Valorant
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Valorant patch 2.03 buffs Yoru, nerfs Frenzy and Stinger
Olivia Richman
Valorant developers have come through with their promise of rebalancing Yoru. In Valorant patch 2.03, developers have focused on the newest duelist and buffed him to make up for what has been found to be an underwhelming kit. The new agent hasn’t seen as much play as initially expected and has been given some buffs to compensate for that. Reyna was also given some interesting changes, while some of the …
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Leaks reveal new Valorant skins, gun buddies based on agents
Nicholas James
As chatter picks up regarding patches and balance changes fans have likely gotten a sneak peak at the next two skin bundles. Both bundles are for multiple weapons and include other cosmetics like gun buddies, sprays and player cards. Data miner ValorLeaks produced footage of the new skins in action, and they’re unlike anything seen to this point in Valorant. Celestial Bundle Showcase | #VALORANT ~ Celestial Phantom (1775VP)~ Celestial …
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Yoru stinks and needs to be fixed, says G2 Esports’ Mixwell
Fariha Bhatti
Months after his release, players are still not fond of Yoru. But G2 Esports’ Oscar “mixwell” Cañellas may know what’s wrong with the Japanese flasher. Yoru is still new to the roster, but it’s looking as though his kit is a bit underwhelming when it compares to other duelists. In fact, it’s possible he has the weakest kit of any agent in the game, period. That’s seen him sit near …
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Valorant gets a new fast-paced Escalation mode
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games’ shooter is all set to get its first limited-time mode (LTM) Escalation, starting from February 17th. Valorant is still a relatively new game in terms of esports. However, a growing number of tournaments in the form of Valorant challengers series, First Strike, and many more have added a competitive finish to the game. Almost a year after its release, the game has evolved into a cutting esports that …
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Valorant adds more player penalties for AFK offenses
Nina Forneloza
Progressive penalties have finally arrived for AFK players in Valorant. Long requested penalties for text-based and AFK offenses have been implemented into the game. Penalties for AFK and chat offenses include warnings, revoked XP after games in which a player was AFK, queue restrictions, ranked rating deductions, comms restrictions, and temporary game bans. This implementation comes after months of players asking for AFK players to be punished more harshly. Games …
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Valorant player finds high ground spot on Ascent, no abilities needed
Olivia Richman
A Valorant player found a super simple way to get an incredibly advantageous angle on Ascent. There’s apparently a way to get to the top of the boxes located in the A Site’s corner without abilities. Most of the previously discovered boosts in Valorant can’t be done without them, but this discovery opens things up in a big way. Players can do this with any agent, but they do still …
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Dr Disrespect calls out Valorant, says it needs new maps
Olivia Richman
Popular streamer Herschel “Dr Disrespect” Beahm IV has been playing a lot of Valorant lately and he has some serious feedback for developer Riot Games. Dr Disrespect tweeted an intense moment from a Valorant match where he won the round by skillfully predicting what his opponent was going to do next. “I love this feeling,” the Doc said during the stream. “Just knowing that I can read the fucking situation …
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Here is how Viper can help open C site on Haven
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games’ recent nerf to Omen has tempted the players to try out other controllers. Viper may become a top pick after learning that she can single-handedly block most angles at Haven’s bomb point C. Omen and Brimstone’s smokes are extremely viable to block out crucial angles. However, Viper carries some extra abilities in her toolkit that may help open C Site more effectively. A controller is expected to support …
Valorant developers reveal future Yoru buffs, new controller agents
Nicholas James
News
In a statement made by Riot Games about the state of Valorant’s agents, character producer John Gosicki talked about the upcoming agent release and the current balance of agent classes. The statement addressed many community questions about the controller class, Viper, Yoru, and even teased some aspects of the next agent to be released. Character Producer @RiotMEMEMEMEME returns to talk Viper and Yoru balance, with an added hint of our …
Other regions to watch i the Valorant Champions Tour
Nicholas James
News
As the Valorant Champions Tour heats up, many regions are fighting tooth and nail to claim a coveted spot in the next stage of Riot Games’ competitive circuit. There have been massive upsets and new challengers in both North America and Europe, but many of the best plays and series from the circuit have come from other regions. With the region locking of the tournament series, smaller regions have been …
Watch shroud win a 1v4 and pick up a crazy ace with Viper
Fariha Bhatti
News
Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player Michael “shroud” Grzesiek showcased his expertly polished aim in one of his streams as he shutt down the entire team using Viper. Icebox is still a relatively new map that players dread to play. However, shroud managed to outplay five enemies on the least-played map using the least-picked agent, Viper. The ace was incredible, displaying the classic shroud aim. Shroud INSANE Ace and 1v4 …
Cloud9 Mel highlights a bug in Raze ult, Riot developer responds
Fariha Bhatti
News
A new bug in Valorant agent Raze has added to the long list of recent glitches. A Riot developer has provided a detailed response, explaining how the bug works. In a recent stream, Cloud9 White’s Melanie “meL” Capone encountered a bug in Raze’s Showstopper where the ability would cause zero damage to the enemy. can anyone explain this ???? pic.twitter.com/St1AooxOS5 — C9 meL (@mel_anji) February 10, 2021 Mel had just …
Is the Bucky the most overpowered gun in the Valorant?
Nicholas James
News
With running and gunning nerfed into the ground, the next overpowered gun strategy that may need to be addressed is the Bucky. Shotguns in Valorant are currently very strong and viable, with the Bucky being the most overpowered of the bunch. Thanks to its alternative slug fire on the right-click, the gun becomes oppressive at medium to long-range and can outduel rifles. The gun is also increasingly popular in casual …
Valorant’s Night. Market is back and better than ever
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games has surprised players with the unexpected return of Night. Market into the game. Valorant’s Night. Market has returned just two months after its premiere in December. The discount shop initially went live in December as part of the holiday update, and players assumed that it was a one-time thing. However, the shop has returned to Valorant, allowing players to get some of the game’s premium skins. Riot Games …
G2 Esports’ Lothar encourages players to abuse Cypher exploits
M Alzamora
News
A serious bug that lets Cypher’s camera destroy Sage’s Barrier Wall still works in Valorant, and now a major streamer is encouraging players to exploit the tactic. Since Valorant’s patch 2.0 in January, under-played agent Cypher has been able to take Sage out of the game by making her Barrier Wall ability almost completely useless. G2 Esports’ Jakub “Lothar” Szygulski just found out about it though, and he’s trying to …
Drama surrounds TSM vs. Sentinels scrims after trolling claims
Fariha Bhatti
News
North America’s Valorant scene has tons of budding rivalries that fans can latch onto, but TSM and Sentinels’ storyline tops them all. Team tussles and backstories are a classic part of any competitive game. Casual, back-and-forth banter between teams is a crucial element that attracts fans to watch the games and follow the scene. Riot Games’ tactical shooter is still in its formative days as an esport, but TSM and …
Excel building new Valorant team around G2 Esports’ Davidp
Nicholas James
News
Excel Esports is set to join the Valorant esports circuit according to Esportmaniacos. The team is reportedly built around former G2 Esports in-game leader David “Davidp” Prins. The Belgian has been under contract with G2 Esports since his benching in December 2020, but is currently allowed to negotiate with other teams. I can’t wait to reveal you guys what’s my future gonna be, I am over motivated about the work …
shroud shows off Valorant bug that lets you see enemies anywhere
Olivia Richman
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Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Michael “shroud” Grzesiek has consistently proven to be a beast at Valorant during his streaming career. But he was able to get an even bigger advantage on an unsuspecting opponent thanks to a strange and powerful bug. During a recent stream, shroud was enjoying a game of Valorant when he encountered a potentially game-breaking glitch. The streamer decided to peak while defending Haven’s C Site. …
Version1 organization enters Valorant with roster of CSGO players
Nicholas James
News
Version1, an esports organization with prominent teams in Rocket League and Call of Duty, has joined the competitive Valorant landscape by signing amateur squad NeverDone. Version1 + @ValorantEsports #V1VAL ⱽ #NeverDone pic.twitter.com/Op8ZNMFYw4 — Version1 (@version1gg) February 9, 2021 The organization is partly owned by the owners of the Wilf family, who own the Minnesota Vikings, along with investor Gary Vaynerchukand. The company also has its headquarters in the state of …
Info on Valorant’s lore may be hidden in Killjoy voice lines
Olivia Richman
News
Most of the story behind Valoranat is a mystery thus far. While developers noted that Episode 2 will reveal more lore behind the mysterious conflict and world behind Valorant, a lot of players have impatiently started coming up with theories on their own. Whether it’s parts of the map or voice lines, the Valorant community is always looking for clues that will reveal more about the game’s backstory. The most …
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.
