Valorant _ is Riot Game's most recent tactical shooter that players are calling a mix between Counter-Strike and Overwatch. The game is a 5v5 Search and Destroy game much like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but players also have to select different Agents which have unique abilities much like Overwatch. _Valorant currently has nine playable agents each having their own skill set that can help a team claim victory over their opponents. While players chose and buy whatever weapon they want to go with their agents, pairing agents' abilities well can help turn the tide of bat

Sage - She's the healer of the game, preventing and healing damage wherever she goes with various orbs. She can create a slowing area of effect, or create a solid wall to block bullets, line of sight and movement. Her signature ability is Healing Orb, which heals someone back to full health over a short duration, and her ultimate is Resurrection, which requires a corpse to w

Each Agent has a total of four abilities: one is a Signature Ability that is free each round, two others that must be purchased but can overlap rounds if not used, and one Ultimate ability that is progressively charged up through eliminations. Both the Signature and Ultimate abilities draw the comparison to Overwatch 2 Stadium mode , since that is how all characters operate in that g

Lastly, Sova's ultimate, Hunter's Fury, is a laser beam that shoots through walls and reveals the location of enemies that are hit while also dealing a massive amount of damage. The ultimate has three sh

While there is not a lot of mobility in Valorant, to begin with, characters who possess mobility skills can take the upper hand in almost any battle. As aiming is a key element in Valorant, any skils that disrupt the normal amount of mobility are sure to mess with a player's

Knowing where the enemy is at all times in the most important part of Valorant , and being able to know where your enemy is without seeing them is even more important. Luckily there are a couple of agents that have abilities that allow them to show their entire team where their enemies are located. These agents are Sova and Cyp

Sova is an archer who has a purchasable drone that he can fly around the map to locate enemies. This makes peeking around corners far less dangerous, and the drone has the ability to mark enemies and reveal their location to teammates. Sova also has a recon bolt that recharges over time and can be used to locate enemies. Wherever the bolt is fired it will shoot off three pulses and reveal the enemy's locat

Two teams of five players face off on one of several maps, with the first team to win thirteen rounds taking the overall match victory. Similar to other FPS games, each team alternates between taking the role of Attacker or Defender. To win a round, all the Attackers need to do is plant the Spike (like a bomb in other titles) on one of several predetermined locations, or simply eliminate the opposing team. Likewise, the Defenders are only tasked with stopping the Spike plant by defusing it within the round time limit or by eliminating the opposit

Several leaks have cropped up around Valorant , including screenshots and the title itself before the official reveal, as well as some official reveals that include alpha gameplay. Another official announcement has now revealed one of the most important aspects of the game: the characters that players will take control of. Each one of these characters has their own name, distinct look, and powers available to them, making each one play differently and allowing them to come together into a cohesive team. It is not a far cry from Riot's original League of Legends or from more recent shooters like Overwatch and the earlier Battlebo

Because each Agent has a theme to their abilities, it’s again best to learn a few different characters and become proficient in what they have to offer a team. Trying to main a single Agent will be problematic unless playing on a five-person premade team; The best solo ranked players will be flexible enough to provide their teammates with what is needed. There also has been no official plans to ban Agents in ranked play, however this is something players should expect in the future as Riot Games ramps up its esports presence for VALORA

Valorant bears more similarities to CS:GO than it does to Overwatch , and the mechanics of the games are very different. Players will have to buy some of their characters' unique powers in-between rounds just like they will have to buy the weapons they can steal off their enemies. It is similar enough to CS:GO that one of that game's commentators and former pros adored it , and seems to be an innovation to a breed of shooter that has not advanced anywhere for a very long time in the same way Overwatch updated many aspects of Team Fortress 2 's gamep

Valorant also feels like a perfect esports game. While a game like CS:GO has had success, perhaps its simplicity has held it back. There's something about the "pop" of Valorant that makes it so exciting to watch, as even ESPN has announced an upcoming Valorant invitational . It's a hyper-competitive game that gives players the one-more-round feel and is ultra-colorful, exciting, and uni