multiplayer game, has a toxicity problem. But the great news is that Riot Games is taking it seriously with the newly announced hardware ban. In light of recent events, including Andrew Tate’s criticism for defending toxicity in Valorant, Riot has announced even more severe punishment for trolls and malicious actors. The short clip of a woman getting threats in the game triggered a whole discourse around “just …
How to appear offline in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant is best enjoyed with friends, but sometimes, you want to tune out all the noise and climb the ladder alone. You can achieve this without leaving your friends behind by appearing offline in Valorant. Valorant has several rank restrictions for full-stacks, making it difficult to queue with friends at times. However, there are many other reasons why a player may choose to queue alone in Valorant. Unfortunately, the game …
Patch 8.11 to make all Valorant maps playable, with a catch
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
After announcing Haven’s return to Valorant map rotation, Riot has another excellent news for the fans. From patch 8.11, all Valorant maps will be playable, just not in ranked mode. Valorant map rotations keep the game fresh and entertaining, but some maps can be bland and boring. For this reason, the current rotation prompted negative feedback from the player base, who had been asking Riot for a re-swap. In the …
Get a first look at Valorant replay system that’s coming soon
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant is officially getting a replay system, but we don’t know when. Since its launch in 2020, Valorant players have been vocal about their need for a replay system. This feature, which would allow them to review their gameplay, analyze mistakes, and strategize better, is not just a luxury but a necessity for esports production companies, esports players, and competitive Valorant players. Riot has been attentive to this demand and …
Andrew Tate criticized for defending toxicity in Valorant, demanding ban on female players
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Andrew Tate is now loitering in the gaming spaces, asking developers to ban women who face toxicity in “men’s spaces.” Earlier this week, Twitch streamer TaylorMorgan posted a video of herself playing Valorant when a troll threatened to rape her. The streamer appeared visibly shocked and hurt by the remark, prompting her to immediately quit the game and end the livestream. The heartbreaking video got community-wide attention, including Valorant’s team lead, Anna Donlon, who assured her …
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.
