Valorant: Agent and Abilities Guide

Valorant is Riot Games' upcoming 5v5 character-based tactical shooter. Taking its inspiration from shooters like CS:GO and Overwatch it looks to mix the best of both games to create a brand new competitive FPS.

Like Overwatch, players will select a character at the start of each round. Each character will have unique abilities, and like CS:GO at the start of each round players will be able to purchase guns and additional abilities. 

• Read more: Everything we know about Valorant.

So far we know the existence of then characters (officially called 'Agents') named Omen, Sage, Brimstone, Sova, Cypher, Viper, Jett, Phoenix, Breach, and Raze with reports stating that five will be available at launch with a further five to be unlocked through a battle pass like system. Though if you don't have the time it looks like you will be able to purchase them.

Knowing how each of these characters work and what abilities are available to them will be key to succeeding in the game. So if you want to get ahead of the competition your best learning what you can before the launch day which is expected at some point during the summer of 2020.

Valorant: Agents and Abilities

Valorant differentiates itself from CS:GO with its selection of unique Agents that you will pick from at the start of each match.

So far there are eight confirmed Agents to choose from, and three types of abilities.

Agents have some characteristics of classic hero types like tanks, healers etc seen in other games like Overwatch and Apex Legends. Abilities range can from simple utility, like smoke grenades, to more powerful game-changers like the ability to resurrect downed teammates.

Each character has a main ability which is always available and free to use based on cooldown.

Characters also have two unique purchasable abilities which can be purchased from the store at the start of each round, from what we have seen so far these work similar to grenades in CS:GO and will provide you with extra utility.

There is also an ultimate ability which becomes available after earning kills or completing objectives.

Here are the eight different Agents and their abilities confirmed so far.

Brimstone

This bearded Agent is big, brash and from the USA, and is a bit of a demolition expert. With the ability to call in airstrikes and throw incendiary grenades this is the guy you call upon when you need an area cleared out of enemies.

• Read more: Valorant: Brimstone Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks, and Lore

Signature ability:

• Sky Smoke - Use your map to call in orbital deployment smokescreens that obscure vision. Use your map to target a location.

Purchasable abilities:

• Incendiary - Throw an incendiary grenade that deploys a damaging field of fire a la Molotov cocktail
• Stim Beacon - Target a nearby location to call in a Stim Beacon, giving all players near it Rapidfire.

Ultimate ability:

• Orbital Strike - Use your map to target a location, launching a devastating orbital strike that pulses for high damage over several seconds.

Cypher

This mysterious-looking figure is from Morocco and has a number of traps and hi-tech gadgets to snare his victims. Spycams that fire darts, tripwires that daze and the ability to find out the location of enemies.

• Read more: Valorant: Cypher Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tip & Tricks, and Lore

Signature ability:

• Spycam - Place a remote camera. After placing, reactivate to view the video feed. You can use the Spycam to fire a dart at enemies

Purchasable abilities:

• Trapwire - Place a tripwire between two walls. Triggering enemies are restrained and revealed for a short time. If the trap is not destroyed, it activates to daze the trapped victim. The tripwire can be picked up and placed down elsewhere an unlimited amount of times.
• Cyber Cage - Toss out a remote activation trap. Reactivate to create a cage that slows enemies who pass through it. Cypher can remote detonate the traps, either one at a time or all at once.

Ultimate ability: 

• Neural Theft - Extract information from the downed enemies, revealing the location of their living allies.
  
  
  

Jett

This character hails from South Korea, she is light of feet and has a number of movement abilities that can get her to places that few others can reach. She has two knives on her utility belt.

• Read more: Valorant: Jett Agent guide - abilities, strategies, tips and tricks

Signature ability:

• Tailwind - Dash a short distance in the direction you’re moving.

Purchasable abilities:

• Cloudburst - Throw out a cloud of fog that obscures vision on impact a la smoke grenade. Hold down the ability button to bend clouds inflight trajectory.
• Updraft - After a brief wind up, propel yourself upwards.

Ultimate ability: 

• Blade Storm - Arm yourself with several throwing knives that deal moderate damage and kill on headshots. You can choose to throw them one at a time or throw all remaining daggers in a short-ranged burst. Killing an enemy replenishes your daggers.

Phoenix

Phoenix is a cocky Agent from the UK he can harness the power of fire for both destructive and healing purposes. Blind enemies with Curveball or throw up a flame wall that blocks your opponents line of sight while damaging anyone who walks through it.

• Read more: Valorant: Pheonix Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks and Lore

Signature abilities: 

• Curveball - Cast a curving flare that bursts into brilliant light after a brief delay, temporarily blinding all looking at it a la flashbang.

Purchasable ability:

• Hot Hands - Throw a fireball that explodes after a delay or upon impact with the ground. The fire zone damages enemies but will also heal you.
  
  
  
  
   
• Blaze - Summon a flame wall that blocks vision and damages anyone passing through it. You can bend the wall when casting.
  
  
  
   

Ultimate: 

• Run it back - Mark your current location. If you die during this ability’s duration, or when this ability’s duration expires, you’ll be reborn at the marked location with full health.

Sage

Sage is healing Agent which some have noted looks similar to Mercy from Overwatch. She has the ability to heal and resurrect her teammates using several healing orbs on her utility belt. She hails from China.

• Read more: Valorant: Sage Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks

Signature ability:

• Healing Orb - Heal an ally or yourself to full health over a few seconds.

Purchasable abilities:

• Slow Orb - Cast out a radiant orb that breaks into a slowing field upon impact with the ground. All caught in the field are slowed, grounded, and make noise when moving.
• Barrier Orb - Conjure a large, solid wall that can be used to block passageways or lines of sight. The wall can be rotated before casting.

Ultimate ability: 

• Resurrection - Revive downed teammates; they will be resurrected with full health.

Sova

This Russian born Legolas looking dude is armed with a bow that fires an explosive bolt for maximum damage or sonar bolts that will reveal the location of enemies. He also posses an owl drone that can be used to watch enemies from high in the sky mark them for the rest of your teammates.

• Read more: Valorant: Sova Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks and Lore

Signature ability:

• Recon Bolt - Fire a bolt that deploys a sonar emitter. The sonar pings tag nearby enemies, causing them to be revealed. Can be destroyed.

Purchasable abilities:

• Shock Bolt - Fire an explosive bolt that emits a damaging pulse of static energy on impact.
• Owl Drone - Deploy a pilotable drone that can fire a dart that will reveal enemies on impact.

Ultimate ability: 

• Hunter’s Fury - Fire up to three deadly energy blasts that spear across the entire map. Each hit enemy takes heavy damage and is marked.

Omen

Omen is a shadowy figure, that may or may not, get his name from a scraped League of Legends champion. He renders enemies blind can teleport across the map and his the ability to temporarily blind opponents. His birthplace is unknown.

• Read more: Valorant: Omen Agent guide - abilities, strategies, tips and tricks

Signature ability: 

• Dark Cover - Cast out an ethereal org that bursts into an obscuring sphere of shadow at its final location. Can be charged to increase distance.

Purchasable abilities:

• Paranoia - Send out an Ethereal shadow in a straight line, Nearsighting anyone it touches.
• Shadow Walk - After a delay, teleport a short distance.

Ultimate ability:

• From the Shadows - Select anywhere on the map to teleport and reappear. When arriving, appear as a Shade, that will go back to your original location if killed. Once the teleport is complete, become invincible for a short time.

Viper

A fierce-looking female Agent that can use an array of toxic gas and screening effects to turn a battle. To do this she’ll use a secondary resource called ‘fuel’. She is also from the US.

• Read more: Valorant: Viper Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks and Lore

Signature ability:

• Toxic Screen - Deploy a long line of gas emitters that you can reactivate to create a tall wall of toxic gas at the cost of fuel.

Purchasable abilities:

• Snakebite - Fire a projectile that explodes into a pool of damaging acid.
• Poison Cloud - Throw a gas emitter that you can reactivate to create a poisonous smoke cloud at the cost of fuel. The emitter can be picked up and thrown again after a short cooldown.

Ultimate ability:

• Viper’s Pit - Emit a massive toxic cloud in a large area that lasts as long as Viper stays inside the cloud. Enemies inside the cloud are highlighted to Viper.

Breach

Breach is an "initiator" with a core design to create short windows of opportunity for your team by disrupting opponents. His abilities can affect teammates, so use with caution, and find the right time to initiate. 

• Read more: Valorant: Breach Agent guide - abilities, strategies, tips and tricks

Signature ability: 

• Fault Line (no cost, has a 35-second cooldown) - Equip a seismic blast. Hold Fire to increase the distance. Release to set off the quake, dazing all players in its zone. The ability lasts three seconds and you can daze your teammates with it.

Purchasable abilities:

• Flashpoint (costs 200 credits, can buy two charges) - 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. Can blind teammates.
• Aftershock (costs 100 credits, can only buy one 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 the area. Can damage teammates. Does less damage the further you are away from the affected area in the wall.

Ultimate ability:

• Rolling Thunder (costs seven points to use, the effect lasts six seconds) -  Equip a seismic charge. Fire to send a cascading wake through all terrain in a large cone. The quake dazes and knocks up anyone caught in it. It is much like a stronger version of Fault Line and can affect teammates as well. 

Raze's Abilities Guide

While we don't know the specific of her kit, we got information about the names of the abilities as well as the first glance at them.

• Read more: Valorant: Raze Agent Guide - Abilities, Strategies, Tips & Tricks and Lore

Signature ability:

• Cluster Grenade: From the looks of it, it looks like it could be a powerful tool for entry fragging and burst damage.

Purchasable ability:

• Satchel: According to the data miners, it’s also referred to as C4, which means it most likely is a remote detonator. 
• Boomba: A drone looking device that could very well be just that. Except this one could be used as an offensive tool rather than a scouting one.

Ultimate:

• Rocket Launcher: Her ultimate sounds self-explanatory. A powerful rocket launcher that could most likely wipe out the entire enemy team.