Valorant's Agent 19: Release date, "Sprinter", abilities, more

New maps are all well and good, but nothing quite gets the blood pumping for fans of Valorant quite like a brand new Agent.

2021 proved a mixed bag for new Valorant Agents; we got four new additions; Yoru, Astra, KAY/O, and Chamber. Undoubtedly the one that made the biggest impact was Astra, who is a top pick at the very highest levels of the game with her map control unparalleled, while KAY/O has found his relevance increasing after a slow start. Regarding Chamber, the jury is still out, while Yoru's place as the least picked Agent across all ranks is the basis for the first Agent overhaul.

We will soon be leaving 2021 though, and all eyes are forward now to next year and the first Agent to be released; it will be Valorant's 19th Agent (technically the 18th as Agent 08 has never been revealed even if there existance is confirmed), and we are gradually learning more about, what has been described in the developers' own words, as a "rival" to the uniquely powerful Jett.

The new agent is currently codenamed "Sprinter" and it is expected that she will have abilities based on movement, including a sprint and a slide, that will allow her to create openings and angles for engagements.

Her being from Fillipino is also pretty well established, with the developers adding Tagalog greetings to the most recent "State of the Agents" blog post which provides further details about the Agent.

If your interest is piqued then you have come to the right place, as here is everything you need to know about Valorant's Agent 19.

When will Sprinter be released?

While no official date has been given it is expected that Sprtiner will arrive with Episode 4 Act 1, which is scheduled for release on 12th January 2022. 

Valorant's Agent 19 is unlikely to be called Sprinter, as this is only a name found in the game's files, for example, Chamber was initially known as Deadeye and it is highly likely a yet-unknown name will be given to this speedster from the Philippines.

What will Sprinter's abilities be?

Thanks to a recent State of the Agents blog, we know more than ever about the potential abilities that she will have. It is clear that Sprinter has the ability to control electricity. Her boots are visible in an artist impression and you can clearly see the electricity run from the ball of her foot to the tip of her toes.

The developers also shoehorned as many electricity puns as they possibly could, with lmentions of entering the new year with "renewed energy" and "shocking" opponents.

There is also mention made of Sprinter being able to "outpace the rest of the roster", "sliding" into fights, and again, "shocking the competition".

Sprinter also presumably made an appearance at the recent Valorant Champions event held in Berlin, in a teaser shown on finals day, a female voice can be heard threatning to strike enemies with "lightning" and boasts that she can "run fast".

The ability to sprint then feels a given, while a sliding mechanic would also fit in as a direct rival to Jett's impervious dash. Shocking the competition points to possibly a KAY/O style throwing blade that, rather than nullifying abilities, would slow or blind for a short time.

Sprinter's backstory

There is a far bit known about Sprinter's backstory. We know she is from Manilla, the sprawling capital city of the Philippines. 

That information came through new Chamber voice lines found in the game. A voice mail left for Brimstone and which can be found in the training map also revealed the Agent to be a woman, and previously a member of K/SEC, part of the Kingdom Corporation, an organisation that Brimstone also used to be a member of.

Chamber also revealed he has a bit of a storied past with Sprinter, one which made it uncomfortable for him to travel to Manilla himself to onboard the new Agent; he also references her electrical abilities, telling Killjoy that he "has a solution" to the lack of a power source that scuppered Killjoy's latest invention.

Initially Chamber asks Reyna to help induct the Sprinter, before Sage steps in, suggesting that Reyna's philosophies are "too dangerous for new recruits" and any induction would be better coming from her.

There has also been speculation that Killjoy's invention which lacked power may have been a portal to Earth 2.0. The next map is expected to be set in Lisbon, Portugal and on Earth 2.0. Sprinter's introduction would provide the power for Killjkoy's invention setting the stage for the launch of the new map.

That is all we know about Sprinter, Valorant's Agent 19, more news will be coming out early next year and we will be sure to keep this up to date with all the latest information.

Featured image courtesy of Riot Games.