The first of Phoenix's abilities is his powerful Blaze ability. When using Blaze Phoenix casts a far-reaching wall of fire. This wall of fire does damage over time and restricts the enemy and friendly player's vision from either side of the wall. When casting Blaze Phoenix is capable of curving and adjusting the angle to which the wall travels. Allowing Phoenix players to cover some tricky and crucial angles with this abil

Shrouded Step is a teleport that allows Omen to instantly move to a chosen place that's within the line of sight. This ability should be used with care, as it takes time to use and the chosen spot can be seen by other players if they are looking at

Valorant will use 128 Hertz tick rate servers for multiplayer, which is significantly higher than Modern Warfare's 12 tick rate servers or Overwatch's 62.5. If you ever played a shooter and felt your bullets were lagging, low tick rate servers are likely to blame. With 128 tick rate servers, bullet impacts will be near-instant and fpthoughts.com noted bullet ghosting shouldn't ex

Phoenix's Hot Hands is another fire-ball style attack in which the character launches an incendiary blast that deals high damage to a surrounding area. This attack, when tossed, will place a lingering flame area that does incredible damage-over-time. This attack allows Phoenix players to "smoke" up a team that is defending a given area or even prevents a rushing team from accessing a particular entrance or exit. Not to mention the abilities potential team-wiping effects if thrown on an unsuspecting group of enem

Objective-based modes are a smash hit in any competitive FPS title, but most revolve around planting or defusing a bomb. It's a common trend for good reason, but Valorant has the potential to stand above the r

Each map shown thus far has unique angles of approach and great map flow that separates itself from tri-lane map design that is commonplace in most FPS titles today . While having solid maps is key to a great competitive scene, starting with 4 might bore even the most devoted of players unless Riot can release more post-launch promp

When placing a Trapwire a Cypher player needs to consider a few factors. The first of which is, what location will the enemy team travel towards. Once this location is determined, assess which chokepoints or entrances will they utilize, then place the Trapwire accordingly. The Trapwire is not a major game-changer throughout a match, but if used correctly can turn the tide of a combat encounter. On the offensive, a Cypher player should use the Trapwire to cover his and his teammates back and allow them the chance to counter-attack a flanking defensive t

Each match features players of relatively equal skill on both sides and being able to tell a team that there is a flank or a push happening can make the difference between winning and losing. If serious about climbing in rank, communication is key, and there is no way around t

Viper's Poison Cloud is a gas grenade that constantly leaks out poisonous gas until it is manually turned off by Viper or she runs out of toxic fuel. This fuel is used for both Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen. This cloud obscures vision and damages players inside it. The grenade can be picked up again to be thrown la

Breach's abilities pack a massive punch. Even with slow actuation times, they have impressive range and can completely disorient opponents. He's one of those characters that I almost put up in the top 3, but his abilities are non-vital. Phoenix's flash ability seems to be a bit more versatile and athletic than Breach's, and while his ultimate is powerful and flashy, Brimstone's seems to have the edge with its killing po

Breach's third ability is Fault Line. This is Breach's signature ability, which players must equip it first and charge it before firing. Fault Line creates an earthquake that disrupts players' movement and screens that can be fired through walls and cover. Like Breach's other abilities, the exact area it will hit can be seen on the mini-map in the corner of the screen. It can also be used to check corner like with Aftershock, but it is capable of friendly-f

Sage takes the cake. Her healing orb is infinitely valuable in almost any situation. Shot in the body? Heal yourself. Teammate beat up? Heal them instead. Restoring lost HP is useful, and Sage can do it quic

Games like Rainbow Six: Siege have shown the industry that gun skill can matter as much as strategic planning. Valorant seems to focus on both and, from closed beta footage so far, has nailed the impact of both. Learning every Agent and the spray patterns of every gun will be a long journey that Counter-Strike players can relate to. The reward is massive, as you get immediate feedback at how much better you're becoming by placing more headshots or landing skills in more intense scenar

Many have likened it to Overwatch's hand-drawn style with a colorful cast of characters. There is a certain likeness, but weapons and locations don't ooze a unique style that sets it apart in the FPS market. Textures look flat and particle effects are simple, likely for visual clarity. It is a difficult balance between style and visual clarity that Riot needs to nail, but it currently lacks a distinct style like the flashiness of Overwatch or punchy visuals of Counter-Str