A Guide to Agents of Valorant & their Abilities

Valorant beta program earned massive popularity among millions of global viewers. Its series of unique Valorant Agents are exceedingly fun to watch due to their use of extraordinary abilities.

Valorant: The Supremely Famous Competitive FPS title of the Year

The game features a competitive FPS gameplay style where both teams combat against each other in a 5v5 scenario. Across the seven maps, these valorant agents carry asymmetrical winning objectives.

Either kill all the opponent players or successfully detonate/defuse the valorant spike at different spike sites.

Such gameplay might appear similar to the classic and famous games of the past decade called Counter-Strike and Overwatch. However, valorant deviates from being a typical tactical FPS shooter in many ways.

Numerous playable valorant agents owning various special abilities make them a formidable force in any match. Initially, within the beta program, there were only ten distinct agents. But the yearly growth of the game brought new valorant agents, so let’s learn all about each one of them.

Agents of Valorant

There are sixteen different agents of Valorant belonging to different classes like Duelists, Controllers, Initiators, and Sentinels. Players can select any one valorant agent for playing after the match queue assigns a map.

The time for picking the agents of valorant is a maximum of sixty seconds for both teams. In this duration, failure to pick an agent will eliminate the player from the lobby. The player may also face penalties, so choose wisely but early. Furthermore, no team can have two same agents of valorant. Still, two different teams picking identical agents opposite each other is always a possibility.

Read: Rankings in Valorant

Valorant Agents Tiers

Let’s talk about these agents of valorant as their ranking is subjective to an individual player’s needs. Similarly, It is also derivative of the skills necessary to utilize the agent’s potential efficiently.

So, we classify them into four categories based on tiers, namely Tier S, Tier A, Tier B, and Tier C. Their selection in these tiers is subjective to the descending relevance of their abilities & skills to the team’s benefit.

Also, the agent abilities could sometimes be free, or players can acquire them with credits, but at the same time, filling up the ultimate ability requires getting either kills or collecting orbs.

Note: All the below-mentioned abilities need to be equipped first by pressing their designated keys before using them. For instance, a player can activate them by pressing the ‘FIRE’ button or with the ‘ALTERNATE FIRE’ button in some cases (ALT. FIRE).

Agents of Valorant: Tier S

Jett

If movement and positioning matter to you immensely, then look no further than at Jett. She can float and throw Cloudburst that expands to form a sphere of smoke that blocks sight. Except, you can curve it by moving the crosshair while holding the key assigned to the ability.

Updraft is one of the envious abilities as it allows her to get higher into the air. It can help her get better vantage points, which then with Signature Ability called Tailwind Instantly propels her. Lastly, her Ultimate Ability gives her Blade Storm to see her throw daggers with extreme speed. She can throw them all using the ALT. FIRE key and reclaim all again after scoring a kill.

• Ability 1 – Cloudburst: Obstructs vision to help block vision or hide the bomb site with multiple of them.
• Ability 2 – Updraft: Instantly propel Jett high into the air for seconds.
• Signature Ability – Tailwind: It propels Jett in a particular direction of her choice.
• Ultimate Ability – Blade Storm: Gives her a set of knives that she can throw to kill an enemy. Proper crosshair placement with this ability will make all the difference.

Sova

Sova is an agent that requires high skill to master and can be super useful to the team. His Owl Drone can display a video feed and help reveal the opponent’s location after marking them with its dart. As per its name, Shock Bolt hits the enemy with an electric current, dealing anywhere between 45-65 HP damage.

Now, the Signature Ability of Sova called Recon Bolt is where you’ll need the most skill. It can be shot to reveal the location of enemies caught in the wide radar of its recon. The Recon Bolt and Shock Bolt arrows activate after their impact on the surface post the bounces.

Hunter’s Fury being the Ultimate Ability allows you three extremely powerful long-range uninhibited energy blasts. They can be fired in a line through the walls, taking out enemies who get in its path, also revealing their location. But, it is loud and can be dodged because it also has a visual effect that shows where the blast arrow is aimed.

• Ability 1 – Owl Drone: Fly a drone that shows visuals from its camera. It can mark enemies with a dart to reveal their location.
• Ability 2 – Shock Bolt: Hold the FIRE button to charge the range of the damaging electric bolt. Release the FIRE button to launch it before deciding the number of bounces (0,1,2) with the ALT. FIRE key.
• Signature Ability – Recon Bolt: Shoot a bolt that activates sonar upon impact with the surface, so it reveals the nearby enemy’s location and is destroyable but re-usable after the timer resets.
• Ultimate Ability – Hunter’s Fury: Shoots long-range energy blasts through multiple walls in a straight line to tag enemies. Enemies in contact with the blast will reveal their location and damage them simultaneously.

Reyna

Unless you enjoy taking names and leading the pack with aggression, you’re better off without selecting Reyna as your primary agent. She is unparalleled in her ways of pushing a site or infiltrating an area with her Leer ability. It passes through walls to create an eye that blinds each opponent glancing at it. Still, the opponents can destroy it with bullets, so you better hit fast and not miss while they’re mystically dazed.

The Ultimate Ability, Empress, will put Reyna in a frenzy. It will increase her weapon equip rate, rate of fire, and reload speed. Moreover, with each kill, she will be invisible using the devour ability, renewing the ability’s duration.

When Reyna kills an opponent, it leaves behind a Soul orb for fleeting moments. Using Devour on the orb will temporarily allow her to heal to 150 HP rapidly. If Reyna consumes Soul orb via Dismiss ability, in that case, she will become intangible for a while. Additionally, she will also become invisible if the Empress player title is active.

• Ability 1 – Leer: Launch a mystical eye that will mystify the sight of enemies, which can be prevented by taking cover or can be simply destroyed using bullets.
• Ability 2 – Devour: Consume a nearby Soul Orb to heal rapidly.
• Signature Ability: Become intangible for a short duration by consuming the Soul Orb. Empress player title makes her invisible, too, if it’s active.
• Ultimate Ability – Empress: Enter a state of frenzy with a quicker fire, reload and equip rate. Getting a kill in this state renews the duration of ability by using devour.

Sage

Sage is precious on any team for several reasons. Her Signature Ability of Healing indeed comes in handy when a team member has sustained any damage. However, her Slow Orb ability can temporarily help hold off opponents by slowing them on the ground.

Players can use the Barrier Orb to gain altitude advantage besides making a wall. For instance, it can help in gathering Intel or blocking a path. Lastly, her Ultimate Ability is Resurrection. Imagine being able to bring back a dead teammate into the game when it’s most needed!

• Ability 1 – Barrier Orb: Place a barrier wall that you can rotate before constructing it.
• Ability 2 -Slow Orb: The slowing orb will burst upon touching the ground to create a frozen field. Such terrain helps to limit the movement of players caught walking on it.
• Signature Ability – Healing Orb: Using this ability with the FIRE button aimed at a teammate will heal them. You can use the ALT. FIRE to heal yourself.
• Ultimate Ability – Resurrection: Equip and aim at a dead ally to resurrect them by pressing the FIRE button. They will spawn with 100 HP in 3-4 seconds with a loud declaration.

Killjoy

Killjoy can be your agent of choice when you believe your team needs to rely on someone to defend a spike site single-handedly. Her Signature ability will deploy a Turret that can swivel in 180 degrees and shoot at an enemy in sight. Supporting this beneficial offensive ability is the Alarm Bot. It triggers when the opponent enters its field and makes them vulnerable to damage.

Her arsenal also includes the Nanoswarm ability, a grenade that the agent can trigger from anywhere on the map after initially planting them. For her Signature Ability – Lockdown creates a digital field that can detain all enemies inside it for a few seconds after a couple of seconds of winding up.

• Ability 1 – Nanoswarm: Equips a covert grenade that can be launched with FIRE. Pressing the ACTIVATION button triggers the deadly nanobots into action.
• Ability 2 – Alarmbot: Equip and FIRE a covert alarmbot that hunts enemies in proximity. Its auto-activation applies vulnerability to the enemy.
• Signature Ability – Turret: Equip a turret to place it using the FIRE button. It will shoot at enemies within sight while covering 180 vision cone.
• Ultimate Ability – Lockdown: Equips the lockdown device and press FIRE to engage it. Players caught in the field before the timer runs out will be detained.

Read: Valorant for PC (Windows) and Mac

Agents of Valorant: Tier A

Raze

Play as Raze if you enjoy backing the enemy into a corner or enjoy blowing them up. Her Boom Bot walks a straight path, and if you’re in its way, you’ll die unless you shoot it down. The Blast Pack is a sticky bomb that explodes with nearby movement or manually by pressing the ability’s assigned button.

Raze’s Signature Ability is Paint Shells – One giant cluster grenade disintegrating into four more to deal even more damage. Her Ultimate Ability is Showstopper which is nothing short of a long-range cannon-like rocket launcher. It is capable of wiping out the opponent’s whole team at once if they’re standing together.

• Ability 1 – Boom Bot: Deploy a bot that explodes in the enemy’s proximity. It follows the enemy in a single line. Otherwise, it bounces off the walls until it just disintegrates.
• Ability 2 – Blast Pack: Throw sticky bombs that explode with a button or nearby movement.
• Signature Ability – Paint Shells: Throws a cluster grenade that ricochets into four more. It’s pretty lethal.
• Ultimate Ability – Showstopper: Launch a rocket/cannon at the aimed area to kill anyone who gets in its way. Run for the hills when you hear it coming!

Skye

The Australian valorant agent called Skye is an excellent initiator with some incredibly useful abilities. Her Signature Ability Guiding Light is a hawk that she can guide using the crosshair to ultimately produce a flash on its location. Aligning this ability is Trailblazer that brings a Tasmanian tiger that can be used to gather intel or concuss the enemies.

Her Regrowth ability is widely applauded as it can heal multiple team members inside its field, which can be beneficial at all times in smaller or bigger maps. For her Ultimate Ability, Seekers brings three seekers who hunt enemies to near sight them upon impact.

Brimstone

The Brimstone is another Big Bad Wolf, like Breach, who has reputable abilities that vastly benefit the team. His Stim Beacon(s) in a circular area allows players to get a rapid weapon fire rate. The Incendiary can deal lethal damage to a player caught in the fire. It will pools out only after it touches the ground.

His Signature Ability is Sky Smokes which are massively helpful in blocking sight. Launching them requires engaging the handheld controller that displays the map. His Ultimate Ability, Orbital Strike, is truly quite lethal. In summation, it decimates any player inside it within two seconds, and its activation also requires interacting with the map controller to pinpoint its location.

• Ability 1 – Stim Beacon: Place it by tossing it on the ground to activate a circle providing rapid-fire. Any allies inside or passing through obtains the benefit.
• Ability 2 – Incendiary: Use it to fire a burning grenade that explodes upon touching the ground. It will deal damage to the enemies passing through or standing on it.
• Signature Ability – Sky Smoke: Launches the radar. Use the FIRE key to pinpoint the location on the map. Use the ALT. FIRE key to launch the smoke.
• Ultimate Ability – Orbital Strike: Launches a severe laser strike that kills all the players standing in it. The escape window is less than two seconds.

Viper

The Viper might seem like a wild card, but don’t mistake underestimating her abilities. Her Snake Bite slows down and hurts enemies as it shatters to the ground in a puddle from her launcher. The Poison Cloud generates a long-lasting toxic bubble blocking vision and hurting enemies in contact, all at the fuel’s cost.

The Signature Ability aptly stated as Toxic Screen, utilizes fuel but creates a toxic gas wall. It can stretch halfway across in some maps while blocking sight and damaging the opponent’s health. For her Ultimate Ability, i.e., Viper’s Pit, she can introduce a chemical cloud big enough to cover a bomb site. The pit also blocks vision and deals rapid damage to players within it. Her ultimate requires her to be in the pit for its longevity, else it dissipates.

• Ability 1 – Snake Bite: Deploy a chemical zone through a canister that hurts and slows opponents.
• Ability 2 – Poison Cloud: Place a poison cloud that lasts long while blocking sight and dealing damage. A player can relaunch it after picking it and can be reused once the ability’s timer resets.
• Signature Ability – Toxic Screen: Deploy poisonous gas emitters in a long straight line. It can penetrate past the walls to obstruct vision and deal damage for trespassers.
• Ultimate Ability – Viper’s Pit: Emit a thick cloud of smoke in a vast area for sight obstruction. It also deals damage but demands Viper’s presence to stay afloat.

Cypher

If you like being on the know-around, Cypher is the Valorant Agent that can supply you with serious Intel. Activation of his hidden Trapwire reveals the opponent’s location while dazing them till its deactivation. Alternatively, Cyber Cage introduces a rotating field blocking audio and vision of the player inside or around it.

His Signature Ability is Spycam that players can plant on a target location to view a site. It can also manually fire a dart that, upon striking the enemy, will reveal their location to your allies. For his Ultimate Ability, Neural Theft will temporarily reveal the location of each enemy across the map.

• Ability 1 – Trapwire: Place a tripwire on surfaces to slow the enemies while revealing their location on activation. Players can re-deploy it multiple times within a valorant game round.
• Ability 2 – Cyber Cage: Place a cage to disrupt the vision and sound of that area. Enemies nearby or inside it will not hear you reloading.
• Signature Ability – Spycam: Place a spycam on objects and vertical surfaces to tune into its video feed, so players can simultaneously throw a dart on an enemy, which marks their location when it hits them.
• Ultimate Ability – Neural Theft: Use it on a dead opponent to reveal its allies’ location on the map.

Must Read: Valorant Pro Crosshairs Settings Used by Pro Players

Agents of Valorant: Tier B

Kayo

It is a Machine of War that is capable of neutralizing radiants. Its Frag/ment ability throws an explosive fragment grenade that near-instantly kills an enemy caught in it, whereas the Flash/drive ability allows him to throw Flash Grenades that blinds enemies who see it.

The Signature Ability or Zero/point ability lets him use a suppression blade. Its impact field presents enemy valorant agents’ location and causes them to lose access to their abilities temporarily. The Ultimate Ability allows him to emit pulsating radianite energy blasts that suppress enemies and objects temporarily. When downed in the ultimate state, he can be revived back to 100 HP.

• Ability 1 – Frag/ment: Equips an Explosive Fragment Grenade that you can launch with FIRE. It explodes upon hitting the ground.
• Ability 2 – Flash/drive: Equips a Flash Grenade. It will temporarily blind enemies who look at it or are near it.
• Signature Ability – Zero/point: Equips a Suppression Blade. Its impact creates a suppression field that renders enemy valorant agents into losing their abilities momentarily.
• Ultimate Ability – Null/cmd: Engages KAY/O with pulsating radianite energy that suppresses enemies and covert objects. Allows KAY/O to be re-configured from a downed state, back to 100 HP.

Astra

Harness cosmic power to lay waste to your enemies in Valorant through Astra’s special Harness cosmic power to lay waste to your enemies in Valorant through Astra’s special abilities. The Gravity Well ability can pull enemies inside it to its center, exploding aftward to daze them. The Nova Pulse instead concusses enemies inside it, slowing them temporarily and their weapon fire rate.

Her Signature Ability lets her use her astral stars as a Nebula. Its activation creates a sphere of astral smoke, which can be used to block lines of sight. Yet, the Ultimate Ability, the Cosmic Divide, makes an astral wall or a plane that isolates an area on the map.

• Ability 1 – Gravity Well:
• Ability 2 – Nova Pulse:
• Signature Ability – Nebula:
• Ultimate Ability – Cosmic Divide:

Phoenix

For players preferring a dash and splash approach to take the fight to the enemies, Phoenix will meet their needs. His Blaze ability veils a map area with a flaming wall that heals only him but damages enemies and allies. Its utility can also hinder the sight of allies and enemies. The Curveball is the most remarkable and most blinding flash that detonates after throwing it in curves. It can be used to both defend and approach corners.

His Signature Ability, i.e., Hot Hands, throws a fireball that pools upon hitting the ground. It deals serious damage to enemies standing or passing through it but allowing himself to regenerate HP slowly. His Ultimate Ability is a special one too. The Run It Back is a projection of Phoenix that can move and hit enemies across the map. However, it lasts until either the timer runs out or until he’s taken damage that leads to his death. Still, after coming to his original form, he shall have 100 HP.

• Ability 1 – Blaze: Place a flaming wall that blocks sight and deals damage but heals you. Equip it but hold the FIRE button before releasing it while moving the direction of your crosshair.
• Ability 2 – Curveball: Fire a blazing orb in curves that blinds players. Use the FIRE button to throw it on the left side and the ALT. FIRE key for throwing it to the right side.
• Signature Ability – Hot Hands: Use to throw a fireball on the ground. The flames pool upon hitting the floor, regenerating him or dealing damage to opponents and allies.
• Ultimate Ability – Run it Back: Launch a time-limited projection that can move and fire. It will die upon receiving total damage or after the time runs out.

Yoru

The famed duelist from Japan is essential for covert activities as he can rip through the fabric of reality. The Fakeout ability lets him produce an echo that mimics footsteps. It can fool enemies, while the Blindside ability lets him throw a winding flash that activates only after a collision.

The Signature Ability Gatecrash allows him to harness a rift in reality. Its activation allows him to teleport to the rift’s location. It is similar to his Ultimate Ability, except the Dimensional Drift gives him a mask that helps him jump dimensions, making him nearly invisible and unaffected by Fire.

• Ability 1 – Fakeout: Equips an echo that mimics footsteps. FIRE to launch and ALT. FIRE to lock an echo in place to later activate using FIRE.
• Ability 2 – Blindside: Equips an unstable rift from the dimension whose collision with the surface creates a blinding flash. FIRE to throw the rift fragment.
• Signature Ability – Gatecrash: Equips a rift that can be sent forward using FIRE. The ALT.FIRE can be used to lock it in a place. ACTIVATE allows Yoru to teleport to the rift.
• Ultimate Ability – Dimensional Drift: Gives Yoru a Mask that makes him temporarily invisible and unaffected. Use FIRE to activate.

Agents of Valorant: Tier C

Everyone who values stealth and cunning will find this agent to become their favorite with periodic use. Mastering his abilities can help your team turn the tide on the opponent team. The Shrouded Step ability allows him to shadow teleport to another location while providing an audio cue.

The Paranoia ability can serve to flash enemies through walls. For the Signature Ability, Dark Cover allows him to project a shadow sphere that blocks the opponent‘s line-of-sight. It can even pass through walls.

Lastly, the Ultimate Ability of Omen is to teleport to another location on the map. However, its activation audio will alarm players, possibly resulting in being hit while performing it. But cheer up, you can cancel it too.

• Ability 1 – Shrouded Step: Use the Range indicator to shadow walk to another location without making a sound.
• Ability 2 – Paranoia: Fire a shadow flash through walls to reduce players’ vision inside it momentarily.
• Signature Ability – Dark Cover: Use the range indicator to throw a long-lasting spherical shadow orb. Remember to hold ALT FIRE to move it away and the ability key to bringing it closer.
• Ultimate Ability – From the Shadows: Use to teleport to another location on the map. You can mark the location by moving the mouse and initiate it using the FIRE key.

Breach

Those who enjoy invading a site and unleashing serious firepower will like Breach among the agents of Valorant. His foremost ability is Aftershock that in proximity can deal plausible damage to enemies hidden behind a wall. The second ability, Flashpoint, is true to its name. You can release it through a wall to temporarily blind enemies significantly, collectively making him one of the best agents of Valorant.

Players can use the Fault Line Signature Ability to cause an earthquake that heavily dazes all players inside it. His Ultimate Ability is Rolling Thunder that deals damage and dazes players while rolling over the terrain like a wave.

• Ability 1 – Aftershock: Burst a charge through walls or ground to cause damage in proximity.
• Ability 2 – Flashpoint: Send a quick charge through walls or ground to blind the players nearby the detonation.
• Signature Ability – Fault Line: Hold the FIRE button to calculate distance and release to project a big quake. It will daze all players caught in the line of its distance.
• Ultimate Ability – Rolling Thunder: Press the FIRE button to send a giant quake wave to an area. It will damage and daze a player.

Final Words

While this guide details just the abilities of agents of valorant, individual skills can sometimes get you a clutch too. The Valorant game design makes it easier for players to immerse themselves in an FPS gameplay that delivers commendable innovation. These Agents of valorant, when strategically teamed up in a match, can best any squad of pro-gamers. Read on to learn more about the entertaining guns in Valorant.