Valorant
News
Giants Gaming signs Prodigy Orgless and former FPX player Meddo
Nicholas James
Giants Gaming has signed a full European roster ahead of the Valorant Champions Tour, starting in less than a month’s time. The team consists of four players from the Prodigy-represented squad Orgless as well as former FunPlus Phoenix player Johan “Meddo” Renbjörk Lundborg. The players from Orgless that are joining include Vincent “Happy” Schopenhauer, Daniil “pipsoN” Mesheryakov, Aaro “hoody” Peltokangas, and Ričardas “Boo” Lukaševičius. The only player not joining from …
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dizzy returns to stream Valorant after a six-month absence
M Alzamora
Coby “dizzy” Meadows announced that he will return to streaming after taking an extended break after the passing of streamer Byron “Reckful” Bernstein. The former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitor turned Apex Legends star took a step back from competition and his personal streaming career back in June after the sudden death of Reckful, an event that had a major impact on the young player. Dizzy explained that he’s spent the …
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G2 completes Valorant roster with former Fortnite pro Zeek
Fariha Bhatti
G2 Esports has finally rounded out its Valorant roster with the addition of former Fortnite professional Aleksander “zeek” Zygmunt. The organization announced the signing of its fifth player ahead of the Champions Tour, Valorant’s biggest event of 2021. Unlike other retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive veterans on G2’s Valorant squad, zeek has a decorated background in Fortnite. HE’S UNREAL ????Welcome @G2zeek! pic.twitter.com/tHgKL63rn7 — G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 18, 2021 The 19-year-old …
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Here’s how to blow open Ascent’s B site with Yoru without help
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant agents with flashes have always been a menace, but new agent Yoru overpowers them all with a kit that makes him possibly the deadliest duelist in the game right now. Not only that, but the 14th agent has upstaged Omen in terms of his ability to teleport. This combination gives Yoru the ability to pull off maneuvers no other agent can. Opening bombsite B on Ascent is not an easy …
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Valorant pro subroza shows how best to use Yoru’s flash
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant Episode 2 adds Yoru as the 14th agent on the decorated duelist roster. Riot’s shooter now has plenty of flashers, but Yoru’s Blindside can be especially tricky to combat for his enemies when it’s used correctly. While the game was not necessarily in need of another flasher, Yoru’s pop flash may have an edge to it. Winning a duel against Yoru can be tough when he can vanish out …
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Omen teleport quietly nerfed in Valorant’s patch 2.0
M Alzamora
While Valorant’s Patch 2.0 brought changes to Omen that were designed to tone down his power, there was another change to the agent that Riot left out of the patch notes. Riot Games made a significant change to the hitbox of Omen’s teleport ability, Shrouded Step. The ability now requires players move further out from cover than they did before the Valorant 2.0 patch. Now, it looks like Shrouded Step’s …
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Valorant coach fRoD leaves T1 due to “difference of ethics”
Olivia Richman
T1’s Valorant team has parted ways with coach Daniel “fRoD” Montaner. On Wednesday night, fRoD took to Twitter to announce his departure, stating that he was no longer with T1 due to a “difference of ethics and opinions” on how the Valorant team was supposed to be run. It is unclear what caused this tension within the team. T1 has not made any roster changes since September 2020. “Wish the …
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Riot Games suing Valorant cheat creators after wave of bans
Nina Forneloza
Valorants anti-cheat engine Vanguard cracked down on multiple popular cheating services, leaving hackers feeling scammed out of the very expensive services they paid for. The mass ban comes just one day after news broke that Riot Games and Bungie sued two cheat makers for producing hacks for Valorant and Destiny 2. The Vanguard and Riot Games teams have banned thousands of accounts associated with cheating, and the fallout is massive …
Valorant bug lets Cypher quickly destroy Sage walls with camera
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant patch 2.00 comes with tons of trivial glitches, but Cypher’s ability to ignore Sage’s Barrier Orb could be game-breaking. Valorant Episode 2 comes with game-breaking bugs that not only destroy Sage’s wall but facilitate Cypher to make discreet moves. New glitches in Valorant let Cypher’s Spycam slip through Sage’s Barrier Orb without making a noise. The camera can also break the wall immediately upon interaction. The exploits existed before …
TenZ steps down from Valorant esports to focus on streaming
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant pro Tyson “TenZ” Ngo will no longer be a part of Cloud9 Blue’s active roster. The star player has announced he is taking an indefinite leave from the game’s esports scene. The 19-year-old spent seven months on Cloud9 Blue’s roster after being transferred from Cloud9’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division. TenZ is set to remain under the Cloud9 umbrella, but as a streamer. The original member of #C9BLUE @TenZ_CS has …
Riot Games and Bungie sue cheat maker for costing them millions
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games has teamed up with Bungie to put an end to a cheating business of a software company found to be producing hacks for Valorant and Destiny 2. A report by Polygon alleged that a website called Cameron and GatorCheats is complicit in generating “a portfolio of malicious cheats and hacks.” Lawyers for Riot and Bungie have joined forces to take down the website sellings hacks for Valorant and …
Valorant Episode 2 adds Yoru, rank updates, and big balance patch
Fariha Bhatti
News
Valorant fans have been anxiously awaiting Episode 2 Act I and Riot Games has finally shipped it. The 2.00 patch adds new agent Yoru to Valorant, along with some major changes to Omen and Brimstone. There’s a very long list of changes and additions, but it’s worth taking a look at some of the highlights. Here are some of the important stories that came out before the balance patch launched. Valorant …
Valorant dev reveals how MMR impact matchmaking
Fariha Bhatti
News
Matchmaking in Valorant can be a testing experience for players due to smurfs and griefing. Things will hopefully get a bit better. Riot Games’ patch 1.13 introduced tweaks to the matchmaking system in response to complaints of a sudden spike in smurfs. However, a Redditor named hardstuckbabe said that the issue cuts both ways, and the new system that lets players climb the rankings more rapidly has flooded high-MMR brackets …
Valorant releases 2021 Champion’s Tour starting dates
Nina Forneloza
News
Valorant has released the start dates for their much-anticipated Champion’s Tour. The Champion’s Tour is Valorant’s biggest esports tournament. It will take place over several smaller, international tournaments. Starting with Challengers, which is Valorant’s regional competition, teams and players will fight their way thorugh the ranks to make it to the next tier, which is Valorant Masters. In Masters, the top teams from each region will fight to take their …
All of Yoru’s abilities and agent interactions explained
Olivia Richman
News
Yoru is Valorant’s 14th agent, bringing some much-needed stealth and mobility options to the tactical shooter. After developers surprised fans with a cinematic short featuring Yoru’s abilities, Valorant players were left wondering exactly how Yoru’s abilities would work in-game. Luckily, a few streamers have had the chance to test out Yoru early. With Episode 2 dropping, take a look at how to properly use Yoru’s abilities in this breakdown of …
Valorant revamping rank system, adding leaderboards in Episode 2
Nina Forneloza
News
Valorant’s ranked system is getting a complete revamp, and leaderboards are coming in Episode 2 which starts January 12. Along with a new Agent, some balance changes, and weapon updates, Valorant developers have completely changed how the Rank Rating system will work in Episode 2. There will also be a highly requested leaderboard added to the game. Riot has dubbed the new ranking system “Rank Rating” or “RR”. Developers have …
Leaks say major Brimstone buffs coming in Valorant Episode 2
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games’ multiple additions to Valorant’s agent roster has sidelined some older agents like Brimstone. However, a new leak suggests that the developer will boost the aged controller’s abilities in the upcoming patch 2.00. Episode 2’s early release has revealed that Brimstone may finally get some love from the developer. The old sarge’s kit will get some polishing, which may bring him back into the game meta. Episode 2 buffs …
Omen to receive harsh nerfs in upcoming Valorant patch 2.00
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot Games has decided to temper down Omen in an effort to balance out Valorant. A leak suggests that Riot’s shadow hunter will see heavy nerfs in patch 2.00. Since the game’s release, the Valorant developers have nerfed plenty of agents in response to players’ complaints. Omen’s stats and pick rate show that the shadow agent has quietly excelled with his cryptic abilities. An early look at patch 2.00 suggests that …
Valorant shows 14th Agent Yoru in action for the first time
Olivia Richman
News
As Episode 2 of Valorant approaches, Riot dropped a cinematic trailer named Retake that heavily features Agent 14, who was previously leaked to have the name Yoru. It starts with Phoenix tensely talking with an off-camera voice about defusing a Spike and taking back a site on Icebox. Jett, Cypher, and Viper can be seen patrolling the area. “Don’t rush me,” the mysterious voice says. “We don’t have time!” Phoenix …
Try this Jett spawn peek trick on Ascent to spot your enemies
Olivia Richman
News
Valorant is a tactical shooter where knowing the enemy’s location is paramount to winning a round. It’s why Cypher’s intel gathering abilities are so powerful and why the newest agent, Shatter, has an ability that misdirects opponents with fake footsteps. But even duelist agents who are often used for pub stomping can get in on the intel action with a few tricks. Since the game’s closed beta in the summer …
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.
