Everything you need to know about Valorant right now(2020)

Valorant! Everyone is talking about it. It is the latest sensation in the gaming industry. Counter-Strike you better watch out as there is a new game in the classic 5v5 FPS genre. Riot Games have just launched Valorant to the family of PC games worldwide. Whether you are an experienced FPS warhorse or just starting out gaming, here is everything you may want to know about Riot Games’ Valorant.

What is Valorant?

Valorant is a free-to-play 5 versus 5 character based tactical shooter game set in the near future. Currently, there are 10 characters with special abilities that are available for player to select from although more are expected to be released.

Gameplay

As mentioned above there are 10 characters that are available for the player to choose from in Valorant. Once selected, the player is stuck with the character for the entirety of the match which consists of 24 rounds with a sudden death round in case of a tie. The team first to win 13 rounds is declared as a winner. 

The objective of each round for the Attackers is to plant the spike(bomb) at the given bomb site before the timer runs out and defend it from the opposition whereas that of the Defenders is to prevent them from doing so or defuse the planted bomb before it explodes. Alternatively, any team can win the round if they kill all the enemy players.

All characters in Valorant have unique abilities. Two of them are available for purchase at the start of the round. Signature ability is available for free at the start of every round for free and once used 

has cooldown depending on the character. And the last ability is ultimate which is unique for each character. Like in other games the ultimate is the ability which is overpowered and has a long cooldown. 

Weapons in the game are available for purchase at the start of every round. With the first round of every half being a pistol round like Counter Strike Global Offensive as the credits provided at the start of round are limited to buy only secondary weapons. Every player can carry a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and a melee weapon which you guessed correctly is a knife. 

Credit System in VALORANT

Creds or credits are the in-game currency of Valorant. They are like money used in Counter Strike Global Offensive. Creds are used to buy guns and the two abilities that are available to purchase for each character. Valorant also introduced the system to request a weapon from a teammate by just RIGHT CLICKing on the weapon of choice. This notifies the requirement of the weapon to the teammates. If they have enough credits, they can just drop the desired gun. This is extremely helpful if anyone is running low on creds.

Creds are awarded based on the performance of the last round to the individual player and are included in the creds saved from the last round.

INCOME of creds

• 800 in the first round of each half.
• 3000 if your team wins the round
• 1900 if your team loses the round
• Additional 500 for 2x loss streak or 1,000 for loss streaks greater than 2x.
• 200 are awarded for each kill
• 300 for planting the spike(bomb)
• 5000 at overtime

The limit of credit each player in Valorant can hold is 9000. The earned credits are reset to 800 at the start of each half that is at the start of the match and after the first 12 rounds.

Characters In VALORANT

Players can unlock more characters in Valorant by taking contracts and gathering XP by playing matches.

Every agent has a base 100hp. Light shields grant +25 hp and heavy shields grant +50hp. Shields can be purchased from the buy menu of the start of each round. Light shield cost 500 creds and heavy shields cost 1000 creds

Jett

Jett (codename: WUSHU) is an agile character in valorant that can flank an enemy and kill them before they even know about her. Jett is one of the few Agents with a passive ability. Holding the jump key while in the air will allow Jett to slow her descent. Her ultimate comprises several daggers that deal moderate damage and kill with headshots. Getting a kill replenishes your daggers and you can choose to throw them one at a time or throw all remaining daggers in a short-ranged burst. 

Abilities :

• Basic:
  • CloudBurst: Instantly throws a projectile that expands into a brief vision cloud on impact with a surface. Hold the ability key to curve the cloud in the direction of your crosshair.
    • Cost: 100 creds
  • Updraft: propels Jett Upwards
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Tailwind: Propel in the direction Jett is moving. If she is standing still, she is propelled upwards.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Blade Storm: Equip a set of daggers that on firing deal moderate damage to kill with headshots

Raze

Raze (codenamed Clay) is an aggressive character that can go all-in in the battlefield. Most of her abilities are aimed towards maximizing damage given to the enemies instead of gathering intel and providing support to teammates.

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • BoomBot: Deploy a boombot which travels in a straight line, bouncing of the walls, and if it catches any enemies in its line of sight, it locks in and causing a hell lot of damage if it connects them
    • Cost: 200 creds
  • Blastpack: Instantly throw a Blast Pack that will stick to surfaces. Re-use the ability causes anything standing near it to take damage except Raze. Raze is propelled upwards.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • PaintShells: Equip a cluster grenade. Fire to throw the grenade, which does damage and creates sub-munitions, each doing damage to anyone in their range.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Showstopper: Equip a rocket launcher that can be used for one time and causes Area of Effect damage

Breach

Breach is the character used mainly for crowd control. Breach fires powerful, targeted kinetic blasts to aggressively clear a path through the enemy ground. The damage and disruption he inflicts ensure no fight is ever fair. 

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • Fusion Charge: Equip a fusion charge. Fire the charge to set a slow-acting burst through the wall. The burst does heavy damage to anyone caught in its area.
    • Cost: 100 creds
  • FlashPoint: Equip a blinding charge. Fire the charge to set a fast-acting burst through the wall. The charge detonates to blind all players looking at it.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Faultlines:  Equip a seismic blast. Hold Fire to increase the distance. Release to set off the quake, dazing all players in its zone and in a line up to the zone.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Rolling Thunder:  Equip a seismic charge. Fire to send a cascading quake through all terrain in a large cone. The quake dazes and knocks up anyone caught in it.

Omen

Omen keeps his identity safe. He travels in shadows. He renders enemies blind, teleports across the field, then lets paranoia take hold as foes scramble to uncover where it might strike next

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • Shrouded Step:Equip a shadow walk ability and see its range indicator. Fire to begin a brief channel, then teleport to the marked location.
    • Cost: 100 creds
  • Paranoia: Instantly fire a shadow projectile forward, briefly reducing the vision range of all players it touches. This projectile can pass straight through walls.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Dark Cover:  Equip a shadow orb and see its range indicator. Fire to throw the shadow orb to the marked location, creating a long-lasting shadow sphere that blocks vision. Hold Alternate Fire while targeting to move the marker further away.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Rolling Thunder:: Equip a tactical map. Fire to begin teleporting to the selected location. While teleporting, Omen will appear as a Shade that can be destroyed by an enemy to cancel his teleport.

Brimstone

Brimstone is a powerful commander that utilizes incendiary grenades, smokescreen airstrikes, and rapid-fire-inducing stim beacons to damage enemies and buff teammates.

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • Incendiary:  Equip an Incendiary grenade launcher. Fire to launch a grenade that detonates as it comes to a rest on the floor, creating a lingering fire zone that damages players within the zone.
    • Cost: 300 creds
  • Stimbeacon: Equip a Stim Beacon. Fire to toss the stim beacon in front of Brimstone. Upon landing, the stim beacon will create a field that grants players RapidFire.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Sky Smoke: Equip a tactical map. Fire to set locations where Brimstone’s smoke clouds will land. Alternate Fire to confirm, launching long-lasting smoke clouds that block vision in the selected area.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Orbital Strike: Equip a tactical map. Fire to launch a lingering orbital strike laser at the selected location dealing high damage over-time to players caught in the selected area.

Sage

Sage is a shield as well as sword. She can heal players as well as make defensive structures like walls and slow enemies by her orbs. Using her ultimate she can revive dead teammates.

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • Barrier: Equip a barrier orb. Fire places a solid wall. Alternate fire rotates the targeter. The direction of your crosshair.
    • Cost: 400 creds
  • Curveball: Equip an orb that slows whoever walks on them after being thrown on the ground.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Healing Orb:  Equip a healing orb. Fire with your crosshairs over a damaged ally to activate a heal-over-time on them. Alternate fire while Sage is damaged to activate a self heal-over-time.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Resurrection: quip a resurrection ability. Fire with your crosshairs placed over a dead ally to begin resurrecting them. After a brief channel, the ally will be brought back to life with full health.

Phoenix

Phoenix is a duelist capable of getting entry frags. He is equipped with flashbangs that can curve around corners. This makes him extremely efficient while rushing a site or holdin any enemies.

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • blaze: Equip a flame wall. Fire to create a line of flames that moves forward creating a wall that blocks vision and damages players passing through it. Hold Fire to bend the wall in the direction of your crosshair.r.
    • Cost: 300 creds
  • Curveball: Equip a flare orb that takes a curving path and detonates shortly after throwing, impairing vision. Fire to curve the flare orb to the left, detonating and blinding any player who sees the orb. Alternate fire to curve the flare orb to the right.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Hot Handss:  Equip a fireball. Fire to throw a fireball that explodes after a set amount of time or upon hitting the ground, creating a lingering fire zone that damages enemies.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Run it back: Instantly place a marker at Phoenix’s location. While this ability is active, dying or allowing the timer to expire will end this ability and bring Phoenix back to this location with full health.

Sova

Sova fires arrows with recon bolts. They are mainly used for getting intel on the enemy. Sova can also fire shock bolts which deal a big area of effect damage to the opponents.

Abilities: 

• Basic:
  • Shock Bolt: Equip a bow with shock bolt. Fire to send the explosive bolt forward detonating upon collision and damaging players nearby.
    • Cost: 300 creds
  • Owl Drone: Equip an owl drone. Fire to deploy and take control of the movement of the drone. While in control of the drone, Fire to shoot a marking dart.
    • Cost: 200 creds
• Signature:
  • Recon Bolt:  Equip a bow with recon bolt. Fire to send the bolt forward activating upon collision and revealing the location of nearby enemies caught in the line of sight of the bolt.
    • Cost: Free
• Ultimate:
  • Run it back: Equip a bow with three long-range, wall-piercing energy blasts. Fire to release a blast in a line in front of Sova dealing damage and revealing the location of enemies caught in the line.

Weapons in Valorant

Different weapons are available in valorant to cater to the different and unique playstyle of each player and character. Weapons are mainly classified as primary, secondary, and melee weapons. Primaries include rifles, SMGs, heavy weapons, and shotguns. Whereas sidearms or secondary weapons include pistols. Melee weapons include knives.

Weapons in Valorant can be purchased using creds. Each weapon in Valorant has a different economic value. Although it depends on the player and how the weapon is utilized in combat, creds play a major role in the victory of the match. Also, each weapon has its unique spray pattern, accuracy, and movement speed. This makes the game more fun and challenging.

List of all the weapons in Valorant

• Sidearms
  • Classic
  • Shorty
  • Frenzy
  • Ghost
  • Sheriff
• SMGs
  • Stinger
  • Spectre
• Rifles
  • Bulldog
  • Guardian
  • Phantom
  • Vandal
• Shotguns
  • Bucky
  • Judge
• Heavies
  • Ares
  • Odin
• Snipers
  • Marshal
  • Operator

Reception by gamers

Like APEX legends, Valorant was popular way before its release due to the limited beta program to the streamers. This made the game explode before its scheduled release and ruffled the feathers of excitement in the gamer community. Valorant saw its all-time high live viewers in April. 

Being such hyped and on top of that being free-to-play no wonder many people downloaded the game. Many critics as well gave an astonishingly positive rating for the game. “Valorant’s clever tactical hero shooter is plenty deep, and a lot of fun to master.” according to IGN

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