Valorant
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Watch shroud get 3 clutch kills with 5 bullets in Valorant
M Alzamora
Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star Michael “shroud” Grzesiek might have returned to his streaming roots after retiring from pro play, but he still has the skills that made him a legend. Valorant’s abilities often take center stage in Riot’s shooter, especially with the release of the game’s latest agent, Astra. But while playing out a match on Icebox, shroud showed that just because a game has powerful abilities doesn’t mean …
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Viper, Yoru buffs are coming to Valorant, but not for a while
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant patch 2.04 is out, but one of the most notable things about the patch was the lack of buffs to Yoru and Viper. Many were surprised by this, but Valorant’s developers addressed the reason behind the delay. Since the game’s official release, Riot Games has introduced 15 agents into the game, divided into four categories. Most agents are viable, but a few others are still struggling to find a …
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Use these Sova shock dart lineups to protect the Spike on Icebox
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant hunter Sova may seem like a passive gatherer of intelligence to some, but his arrows can be deadly when properly used on the attacking side. Valorant’s newest map, Icebox, is finally becoming less vexing as players are adapting to its cool scenery and tight choke points. With Icebox becoming more popular, players’ schemes around the map are also developing. Icebox is turning into a competitive location that calls for …
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New Valorant agent Astra uses her stars to create one-way chokes
Fariha Bhatti
There’s no need to mug up tactical one-way smokes anymore if you have an Astra on your team. Riot Games’ newest agent Astra is already under the Valorant specialists’ microscope for being too powerful. The agent manipulates space and stars to get control of the map, but there’s more that she’s capable of. Unlike Viper and Brimstone, Astra doesn’t deal damage. The new star exploit changes that. Team Liquid’s streamer …
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Valorant’s 1st international LAN coming in VCT Masters Stage 2
Olivia Richman
“We’re going international!” Riot dropped huge news on fans of Valorant’s growing esports scene. The Valorant Champions Tour Stage 2 Masters event will be the first international VCT event in the tactical shooter’s short history. The top 10 teams from around the world will come together to compete in-person in Reykjavik, Iceland on May 24. We’re going international! VCT Stage 2 Masters will be our first international #VCT event. 10 …
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All about Valorant’s error code 39 before Act II’s big patch
M Alzamora
Valorant’s Act 2 battle pass is right around the corner, which means players might see a few Valorant error codes on patch day. Whenever a game is patched, players all over the world get caught up in errors and game codes trying to fix their game. But Valorant’s error xx is a special one and it’s actually a good one for players. Error 39 is a common code to see …
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Valorant’s Act II Battlepass new melee weapon and skin line revealed
M Alzamora
In just a few days, players will be able to get their hands on Valorant’s new skins. Valorant’s skin lines are dialed in and each family has a theme that ties it together, and Act 2 is no different. Riot has doubled down on the idea for Valorant’s Episode 2: Act II Battlepass. The next Valorant battlepass releases on March 2 with a ton of new items for players to …
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This Killjoy combo lets her easily get retakes on Ascent
Fariha Bhatti
Having Killjoy on your team during a game on Ascent can make for an easy win. This post-plant setup for the A site shows how deadly she can be on the defending side. Retaking A site on Ascent can be tricky due to its multiple choke points and strong angles. Attackers can hide under heaven, behind the generator, and by A short. However, the most common spot to camp post-plant …
Here are the abilities of new Valorant agent Astra
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant’s 15th agent is almost here and she’s a much-needed addition to the controller roster. Riot Games’ newest addition to Valorant is Astra, who has celestial powers that can let her toy with enemies. The new controller joins other agents in the class including Viper, Brimstone, and Omen. Alongside standard-issue smokes, Astra brings a lot of unique tools to the battlefield. She’s already got it all planned out. Harness the …
New Valorant agent Astra accidentally leaked by Riot Games
Olivia Richman
News
The Valorant community got an abundance of information on Agent 15 much sooner than expected. The Valorant Russian YouTube channel accidentally leaked the newest agent, Astra, shortly after Valorant’s official Twitter released a teaser image of the character. While it seemed like there would be a buildup to her release, Riot Games spilled the beans on Astra ahead of schedule. The video has been taken down, but it explained that …
Sova’s Recon Bolt can attach to other agent skills, here’s how
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant is indeed a team game. Sova’s Recon Bolt is already useful but it works better when combined with other agents’ tools. Initiators and sentinels are the ultimate supports in Valorant, and they’re crucial to finding opening kills. Playing the attackers’ side can be a pain if you don’t have an intel-gatherer on your side, but this trick can help blast open sites. Sova’s Recon Bolt is an overpowered ability …
Valorant developers are improving the game’s weak knife
Olivia Richman
News
Valorant patch 2.03 brought Escalation mode, which has proven fun. But it also shined a light on something the game’s community had largely ignored until this game mode made it more apparent: The knife is a bit wonky. In a recent Ask Valorant blog, developers responded to complaints that the game’s melee weapon has sometimes inaccurate hit detection. In response to the issue gaining more prominence with the release of …
Team Liquid officially welcomes Jampii to Valorant roster
Olivia Richman
News
Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive prodigy Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen has officially joined Team Liquid’s Valorant roster after Valve banned the 19-year-old from all of its official CSGO tournaments. “I hope I can bring this team up to new levels,” Jamppi said in a welcome announcement. He explained that he will mostly be playing Jett and acting as the team’s sniper. Jamppi stated that this is a “great combo” that’s worked well …
This new Valorant bug stops weapons and abilities from working
Olivia Richman
News
Another concerning bug has been found in Valorant after patch 2.03, and this is a wild one. Many Valorant players have reported that they aren’t able to use their abilities and weapons mid-match due to what seems to be pretty critical bug. Unlike most bugs that affect only a single ability, this glitch has an impact on every agent. It was first reported by a Reddit user who begged Riot …
Fry enemies with these Brimstone molotov lineups on Ascent
Fariha Bhatti
News
Taking over a bombsite is a walk in the park with Brimstone’s molotovs. Those tools are even more useful in post-plant situations. Aim may help rack up kills, but utility plays a crucial role when it comes to securing rounds. Without some calculated molotovs and smokes, opening a site can become an arduous task. Brimstone’s triple smoke tactics allow for smooth plants without risking duels. Just smoke key angles, get …
Valorant to have a dedicated coach slot in the future
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant developers have responded to the call for a coach’s slot, confirming that party sizes will allow a sixth man to analyze the game. Riot’s tactical shooter strictly follows a five versus five format. The ten-man lobby doesn’t allow more players to inspect a match like in other FPS games, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Players are on their own once they enter the server in a cut-throat 5v5 match. …
Team Envy ends VCT NA Challengers with 3-0 sweep of Sentinels
Nina Forneloza
News
In what some Valorant esports fans might consider an upset, Team Envy beat out fan-favorite Sentinels in a clean 3-0 sweep to take first place in the second Challengers weekend. First NA team to secure a Masters spot ✅Back on top in NA ✅We are the @ValorantEsports NA Challengers #2 CHAMPIONS ???? ???? @FNS ???? @mummAyTV ???? @kabooseCS ???? @food_cs ???? @Crashies #VCT x #TeamEnvy pic.twitter.com/9H2JEvOlN8 — Envy (@Envy) February …
Riot rolling out fix to OP camping strat on Bind in Escalation
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games has added unique mechanics to each map in Valorant to give them all an interesting feel. However, Bind’s teleporters are squeezing the fun out of the new Escalation game mode. While Icebox has horizontal ziplines and Haven adds a third bomb site, Bind brings teleporters into the game, linking the A and B bomb points with each other. This feature helps the defenders in competitive mode, but in …
CSGO pro Jamppi reportedly set to join Team Liquid’s Valorant roster
Fariha Bhatti
News
Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen is already making big moves after the Valorant switch. Reports claim that Team Liquid is eyeballing the young star for its roster. The Valorant wave swarmed tons of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players, pulling them to the animated universe of Riot’s shooter. However, jamppi’s shift had turned many heads, thanks to the player’s long history with Valve. The young CS star was banned from all CSGO majors on …
Valorant all-women pro circuit VCT Game Changers revealed
Steven Rondina
News
Valorant may be taking women’s esports to the next level. Riot Games has announced that an all-women spin-off of the Valorant Champions Tour, VCT Game Changers, is in the works. This circuit will likely produce some of the largest women’s esports competitions seen to date. “Today we are excited to introduce the VCT Game Changers program. This is an initiative designed to provide experience and a spotlight to elevate the …
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.
