This gun has a fast rate of fire coupled with an enormous 100-round magazine. Like the Ares, it also needs a moment to charge up starting off at 12 rounds a second and increasing to 15.6 rounds per second. This is the perfect weapon for defending a site and stopping enemies in their tra

Sage's Barrier Orb ice wall may just be the most useful ability in the game. Whether attacking or defending, Sage can lock down an entire avenue with a massive wall. Additionally, when enemies use the teleporter on Bind, she can trap them in. Her Slow Orb is simply a great way to delay enemy pushes, rendering a large area almost completely untraversa

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

There are many games that offer microphone support that players simply turn off because they prefer a solo experience. World War Z for example offers the option to speak to a team in real time but has low stakes PvE content that can be done without needing to hear other players. VALORANT, on the other hand, requires communication to succ

The Ares has a large, 50-round magazine and is great at wall penetration. At its price point it can be a viable alternative to a rifle, although it causes slightly less damage. The rate of fire starts out at 10 rounds per second but increases to 13 rounds per second as you fire. It comes with a 1.25x scope for easier target acquisit

Sova's Shock Bolt is an electrical arrow that deals AoE damage after it hits. The closer enemies are to the center of the blast, the more damage it will inflict. Arrows can also be bounced off of surfaces up to two times. Also, the further the bow string is pulled back, the further the arrow will tra

Cypher is the number one defensive character. His Trapwire and Spycam abilities are perfect ways for your team to allocate more resources towards other defensive points. Trapwires work completely passively. When an enemy is caught, they are revealed, dazed, and tethered. Even if destroyed, it will disappear on the mini-New Flashpoint map, still alerting the entire t

Like Phoenix, Sage has the capability to reverse an enemy kill. Her ultimate ability can raise a nearby ally at full HP. Not much needs to be said about this – it's just plan good. You'd be hard-pressed to find a serious squad without a Sage pla

Viper is fantastic for a brutal 9th rating, but hear me out. Her abilities, while useful, can be functionally replicated by those of other agents. Her Toxic Screen and Snake Bite abilities are very similar to Phoenix's; Her smokes can be replaced by Jett's, Omen's, or Brimstone's. Her Viper Pit is useful for spike plants, but can work against your team easily too. It is also impossible for enemies to die to the gas, leaving them at 1HP; If they see you first, you still may go d

Valorant bears more similarities to CS:GO than it does to Overwatch , and the mechanics of the games are very different. Players will have to buy some of their characters' unique powers in-between rounds just like they will have to buy the weapons they can steal off their enemies. It is similar enough to CS:GO that one of that game's commentators and former pros adored it , and seems to be an innovation to a breed of shooter that has not advanced anywhere for a very long time in the same way Overwatch updated many aspects of Team Fortress 2 's gamep

Each game will become intense as a result. One or two well-placed bullets to your head is all it takes to end your life, but one well-placed ability can shift the tide of a match. Clutch moments and the opportunities to outsmart enemies in Valorant seems to be unparalleled in most games to

The Phantom has a faster fire rate than the Vandal and has less recoil. The drawback is that it has a shorter effective range with the damage dropping off at longer ranges. At the same price as the Vandal it is a great alternative for shorter ran

Playing Default refers to splitting up at the beginning of a round and not stacking as a group, which can be a common mistake early in ranks as players attempt to rush a point. In those low-level ranks, such tactics might yield an occasional win, but in higher ranks it is ineffective, leads to team wipes, and serves to give the opposing team information about where the other team is loca

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

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