Valorant
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Valorant dev reveals how MMR impact matchmaking
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
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Valorant releases 2021 Champion’s Tour starting dates
Nina Forneloza
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 …
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All of Yoru’s abilities and agent interactions explained
Olivia Richman
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 …
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Valorant revamping rank system, adding leaderboards in Episode 2
Nina Forneloza
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 …
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Try this Jett spawn peek trick on Ascent to spot your enemies
Olivia Richman
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 …
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This Sage wall on Bind is the perfect spot to clutch out a win
Nina Forneloza
Valorant players often find ways to do pretty cool things with a hero’s ability, and this trick with Sage on Bind is no different. A Valorant player recently discovered a Sage wall on Bind that can be used to help hold Site A. The wall is placed on a box near the entrance to Showers. Jumping on top of the wall is fairly tricky, but there are more advantages than …
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Trick your enemies with this Omen fake defuse tactic
Fariha Bhatti
A common trick to win a match of Valorant is faking a Spike defuse. With this Omen trick, players can take a simple fake defuse to another level. Fake defusing is pretty simple: Tap the Spike once and pre-aim for enemies who peek to protect the Spike. This simple trick is a game-changer. However, Omen’s ability to teleport makes this trick tenfold deadlier for the enemy. For example, defusing a …
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Brimstone buffs are set for upcoming Valorant update
Olivia Richman
Brimstone’s pick rate might see a spike in Episode 2. For the entirety of 2020, Brimstone was one of the least-picked agents in Valorant. According to statistics from The Spike, Brimstone had a 0% pick rate in the First Strike North America regional final alongside Sage and Viper. On the European side, Brimstone was played on just four maps. Brimstone is also an unpopular choice for casual players climbing the …
Team Liquid trialing former CSGO pro JUGi for Valorant roster
Nina Forneloza
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Team Liquid is reportedly trialing former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Jakob “JUGi” Hansen for its Valorant roster. Nothing is official yet, but Team Liquid fans are hopeful that JUGi will don a Marvel Comics-themed jersey sometime soon. During the trials, JUGi is reported to have taken the place of Adam “ec1s” Eccles, but it is unknown whether JUGi will replace him on the active roster or someone else’s. JUGi most …
Valorant’s deadliest weapon confirmed by Riot Games
Olivia Richman
News
Riot Games closed out 2020 in the best way possible; with stats about its game! In a recent Twitter post, Valorant developers shared some interesting weapon facts. Topping that list was that the Vandal beat out the Phantom and Spectre “as this year’s deadliest weapon.” The weapon earned this superlative based on the number of kills it has racked up since the game’s launch. We’re wrapping up 2020 with a …
Mamba Mode Gaming disbands after ownership ghosts staff
Nicholas James
News
Mamba Mode Gaming, a North American Valorant squad that is currently ranked in the top 20 in the region, has separated from its organization following a lack of payment and communication from organization owner Gabe “Mamba” Ren. The organization’s Valorant team and staff have gone their separate ways, along with its Rocket League staff and team as well. The organization’s academy team has decided to stick together under the moniker …
Valorant’s entire new 2021 Battle Pass just got leaked
M Alzamora
News
Along with the leak of Valorant’s 14th agent Yuro came another, even larger leak that showed off the entire battle pass for the game’s Episode 2, Act 1. While all eyes were on the leak of Valorant’s upcoming agent, there was more information set loose on the internet concerning Valorant’s next battle pass. In addition to the showing of new agent Yuro’s abilities, the leak also included a video containing …
New Valorant agent Yoru leaked alongside Episode 2 Battle Pass
M Alzamora
News
Valorant fans got their first look at Valorant’s 14th agent, Yoru. The stealthy agent is the evolution of Shatter, possessing abilities that differ only mildly from the possibly scrapped agent. In a Reddit post on December 2, a leak revealed all of the agent’s abilities and their descriptions. Additionally, photos of Valorant’s new Yoru menu screens and the contents of its Episode 2 battle pass were also leaked. Yoru’s abilities …
These post-plant Brimstone incendiaries are better than an ult
Fariha Bhatti
News
While every agent ability in Valorant is useful to some degree, Brimstone’s deadly incendiary works wonders in Ascent on the attacker side. Brimstone’s Orbital Strike is one of the most effective ways to secure a spike post-plant, but players won’t have an ult ready for every single round. This is where Brimstone’s basic kit comes in and dominates the bomb site. The agent has three sky smokes, a stim beacon, …
Valorant supports say ranking system stacked against them
Nina Forneloza
News
Buzz has been circulating within the Valorant community that support players are being unfairly judged by the ranking system. The vast majority of multiplayer-focused games have had some sort of complaint about the way the ranking system determines where players sit on the leaderboard. Valorant is no exception, and because it is so early in the game’s life, it’s only natural for there to be growing pains in the rankings. …
New Sage trick on Ascent protects spike with her wall
Nina Forneloza
News
Some clever Sage players have discovered a new hack with her wall on Ascent. Enemies must destroy the wall to get to the spike, allowing more time for the planting team to thwart enemy sabotage. The trick is to place the spike behind some generators on Point A. Here’s how to do just that: Position the spike directly in the middle behind them, and place Sage’s wall on the rightmost …
Here’s how Omen’s teleport can easily open Ascent’s B site
Fariha Bhatti
News
The narrow entry to Ascent’s B site hugely favours the defenders. But the shadow agent Omen’s abilities combined with Raze or Sage can play a pivotal role in opening up bomb point B. B site might be challenging to open, but it’s also tricky for defenders to retake this site post-plant. Compared to bomb point A where three entrances allow defenders to defuse the Spike more smoothly, B site’s design …
This Killjoy nanoswarm lineup protects the spike on Ascent
Fariha Bhatti
News
Ascent map’s design makes it easier for defenders to retake a site effectively. However, agents such as Killjoy that have remote utility can ensure a strong post-plant situation for attackers. The B site of Ascent is generally a tricky area for the attackers. The narrow space in B main that leads to the site limits agents from carrying out fast pushes and utilizing their abilities. Conversely, the small area favors …
GeT_RiGhT announces plans to transition to Valorant
Steven Rondina
News
One of the biggest stars in the history of Counter-Strike is set to transition to rival tactical shooter Valorant. That star player is Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund. The longtime franchise player of Ninjas in Pyjamas revealed the news with a dramatic tease on his personal Twitter: pic.twitter.com/EYoixveYDt — Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) December 26, 2020 It is unclear what GeT_RiGhT’s transition to Valorant might entail. The Swede was benched by Dignitas in …
This Killjoy nanoswarm lineup on Haven makes retakes easier
Fariha Bhatti
News
Haven is a tricky map to play as the defenders due to its large area and three bomb points. However, Killjoy can prove to be a great threat on this map if used correctly. Maps in Riot’s tactical shooter are unique and differ widely from one another. The other maps’ distinctive characteristics don’t impact the meta as much as Haven’s unique feature: three bomb points. Attackers on this map greatly …
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.
