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VALORANT 101: A guide for beginners
Want to learn how VALORANT works without having to do all the research yourself? Here’s a comprehensive guide to get you ready for the next time you press play.
VALORANT is a free-to-play 5v5 tactical shooter by Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics. Released in 2020, VALORANT quickly rose to popularity, peaking at three million players per day during its two-month beta.
The game is a contender for esports mainstay and plays like a combination of CS:GO and Overwatch. VALORANT takes after both titles with fast-paced gameplay, unique sci-fi abilities, and high-stakes shootouts. This title is a lot of fun for those that enjoy first-person shooters and are willing to put in the hours to excel at the game.
Choose your agent
When you’re ready to start you will choose from a list of agents, some will be available right away and others will need to be unlocked. New agents are added regularly, introducing different abilities along with cool character designs. The agent you choose will not determine your health or what weapons you can carry, only what abilities you have and what category you fit into on your team. There are four categories of agents.
First, are Duelists like Jett and Reyna whose abilities help them get kills, which will make them the first to engage the enemy. Jett’s ultimate Blade Storm allows her to summon accurate throwing knives that deal high damage and instantly kill an enemy if she gets a headshot. The knives replenish if you land a kill and can be fired one at a time or all at once at close range. Duelists are the perfect agents for players that want to focus on offense instead of offering support.
Second are the Initiators, like Breach and Sova. Agents in this category are more supportive by setting up their team, using utility, to enter enemy territory and push off defenders. Having excellent knowledge of every map is important in order to be a successful Initiator. Breach uses his abilities through the geometry of the map, so in order to make your targeted kinetic blasts more effective you’ll need to know where everything is.
Third, Sentinels like Sage and Killjoy are the most supportive characters in the game. These agents use their defensive utility to block or hinder the enemy team. Sage’s Slowing Orb, which creates an area that slows players that walk into it and Barrier Orb, which places a solid wall that impedes enemies, are examples of defensive abilities. Sage is also able to heal and even resurrect her teammates, which is a huge advantage in a game with no respawns.
Lastly, Controllers like Omen and Viper use their abilities to slice up territory to alter the flow of the game in their team’s favour. Viper’s poisonous devices control the battlefield and target her enemies' vision and health. Her Ultimate Viper’s Pit is the perfect ability for planting or diffusing the spike, as she sprays a chemical cloud all around her that reduces the vision and health of players inside it as well as highlighting enemies that try to enter it to stop her. Good communication is important as a Controller especially with Viper as her abilities also have negative effects on her teammates.
Know the rules
Once you have your agent selected you and your team will face off against another five-man squad. One team will be the attackers and the other will be the defenders. The attackers win a round by planting the spike or eliminating the defenders. The defenders win by either diffusing the spike, running out the clock or eliminating all the attackers. After 12 rounds, the teams switch roles. The attackers become the defenders and vice versa. To win the match your team will need to win 13 rounds.
Rounds last 100 to 145 seconds, depending on whether or not the spike is planted. The attackers have 100 seconds to plant the spike and 45 seconds to defend it. The defenders will have to infiltrate the attacker’s defences and diffuse the spike, which takes several seconds and, in that time, the player diffusing cannot shoot or move but can look around to check their surroundings.
Once the spike is halfway diffused, a checkpoint will be reached, so even if the defender has to bail to avoid enemy attack, they don’t need to start from the beginning once they return. The spike, which is essentially a bomb, has a huge blast radius, so if the attackers successfully plant and defend it, you will need to run from the spike so you don’t die and lose your purchased weapons and shields, regardless of if you’re a defender or an attacker.
Weapons, shields and abilities
During the buy phase, players can purchase weapons, shields and abilities. The currency you have is based on how well you performed in the previous round. Players can gain currency faster if they fulfill certain objectives, like winning a round, planting or diffusing the spike and getting kills, to name a few. Currency is carried over rounds so you don’t need to spend anything if you don’t feel it’s necessary. Players can also share their currency with their teammates if they are struggling to keep up. How you manage your funds, also known as Econ, is an important skill to master because this game is long so you need to be able to stretch your currency until the end.
The weapons you can pick up are separated into six different gun classes. There are pistols, shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, snipers and machine guns. VALORANT has three weapon slots available per player: one will be occupied by your free knife which can’t be switched out, as well as a sidearm and a primary weapon that can be changed. Your sidearm slot will be occupied by a pistol.
All agents start a match with the Classic but can purchase a new pistol to replace it if they choose to. Your primary weapon can be one of the five remaining gun classes, depending on what players prefer. Players can also purchase light or heavy shields to protect themselves from dying too quickly. Shields are important to replenish regularly and can be carried over to the next round as long as they don’t break.
Abilities, which are secondary to the gunplay, grant agents unique and creative ways to gain an advantage in the game. You have four ability slots: one is free, one is an ultimate which is charged up over the course of the match, and two can be purchased during the buy phase. Abilities that support the team are called utility. Reyna’s Dismiss, which lets her devour a nearby soul orb to become intangible, is just an ability since it only benefits that one character. While her throwable Leer, which causes near sight on opponents, would be considered utility since it helps everyone on the team. Abilities carry over to the next round regardless if you die so, if your ability can’t save you, it’s best to not use it in case it can be more effective next round.
Make sure you know what you’re doing
Since gunplay is the focus of VALORANT, understanding how to use your crosshair is very important. Keeping your crosshair at head level and moving it as little as possible will ensure you will be ready to strike enemies when they come into view. You can practice on teammates when you first start by putting your crosshair at their heads as they move so you know where your enemies will be. There's no friendly fire so you wont hurt your teammates if you shoot them while practicing. You may need to switch up your crosshair placement if you or your enemy are at different elevations, but consistently keeping it at a head level will ensure you get the most use out of your weapon.
Players will also need to pay attention to where their bullets are going when shooting. Your crosshair is a guide, not a perfect lineup, so you will need to pull your aim in the opposite direction of where the bullets are going to hit your target. This is called spray control. Mastering spray control and keeping your crosshair at head level will make the best use of your weapon and help you kill your enemies before they kill you. Players only have one life per round so mastering your crosshair is a must for beginners.
Movement is also an important aspect of gameplay. The accuracy of your weapon drops significantly when moving. So, if you want kills, you’ll need to line up your shot while you move. Once you have the enemy in sight, plant your feet and shoot. Your footsteps also make noise that your enemy can hear if they’re in your radius. By default the Shift key can be pressed to change your speed for when you need to be stealthy. Players should move slowly unless they know it’s safe or if time is of the essence. The patient and slow-moving player will be rewarded with more kills and fewer deaths.
Finally, the most important thing you can do as a VALORANT agent is to communicate with your team. Get a headset with a microphone if you don’t already have one because you’ll need to be able to talk to your teammates. Work together to keep tabs on enemy agents, use your utility effectively, responsibly manage your economy and set short and long-term strategies. Working independently or as part of a team isn’t just something you put on your resume, it’s also the way to win matches in VALORANT.
