Valorant
Valorant
Latest Brimstone buff in Valorant patch 8.09 is too good
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant patch 8.09 bears glad tidings for Brimstone players, who always missed tight choke points while dropping their Sky Smokes. Valorant patch 8.09 is finally bringing some significant updates and hot fixes. With this patch, players will no longer lose their crosshair profiles after creating a new one. But this isn’t what has caught the attention of the community at large. The developers are finally giving Brimstone some attention. In Valorant, all agents rely …
Valorant
Upcoming Valorant Night Market release date leaked
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant Night Market is returning for the second time in Episode 8. Valorant’s skin thrift store, which features fancy cosmetic items at a cut price, is making another comeback. The next patch in Valorant will add a brand new tab on the menu, which will include six mystery cards hiding pricey skins at almost half the price. This would be the second Night Market for Valorant Episode 8. The first one went …
Valorant
Valorant player yay steps away from pro Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Bleed Esports’ star duelist Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker is taking yet another break from competitive Valorant, citing health reasons. Taking to X, Bleed Esports has announced that yay will be stepping away from the competitive scene to rest. The decision comes after the team’s underwhelming performance in VCT 2024 Pacific League’s Split One. However, Bleed is looking forward to his return and supports him during his downtime. “We fully support his decision to prioritize his wellness and we’re all excited for more …
News
This is how to check your Valorant purchase history
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant skins don’t grant mechanical advantage in the game, but some are too well-designed to pass up. Players who know how easy it is to overspend may want to keep a close eye on their purchases — and you may be wondering how to check Valorant purchase history. Well here’s what to do. Valorant points can be used to adorn and progress your account by purchasing skins, gun buddies, and …
Valorant
Viper and Cypher heavily nerfed in latest Valorant patch 8.08
William Davis
Valorant Patch 8.08 is here and it has bad news for Viper and Cypher mains. Both agents have been heavily nerfed, leaving Valorant players shocked. Since Valorant’s release in 2020, Viper has undergone dozens of tweaks, mostly nerfs. However, Riot made her viable again in recent updates with much-needed buffs. Now, the developer is dialing down her toolkit, likely to push Clove into the spotlight. It’s unfortunate for Viper mains but Cypher’s …
Valorant
Sagemommy and Jettdaddy are a duo again — sorta
Olivia Richman
After a dramatic falling out, Sagemommy and Jettdaddy are back to playing Valorant duos again. Self-proclaimed e-girl Sagemommy got into a bit of drama with her former business partner and possible lover, Jettdaddy, back in February. The two Valorant players took to Twitter to argue back and forth about what really went down between the two, but it appeared that the two were “e-dating” but were not officially together in …
Valorant
Riot removes Split from Valorant to fix game-breaking bug
Fariha Bhatti
Split has been removed from Valorant for the time being thanks to a game-breaking bug that opened an unplayable spot for players. Valorant, like any multiplayer game, isn’t immune to random bugs and glitches. The good thing is that Riot is quick to address these in-game hiccups and iron them out in a timely manner so they impact gameplay. This time, however, the bug was so severe that Riot had to remove …
Valorant
How to convert Valorant sensitivity to Apex Legends
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant is a 5v5 shooter, whereas Apex Legends is a battle royale. But if you want to excel at both, you’ll first need to convert your Valorant sensitivity to Apex Legends. Mouse sensitivity in gaming refers to how fast or slow your in-game camera or crosshair moves in response to physical mouse movement. It’s typically measured in DPI (dots per inch) or eDPI (effective DPI), the product of in-game sensitivity …
When does Valorant Episode 8 Act 3 start?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot recently updated Valorant’s controller lineup with Clove and added a bunch of new cosmetics in Valorant Episode 8 Act 2. When does Valorant Episode 8 Act 3 start? Valorant Episode 8 rolled in with a feisty controller, Clove. With their butterflies and post-death smokes, Agent 25 has already earned their stripes in the controller roster. But the next act may bring more updates and agent tweaks to adjust Clove …
Valorant players are bored of stale map pool
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Valorant players are getting bored of the shooter due to the game’s map rotation. Episode Eight Act 1 was the last time there was a change to the map pool in Riot’s colorful FPS. On January 9, 2024, players were able to queue up into any of the seven maps at random but had no option for selecting a specific map to play on. Gamers have grown tired of the …
Here’s every Vandal skin in Valorant with price 2026
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The one-tap headshot Vandal is the top pick of many Valorant players. Vandal skins in Valorant can make your trick shots that much more satisfying. The Phantom is an excellent choice on smaller maps, especially in the hands of an ace sprayer. However, the kills on Phantom just aren’t as satisfying as the Vandal’s. The one-taps on some skins are worth every penny as they add something extra to your …
Valorant players disappointed with new Switchback skin bundle
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The new skin bundle in Valorant, Switchback, has become the target of fans’ criticism, calling it a battle pass-esque collection. Valorant patch 8.07 brings in a myriad of fixes for existing agents and their bugs. Clove returns to esports after a quick trip to the workshop, and Omen can now interact with other useables like doors while in the Shade form of From the Shadows (X) without having to cancel …
Clove is currently banned from Valorant pro play
Olivia Richman
Valorant
New Valorant agent Clove is not coming to pro play as soon as expected. Riot Games announced earlier today that a recently discovered bug is going to delay Clove’s debut in pro play. On the official Valorant esports channel, it was stated that Clove’s “eligibility or International league (VCT) competition will be put on hold.” Previously, Clove was going to arrive for week two of Stage One. Unfortunately, some in-game …
Valorant players disappointed with Night Market, call for a rework
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players are no longer happy with Valorant’s skin thrift store, Night Market, and are calling for a rework. According to the community, the skins are cheap, repetitive, and boring. Like every other Act, Riot took to social media and announced the next Valorant Night Market, a store featuring skins at a cut price. Depending on the skin tier, the discount can range between 8% to 50%. It’s a great way …
Valorant announces agent ability swap for patch 4.1
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games is swapping agent abilities in Valorant in patch 4.1. Or is it? The developer behind Valorant takes April Fools seriously, rolling out prank updates each year that never really make it to the game. From a dating sim to Wide Joy mode, Riot has teased insane concepts. However, innocuous players often fall for the ridiculous patch notes, and this year wasn’t much different. On April 1, Valorant Japan …
Is the Sovereign 2.0 bundle in Valorant worth it?
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Valorant has confirmed that the Sovereign 2.0 bundle is coming. Trusted leakers in the Valorant community recently shared that the Sovereign 2.0 bundle is in the works. Initially leaked at the start of March, leakers explained that it’s “coming soon,” bringing elegant designs to some of the most popular weapons. Here is everything we now know about the Sovereign 2.0 bundle in Valorant. It appears that the leaks are true. …
VCT Masters Madrid breaks Valorant viewership records
Olivia Richman
Valorant
VCT Masters Madrid is officially the most-watched Valorant tournament in history. VCT Masters Madrid is the first major of the current Valorant season, bringing the top teams in the world together for intense matchups. This all culminated in a Grand Final match between Sentinels and Gen.G, which had over 1.6 million peak viewers. Related | Clove abilities: This Valorant agent encourages you to be a risk-taker According to Esports …
Valorant play button not working — how to fix issue
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The Valorant play button is not working for some players, but fortunately it’s a simple issue that can be resolved by following a few steps. Riot Games recently revealed upcoming agent Clove in Valorant, who’ll join the ranks on March 26. However, some players can’t play the game due to a pesky bug in Valorant. The Valorant play button often glitches when players return to the game after a long …
Clove abilities: This Valorant agent encourages you to be a risk-taker
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent 25 Clove has officially been revealed as the first agent who can still contribute to the game with their abilities after getting eliminated. Clove is a powerful yet balanced agent who can return from the dead and use some of their power long after they have died. The controller is equipped with smokes, decay grenades, resurrection, and self-healing powers. Simply put, Clove is a self-sufficient agent who is …
New Valorant map known as Bastion leaked
Olivia Richman
Valorant
A new Valorant map has been leaked, revealing a location known as Bastion. Valorant currently has 15 playable maps, each ranging in layout, style, and strategy. The wide range of maps has allowed for different agents and weapons to shine and forced players to learn the ins and outs of each map’s unique features. Now, a new map is likely joining the map pool, according to trusted insiders. Hidden within …
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.
