Unlock Your Full Potential: The Ultimate Valorant Guide Revealing the Proven Strategies,

Mind-Blowing Tips, and Game-Changing Tricks to Catapult You to the Top of the
Leaderboard!

Are you ready to transcend the ordinary and rise above the competition? Look no further, as
we present to you the definitive Valorant guide that will revolutionize your gameplay and
transform you into an unstoppable force in record time.

Embark on an exhilarating journey as we unveil the hidden gems of the game, equipping you
with the knowledge and skills of the elite. Delve into the depths of our expertly crafted guide,
meticulously designed to accelerate your progress and leave your opponents in awe.

Discover the secrets of flawless aim, unveiling the precision and finesse required to outgun
your foes. Harness the art of movement, mastering the intricate dance of agility to traverse the
battlefield with unparalleled grace and efficiency.

Unleash your tactical prowess as we unveil ingenious strategies and mind-bending tricks that
will leave your adversaries bewildered and outmaneuvered. From clever map control to
calculated utility usage, you'll possess the strategic edge necessary to dominate every round.
Immerse yourself in the realm of communication, learning the art of effective teamwork and
coordination. Harness the power of synergy, transforming a group of individuals into an
unstoppable unit that seamlessly executes flawless plays.

But that's not all! Prepare to elevate your game to new heights with in-depth coverage of agent
abilities, weapon selection, and economy management. Uncover the intricacies of each agent's
unique skill set, allowing you to adapt and excel in any situation.

With our comprehensive guide, you'll fast-track your progression, acquiring the knowledge and
experience needed to become a revered legend within the Valorant community. No longer will
you merely compete; you will dominate, leaving a trail of defeated foes in your wake.

The time has come to seize your destiny and ascend to greatness. Equip yourself with the
wisdom contained within this remarkable guide, and prepare to revolutionize your Valorant
journey. Are you ready to embrace the extraordinary and forge your path to victory? The choice
is yours.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................. 5

What is Valorant? ...................................................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2 Agent Introduction ............................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................ 20

Choosing a “Main” and a “Secondary” ................................................................................... 20

CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................ 25

Equipment Introduction ........................................................................................................... 25

CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................................ 41

Introduction to Game Modes ................................................................................................... 41

CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................................ 46

ABC’s of Aiming and Accuracy .............................................................................................. 46

CHAPTER 7 ............................................................................................................................ 55

Economy Introduction ............................................................................................................. 55

CHAPTER 8 ............................................................................................................................ 59

Beginner Practice Ideas for New Teams .................................................................................. 59

CHAPTER 9 ............................................................................................................................ 64

Intermediate Practice Ideas for Teams ..................................................................................... 64

CHAPTER 10 .......................................................................................................................... 65

Advanced Practice Ideas for Teams ......................................................................................... 65

CHAPTER 11 .......................................................................................................................... 68

Health, Performance, and Routine ........................................................................................... 68

CHAPTER 12 .......................................................................................................................... 73

Establishing a Routine ............................................................................................................. 73

CHAPTER 13 .......................................................................................................................... 76

Agent Breakdown .................................................................................................................... 76

CHAPTER 14 ........................................................................................................................ 101

Specific Weapon Breakdown ................................................................................................. 101

CHAPTER 15 ........................................................................................................................ 103

Individual Play, and Team Roles ........................................................................................... 103

CHAPTER 16 ........................................................................................................................ 108

Haven Manual ........................................................................................................................ 108

CHAPTER 17 ........................................................................................................................ 114

Split Manual ........................................................................................................................... 114

CHAPTER 18 ........................................................................................................................ 117

Bind Manual........................................................................................................................... 117

CHAPTER 19 ........................................................................................................................ 121

Ascent Manual ....................................................................................................................... 121

CHAPTER 20 ........................................................................................................................ 125

Gaming Etiquette ................................................................................................................... 125

CHAPTER 1

What is Valorant?

Valorant is a 5 vs 5 multiplayer tactical first-person shooter (FPS) where one team attacks and
the other defends in a bomb-planting scenario. Valorant draws inspiration from the Counter
Strike series with its strategic and precision-based gun play, with selectable heroes that draw
inspiration from Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, League of Legends, Rainbow 6: Siege, and other
hero-based games. Developed by Riot Games, Valorant is the perfect blend of exciting, and
tactical with each “Agent” donning completely unique tools and abilities to help you outthink,
and outplay your opponents.

Matches are up to 25 rounds, with each round lasting only a few minutes. The first team to
successfully win 13 rounds overall ends the game as the victors. Rounds are played in phases,
with an initial “Barrier Phase” which allows players to position themselves in preparation for
the attack, as well as buy armor, abilities, and weapons for that round. Attacker’s objective is
to plant a bomb called a “Spike” on one of the multiple bomb-sites each round, and then to
defend the spike until it’s timer runs out, and it explodes. The Defender’s objective is to deny
the Attackers from either planting the spike until the clock runs out, or by defusing the spike
once it has been planted before the timer runs out. Both teams can also win a round if they kill
all 5 members of the opposing team before the time runs out. If the bomb is planted, however,
defenders must defuse the bomb, even if that means that they must kill all 5 opposing members
before they do so. Herein Lies the base of Valorant’s strategic gameplay.

CHAPTER 2
Agent Introduction

There are currently 11 agents in Valorant, each with 4 unique abilities that can be used in every
mode. However, some agents require you to “unlock them” to begin using them in certain
modes. There are currently 4 classifications of Agent: Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and
Sentinels.

Duelists are the “fraggers” of the bunch. Their utility generally does not have a profound
impact on their team, however they rely on their abilities to help them gain as many kills as
possible. Duelists are usually the first ones to enter a plant site. Generally duelists require more
game sense and technical skill to be beneficial to their team.

Initiators gather information before a fight begins, and force enemy players out of hidden
spaces to provide opportunities for their team to have an upper-hand when defending or
attacking an area. Initiator’s abilities are very unique and require keen usage to provide the
highest chance of winning each round for their team.

Controllers are in charge of the flow of battle. Their utility allows them to deter the enemy
from traversing certain routes, denies visual contact, and can even stop the enemy in their
tracks, making them think twice about blindly pushing onto a bomb site. Controllers also deny
defenders from sitting in advantageous positions on the map with their ability usage, forcing
the enemy into less-than-ideal situations when defending an area. Controllers require deep
knowledge of maps and “Micro” management of their abilities.

Sentinels are the most supportive players in Valorant. Sentinels stall, provide valuable
information, heal, resurrect, and allow allies to see enemies through obstructions for easy
retaliation. Sentinels are the most methodical of the heroes, and require very strong self control
to provide the most use to their team.

Note: I will not be divulging into cooldown numbers/damage/specific information about each
character due to the ever changing meta and buffs/nerfs to each character throughout each
patch that Riot Games puts out for Valorant.
There are currently 4 Duelists in Valorant. They are: Jett, Phoenix, Raze, and Reyna. We are
going to dive into each character’s play style and description of their abilities.

Jett

Jett’s kit entirely revolves around mobility with a lethal Ultimate ability. Each round as Jett is
a high-speed chess game, that requires you to always be 2 steps ahead of your opponent. Jett
may be one of the most deceivingly complex characters in Valorant. Her simple kit provides
diverse situational usage, and allows for you to take bad situations and come out with a
favorable outcome. She has escape options, area denial, all terrain abilities, and lethal, non-
weapon damage, making her a well rounded character for newer players who want to adapt and
overcome any scenario

Passive: When Jett is in the air, you can hold down Space to slowly glide to the ground.

Ability 1: Cloud Burst - Cloud burst is essentially a quick-flying, but short-lasting smoke that
denies visuals to both your team and the enemy team. Cloud burst is thrown out by jett, and
can be curved by turning your camera as it flies through the air. You can purchase up to 3 of
them.

Ability 2: Updraft - When Updraft is activated, Jett will launch herself straight into the air
with a loud wind sound. This can be used to reach high places or to see above obstructions to
gather information for yourself or your team. You can purchase up to 2 of them.

Ability 3: Tailwind - When Tailwind is activated, you will dash in the direction you are
traveling for roughly 15 meters. This allows you to sit in unsuspecting corners to catch your
opponents off guard without worry that you will be stuck there when under fire. This ability
allows you to reposition yourself quickly, get to a location faster than you normally could, and
escape unfortunate situations that you may find yourself in. Each round you start with Tailwind
(one charge maximum), however if you do not have Tailwind, and you achieve 2 kills, you
refill your ability so that it may be used again.

Ultimate: Blade Storm - Blade storm is Jett’s lethal ability. When it is activated you put away
your weapon, and pull out 5 floating kunai knives. Left-Click to throw one knife at a time, and
right-click to throw all of your remaining knives at once in a sort of cluster. Right clicking with
Blade Storm is not perfectly accurate and contains minor spread. When you get a kill, your
knives refresh and you instantly have 5 again. All of your left-clicked blades are 100% accurate
to your crosshair. Each knife does 50 damage to the body, and 150 damage to the head for an
instant kill.

Phoenix

Phoenix's kit revolves around giving yourself the highest possible chance of survival. Phoenix
can heal himself with two of his abilities, and his ultimate allows him to have two lives for a
short duration. Phoenix is a great entry fragger, and perfect as the first line of defense. Players
who play Phoenix generally play methodically, however they are not afraid to fall back to
ensure their survival. Phoenix players generally play aggressively.

Passive: Phoenix’s passive ability allows him to heal when standing in his flames!

Ability 1: Blaze - Blaze allows you to throw a short wall of fire out in front of yourself, curving
to the left or right by looking in said direction while the wall is being cast. This wall damages
enemies if they touch it or walk through it, as well as obstructs their vision. Standing in Blaze
as Phoenix heals you during its duration. You can only have 1 charge of Blaze.

Ability 2: Curveball - Curveball is prepared by clicking the Ability 2 key, and then clicking
either MB1 or MB2. If you click MB1 you throw a ball of fire a few meters in front of you that
curves 90 degrees to the left, while MB2 curves 90 degrees to the right. When Curveball curves
it flashes anyone close by that is looking at the ability. It is primarily used to clear corners or
surprise an attacking enemy. You can buy up to 2 charges of Curveball.

Ability 3: Hot Hands - Hot hands creates a fireball in hand when Ability 3 is pressed, and
throws a fireball that damages allies and enemies who it touches on the ground, similar to a
molotov cocktail. Phoenix heals as he stands in the flames.

Ultimate: Run It Back - When Run It Back is activated, a small fire is placed right at Phoenix's
feet. Phoenix is able to run around and deal damage, grab the spike, plant, defuse, etc for as
long as he can. There is a set time to how long your ultimate is activated, which can be ended
early if you die, however, never fear! When the time runs out or if you die you return back to
your starting fire with full health and you can try to complete your objective again!
Raze

Raze’s kit revolves around dealing damage. Each one of her abilities can be detrimental to the
enemy (as well as teammates if not used carefully). Her kit allows her to clear corners and flush
enemies out of hidden areas, as well as area denial. Her kit can also be used to make her more
mobile as well. Raze players generally use their kit to try to deal as much damage as possible
before the fight even begins.

Passive: Raze does not take damage from her Blast Packs, and moves an increased distance
when using Blast Packs.

Ability 1: Boom Bot - When Ability 1 is activated a boom bot is pulled out. Left click to throw
it on the ground in front of you. The boom bot will travel in a straight line until it hits a wall,
and will bounce off of it and continue moving for a set distance. When the boom bot spots an
enemy, it turns straight at the enemy and jumps up in the air and explodes for 100 damage. The
boom bot does not activate against allies. You can purchase 1 boom bot per round.

Ability 2: Blast Pack - When the player clicks the ability 2 button, Raze throws a blast pack
out in front of her, the blast pack automatically activates and will explode in 6 seconds, you
can detonate it early by clicking ability 2 again while a blast pack is deployed. You can only
deploy 1 at a time, however you can purchase 2 charges of it per round. Blast packs hurt allies
but do not hurt Raze, Blast Pack also can push agents in different directions based on their
proximity to the ability. Good Raze players will utilize Blast packs to become extremely mobile
and take the enemy by surprise.

Ability 3: Cluster Grenade - When Ability 3 is clicked, Raze pulls out a cluster grenade and
pulls the pin. You can throw the grenade by clicking MB1. The grenade travels for a few
seconds and explodes, dealing massive damage to enemies and allies nearby. Then it drops 6
mini-grenades which explode a few seconds afterwards causing more damage. The grenade
can be used to flush enemies out of corners or catch opponents in tight corridors off guard,
giving your team an advantage in health. You can have a max of 1 grenade at a time, which
resets each 2 kills.

Ultimate: Showstopper - When showstopper is activated, raze switches weapons to her rocket
launcher. Which, for a finite amount of time, can shoot only 1 rocket. This rocket does AOE
damage, killing anyone at the center of impact, and then the damage falls off the further away
from the impact you are. Showstopper also pushes Raze backwards and can also be used for
mobility purposes.

Reyna

Reyna is undoubtedly the strongest hero in the game… IF you can get kills with her. Half of
her abilities rely on using “soul orbs” which only drop momentarily once Reyna kills an enemy.
Reyna has the ability to frag like no other, as she can fully heal 4 times, goes invincible for a
moment, invisible, blind enemies, and gets a boost in fire rate when her ultimate is activated.

Passive: Eliminated enemies drop a soul orb upon death

Ability 1: Leer - Leer throws a smokey eye to a set distance in front of your crosshair, even
through walls. All enemies within LOS of the ability are Blinded (they can only see a few
meters in front of them) during its duration. You can purchase 2 charges of this ability.

Ability 2: Devour - Devour shares its pool of charges with Ability 3. You can purchase up to
4 charges before the round, however you cannot use ability 2 or 3 until you kill an enemy and
capture their soul orb. Devour heals any damage you take almost instantly and overheals up to
50 health (150 max).
Ability 3: Dismiss - Dismiss also cannot be used unless a soul orb is on the field. When Reyna
uses dismiss she turns into a ghost momentarily and is “intangible” for a short duration of time.
Reyna can use this to reposition or to back away from a fight.

Ultimate: Empress - When Reyna’s ultimate is activated she receives an increased fire rate,
reload rate, and lasts for a long duration. Every time she uses ability 3 while under Empress
she turns completely invisible momentarily, allowing her to better reposition and continue
fragging out. When Reyna gets a kill while ulting, ability 2 is automatically activated.

There are currently 2 Initiators in Valorant, they are: Breach and Sova. Let’s dive into these
two characters and their play styles.

Breach
Breach is regarded as one of the strongest Agents in the game. All of Breaches abilities can
reach through walls and causes one of the most devastating effects on enemies in the game;
Concussion. Breach players excel at pushing into bomb sites and incapacitating the enemy.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Aftershock - Aftershock deals damage to anyone caught in it, however it is relatively
easy to escape in most situations. Aftershock is cast onto a wall, and builds up a charge of fire
that blows up in a cylinder shape on the other side of the wall. Aftershock is primarily used to
clear corners and corridors, forcing enemies to fall back or to step out into your line of fire to
avoid the blast. You can purchase up to 1charge.

Ability 2: Flashpoint - Flashpoint is utilized the same way ability 1 is, however it activates
just a short moment after you use MB1, flashing anyone who looked at the explosion, allowing
for easy pushes onto the site against opponents who cannot see for a few moments. You can
purchase up to 2 charges.

Ability 3: Fault line - Ability 3 can be charged up to travel a further distance. It goes through
walls and affects enemies even if they are in the air above the ability. Fault line travels
extremely far and causes any enemy caught in it to be concussed for a few seconds. Enemies
in this state shoot with a much slower rate of fire, their screen gets blurry, and their entire
screen and crosshair wave slowly and uncontrollably. Allies caught in this ability are also
affected the same way. You automatically get 1 charge at the start of each round, set on a cool
down once used.

Ultimate: Rolling Thunder - Essentially a bigger and better version of Fault Line. Hits in a
massive cone shape through walls in front of you, without the need of being charged up.
Definitely one of the best ultimates in the game.

Sova

A good Sova player is sought after in almost any team composition. Using a high-tech bow and
arrow, his abilities have a slight delay, but his ability to scout enemies and gather information
is unparalleled. Sova has the ability to give visual confirmation by utilizing his kit to tag, detect,
and flush out enemies from a safe distance or area, allowing for minimal risk when executing
a play.
Passive: None

Ability 1: Owl Drone - When activated, Sova throws a drone out in front of him and the
player’s view is automatically switched to the drone’s first person view. The player then pilots
the drone as it slowly moves through the air. Players can MB1 to track an enemy and ping their
location to the entire team. The Owl Drone only lasts for a few moments before it breaks, and
it can be shot out of the sky. The Owl Drone is also very loud so be sure to be in a safe location
when using it. The player can exit the drone early by clicking the ability 1 button. You can
purchase 1 Owl Drone at the start of each round.

Ability 2: Shock Bolt - Sova equips his bow and an arrow that is electrified on the tip. By
holding down MB1 he can charge up the distance that the arrow will fly, and by using MB2 he
can adjust how many times the arrow will bounce (up to 2 bounces) until it shocks the
surrounding area upon impact, dealing a large amount of damage to anyone caught in the area
of effect. You can purchase up to 2 shock bolts at the start of each round.

Ability 3: Recon Bolt - When used, Sova will equip his Bow and an arrow with a tracking
beacon attached to the tip of the arrow. Just like his Shock bolt, this arrow can be charged up,
and the bounces can be adjusted up to 2 maximum. When Recon Bolt no longer bounces, and
it comes in contact with an object it activates and sends out 3 pulses of tracking radar like
waves. If any part of an enemy is within its line of sight (LOS) their silhouette will be outlined
and shown to your entire team for a moment. The bolt can be shot and broken before any pulses
are made, so try to place your arrow in a location that will be hard to shoot, but still covers a
large area of LOS. You automatically start with the maximum of 1 charge at the beginning of
each round, and this ability is on cooldown, so it can be used multiple times for free each round.

Ultimate: Hunter’s Fury - Sova equips his bow and 3 very long ranged, wall piercing, energy
blasts that deal a great amount of damage and reveals the location of any enemy who is hit.
This ability also damages your allies so be careful of your positioning!

There are currently 3 controllers in Valorant. They are Brimstone, Omen, and Viper. We are
going to dive into each character’s play style and description of their abilities.

Brimstone
Brimstone is highly regarded as the most useful of the controllers and generally is the most
widely used, as he is free right from the beginning. Brimstone is another very well rounded
character with the best smokes in the game, a stim beacon, molotov, and a lethal ultimate that
has many viable uses that ensures you will almost always have a great opportunity to use it
with great value.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Stim Beacon - Throw down an immobile and invincible stim beacon that creates a
visible area on the floor, that when is stood on, boosts fire rate and reload rate, fantastic tool
for peeking a corner giving you the upper hand, especially when paired with the right weapon!
Be careful however, if the enemy stands in its effective radius, they also become stimulated!
You can purchase 2 charges of this at the beginning of each round.

Ability 2: Sky Smoke - After clicking the ability 2 button, Brimstone raises his wrist computer
and projects a section of the mini-map onto your screen. You can select up to 3 locations at
once to drop a sky smoke, use MB1 to designate where you want them to be placed, MB2 to
deploy the designated smokes immediately, and click ability 2 button to cancel the ability. On
attack, Brimstone can use these smokes to obstruct the view of the enemy from hard-to-peek
angles, allowing ease of access to push onto a site. On defense, Brimstone can use Sky Smokes
to deny visuals onto a site, hide himself in order to reposition in a more favorable location, and
more. Sky smokes currently last longer than any other smoke in the game. You can purchase
up to 3 Sky Smokes per round. You start with 1 each round.

Ability 3: Incendiary - Equip a grenade launcher with one incendiary grenade that detonates
as it comes in contact with a horizontal surface, leaving a large and punishing area of fire,
denying access to an area or flushing enemies out of a hidden location. You can purchase 1
incendiary at the start of each round.

Ultimate: Orbital Strike - When Orbital Strike is activated, Brimstone will raise his wrist
computer and project a slightly larger area of the mini-map than his Sky Smokes, where you
will use MB1 to choose a large area, and MB2 to activate the ability. A large red circle will
appear where the Orbital Strike was designated for both allies and enemies to see, which does
tick damage while players stand inside of the designated area. This Ultimate can be used for
area denial, flushing out hidden enemies, and catching rushing opponents off guard, damaging
them before they can escape, putting them in a poor position, and giving you a strong
advantage. You can move and shoot like normal while the ultimate is in effect. My personal
favorite usage of this ultimate is after your team has planted the spike, you hide in a nearby and
safe location, and the moment you hear the enemy begin to defuse the bomb, you place your
orbital strike directly centered on top of the planted spike. If the enemy does not react fast
enough, they are caught in the fire and killed. If they are able to react fast enough, it at least
forces them off of the spike. When paired with smart peeking and distraction, this method can
delay the defusal long enough to win the round in many cases.

Omen

Omen is one of the more unique characters in the game, as his kit revolves around out-smarting
your opponent with positional advantages, smokes, and a blinding ability. Omens ultimate is
extremely strong, but easily countered if you do not play correctly. Omen players require great
game-sense and map knowledge to get the most out of their kit.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Shrouded Step - Omen teleports from one location to another that is within a short
distance. This can be used to reach high locations, position in unsuspecting corners, get behind
your opponent, and fake enemies out with the use of teleporters on Bind. You can purchase 2
charges of this ability at the start of each round.

Ability 2: Paranoia - When Ability 2 is activated, Omen throws a small ball in a straight line
from his crosshair that travels through walls and agents. When an ally or enemy is touched by
paranoia they become Blind momentarily. Allowing for an easy mid-ranged advantage on
affected opponents. You can purchase 1 charge at the start of each round.

Ability 3: Dark Cover - When you use Ability 3 Omen puts away his weapon and holds a
smokey orb in his hands, which projects in front of the user an outline of where he can place a
temporary smoke. You can then adjust the distance by using the MB1 to increase distance, and
MB2 to decrease distance from yourself. Then select the ability 3 button to throw dark cover.
Ability 3 travels through walls, and if placed in the air, will slowly fall until it hits a horizontal
surface. This smoke currently lasts the second longest in the game, and is the only hollow
smoke in Valorant. Agents are able to see perfectly while inside of the orb, however the orb
itself cannot be seen into, or out of. You are able to own a maximum of 2 per round, however
you automatically start with both each round. Ability 3 refreshes 1 charge after a 35 second
cool down.

Ultimate: From the Shadows - When the ultimate is used, a full view of the map appears on
your screen. You can then utilize MB1 to select any location on the entire map to teleport to.
Using the ultimate is very loud, and easily flanked by experienced players before you can fully
take form. If you are shot and killed before you fully form, you are automatically placed back
at your previous location. A smart enemy will wait until you are fully formed to shoot at you.
Be sure to move immediately the very moment you can, as you’re more likely to escape this
way, however, if you do not feel comfortable dodging, or you feel as though you are about to
die when you form, you can cancel your ultimate by clicking the ultimate button again. Which
will use your ultimate points, but allow you to appear back in your original location. Good
Omen users will appear in unsuspecting locations that are generally safe to warp to. Keep in
mind, when the enemy hears your ultimate voice line, they likely will immediately begin
suspecting you to come from an off angle, and play accordingly.

Viper

Viper is one of the most underrated Agents in the game. Her kit offers reusable smokes and
walls made from decaying poison. Viper can obstruct the view of an entire bombsite with her
poison abilities, and can completely deter entire attacks from the enemy team. Her ultimate is
one of the most difficult ultimates to counter, and a great pick for any player looking to play a
complex, yet punishing agent.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Snake Bite - When Ability 1 is used, Viper equips a small vial of poison that can be
launched great distances. Snake bite will bounce off of walls and deploy the moment it makes
contact with a horizontal surface, which causes the surrounding area to be covered in acid that
slowly damages agents that walk through it as well as places the enemy in a “fragile” debuff
state, causing them to take increased damage from all sources. Viper and allies can also be hurt
by this ability. It is the only ability Viper has that causes lasting damage. You can purchase up
to 2 snake bites at the start of each round.
Ability 2: Poison Cloud - When ability 2 is used, Viper equips a small device that can be
thrown by clicking MB1. When activated, this device creates a cloud of poison that slowly
depletes Viper’s poison bar. The smoke can be turned on and off at will, but will only stay on
as long as there is poison left in her tank. When the ability is not active, Viper gradually
replenishes her poison bar. When allies and enemies stand inside of the active Poison Cloud
they take decay damage, which slowly diminishes their health to 1hp, however 2.5 seconds
after they step out of the cloud, they rapidly heal back any damage that has decayed. You can
only purchase 1 Poison Cloud at the start of each round, however you are able to pick up the
device and throw it in another position.

Ability 3: Toxic Screen - Toxic screen is very similar to Poison Cloud. When Ability 3 is
activated, viper equips her Toxic Screen Device, which when used, will lay down a very long
line of devices in a straight line in front of her, this can be shot over obstructions and buildings
to get the maximum amount of distance out of the wall. Once Ability 3 activates the entire line
of devices form a wall of decaying poison that obstructs the view of allies and enemies through
it. The wall can be activated and taken down at will just like Poison Cloud, and also utilizes
Viper’s Poison tank. Good Vipers will use this ability to block the vision of hard to peek corners
and hidden cubbies that enemies may be hiding in. You cannot pick up Viper’s wall once it has
been placed down. You automatically start each round with this ability.

Ultimate: Viper’s Pit - Personally, I believe Viper’s Pit is one of the scariest Ultimates to see
used by an enemy. When used, Viper can choose a location with MB1 that forms a massive
bomb-site sized cloud of decaying poison that dramatically reduces visibility of those inside of
it. Allies and Enemies both take decaying damage, however Viper does not. Viper’s enemies
also highlight bright red while they are inside of the Pit, making it much easier to find and
terminate your opponents before they see you. This ultimate seems straightforward at first
glance but good Viper players can utilize her ultimate in many different given circumstances.

Last but certainly not least, we have the defensive experts: Sentinels. There are currently 2
Sentinels in Valorant. Cypher and Sage. Sentinel #3; Killjoy has been confirmed by riot, her
information is being listed even though she won’t be released for another week or two. We are
going to dive into all 3 character's play style and description of their abilities.
Cypher

Cypher is one of the best allies to have on your team, especially if you are defending first.
Cypher has the ability to gather large amounts of information using his kit, damage, concuss,
and stall his opponents. His ultimate reveals the location of every living enemy on the entire
map to your entire team. Cypher has been proven to be able to hold entire bomb sites by his
own, or to at least continually stall the enemy long enough for your team to rotate to your
position.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Cyber Cage - Cypher places down a small device on a horizontal surface in front
of him. Which can be activated by looking in the direction of the device and clicking the ability
button, or you can activate multiple traps at once by holding down the ability button. Enemies
who walk through this while activated will make a zapping noise, causing enemies to usually
wait until the cage’s timer is up, stalling the enemy greatly. You can purchase up to 2 cages at
the start of each round.

Ability 2: Spycam - Equip a small camera that can be attached to walls and obstructions. By
clicking the ability button you are able to switch views between Cypher and his Camera. You
can look around with the camera and you can shoot tracking darts at enemies. The tracking dart
will ping the enemy’s location to your entire team until they remove the tracking dart by
holding down “F” for a few moments. Cypher’s spycam can be shot and broken, even if it is
not active, however while it is active a large red and blue light shine, making it easy to spot
and destroy. Good cyphers will place their camera in hard-to-see locations. You automatically
receive 1 at the start of each round. Cypher’s Spycam can fly back to Cypher if it is not broken
to be placed in another location later in the match.

Ability 3: Trapwire - Cypher’s Trapwire is known as one of the most devastating and useful
abilities in the entire game. Equip a small device that can be attached to walls and objects that
are directly across from a nearby object or wall to form an invisible tripwire. When enemies
get close to the wire, the wire makes a buzzing noise and becomes visible, allowing the enemy
to break the device. Good Cyphers will find unusual, but high traffic locations to place their
Trapwires, when an enemy runs into it, they are slowed to a halt, given a short moment, and
then the device explodes, causing the enemy to be dazed, reducing vision, blurring their sight,
damaging them, and disorients their aim. This device also reveals the location of the enemy
who tripped the wire while it is active and momentarily after the wire explodes. This
information is shown to your entire team, and allows you to take advantage of the situation and
remove the opponent from the round. You can purchase a maximum of 2 at the beginning of
each round. You can also collect unused trap wires at any point if you are near them.

Ultimate: Neural Theft - Upon killing an enemy, a hologram will appear above their corpse,
if you use Neural Theft on a corpse you will throw your hat on top of them, and every one of
the remaining living enemies location will be pinged for a quick snapshot that your entire team
can see, no matter where they are located on the map.

Sage

Sage is currently an absolute MUST PICK at all levels of play, her abilities are vital to every
team composition. Sage can heal herself or her allies multiple times each round. Known as the
premier staller Agent, she can place a large barrier in front of pathways to block advancing
opponents and deny them access to important locations. Sage can also cast slowing fields that
affect everyone in it, even if they are not touching the ground, allowing for large amounts of
counter play when enemies try to push through anyway. The biggest reason Sage is a must pick
for any level of play comes from her Ultimate. If you like being vital to the success of your
team, you will enjoy playing Sage.

Passive: None

Ability 1: Barrier Orb - Equip a orb that projects the image of a barrier in front of you. Using
MB2 the image will rotate 90 degrees according to your orientation. Press MB1 to cast the
wall, which will form directly where the image was projected. You can purchase one barrier
orb at the start of each round, however it is the most expensive ability in the game, use it wisely!

Ability 2: Slow Orb - Equip a cracked crystal orb which can be cast with MB1. The orb will
be thrown out in front of you, bouncing off of walls and activating when it comes in contact
with a horizontal surface. The slow orb then surrounds a large area in a crystal substance that
slows allies and enemies greatly who walk through it. When an Agent is moving through the
slowing field a loud crackling sound will play, notifying everyone nearby that someone is there.
Be sure to walk through any slow fields to silently move through them! You can purchase 2
Slow orbs at the beginning of each round.
Ability 3: Healing Orb - Equip a soft glowing orb that allows you to heal allies in LOS of you
over-time even from a long distance by clicking MB1. Clicking MB2 will allow you to heal
yourself. Note: you cannot preemptively begin healing allies or yourself before a gunfight.
Once the healing orb has been used it is placed on a cooldown, if used properly you can get 2
or 3 uses out of your healing orb each round, which provides tremendous value. You begin
each round with your Healing Orb for free.

Ultimate: Resurrection - Equip a resurrection orb, which can revive an ally to 100 health with
all of their remaining abilities and weapons that they had previously. If your ally died, and an
enemy took their weapon, they will no longer have a weapon when they spawn. The
resurrection process takes a few seconds, so ensure you and your ally are in a safe location, or
that you are divided from your enemy with the use of your barrier orb before you resurrect your
ally or they will just immediately be killed again!

Killjoy

Killjoy is the German Engineer who has been working side-by-side with brimstone in the lore,
however killjoy has a mind of her own, with unparalleled abilities that literally watch your back
for you, Killjoy is the perfect Agent for players who are crafty and prefer to know everything
going on around them when preparing for a fire fight

Passive: None

Ability1: Alarmbot - Place this little droid anywhere on the map and he will hunker down,
turn invisible and lie-in-wait for any poor enemy that passes by. Alarmbot will jump up, latch
onto the enemy, and debuff the enemy so that they take x2 damage from all sources, allowing
you and your allies an easy pick to give yourselves the upper hand. Alarmbot can be picked up
and replaced if it has not been used. Be careful! If you pick it up, there is a 20 second cooldown
before you can use it again, and if that cooldown is not complete when the round is over, you
will need to buy a new one! You can purchase one per round.

Ability 2: Turret - Place this turret down, and in .75 seconds it will activate and shoot any
enemies that enter its 180 degree sight path. Doing minimal damage at 3 shots per volley, this
turret won’t be pulling too much weight against enemies, however it is a wonderful
scouting/protection informational tool. Place this down so it watches your flank, to notify you
of when an enemy pushes towards you. With 125 health, and between 4-8 damage depending
on distance, this little guy will be easy to break, and shouldn’t cause too much trouble for the
enemy team. Playing smart around the info you collect is the key to maximizing the value you
can get out of the turret. The turret can be picked up whenever, even after it’s been used. You
start with a max of one each round.

Ability 3: Nanoswarm - Nanoswarm is a tiny pill shaped bot that gets placed down and awaits
your command to activate. Nanoswarm does immense damage and is activated exactly the
same way Cypher’s Cyber Cages are activated. Nanoswarm can be broken, so make sure to
hide it in a place the enemy won’t see! You can purchase a max of 2 at the start of each round.
Nanoswarm can not be picked up.

Ultimate: Lockdown - place this totem down to set off a ginormous radius of electrical nodes
that will completely lock down every enemy that doesn’t respect the social distancing. With a
long start up time this ultimate takes 13 seconds to activate, and can be destroyed at any time.
Enemies caught in its massive radius cannot shoot, use abilities, and can hardly walk for 8 full
seconds! The totem has 150 health and will be a high priority target for any enemy team looking
to push where it is located.

NOTE: The information in Chapter 2: Agent Introduction is based on the current information
in patch 1.01 that was released on 9 June 2020. Please keep in mind that depending on how
deep into the life of Valorant this information may be drastically different. I will update this
list as more heroes are released.

CHAPTER 3

Choosing a “Main” and a “Secondary”

It has been proven time and time again that in hero-based video games it is always beneficial
to choose one hero and master that specific hero, rather than playing many different heroes and
being an average player with every hero. This is the same case in Valorant. You can only
choose one hero to be throughout the entire match, so you should choose who you enjoy playing
the most. I have seen far too many times 4 players lock in their mains as soon as the Agent
select screen appears, leaving the pressure on the 5th to choose Sage, and all too often the
player who is pressured into playing Sage does not have even basic fundamental understanding
of the proper way to utilize their character, essentially becoming a dead weight that drags the
success of the team down, and then getting flamed for it by the people they are suppose to be
working together with.

I firmly believe that having 5 players who are playing off meta characters at a high capacity
will always trump 5 players who have some of them playing characters that they are not used
to. Players who are not accustomed to using their Agent’s abilities often make the same two
huge mistakes, either 1) They get terrible value out of their abilities, and/or 2) They use their
abilities at bad times and are often punished for it, getting themselves or their teammates killed.

“So, Drowsy, my main squeeze, how DO I choose who I want to play for the rest of time and
all eternity??” Simple! There are two different ways to decide on who should be your Main
Agent!

1. The first way is to develop your personal roster as you are playing the game, the benefit
of doing it this way is that you get hands-on experience right off the bat, and generally
you will begin to tune your Agent to match exactly YOUR OWN STYLE of play.
(When I say your own style, I don't mean playing as a controller, yet you are always
lurking. I mean developing your own strategies in your role, figuring out what
placement options for your utility works best for you and your team on your own when
defending, etc.) There are two downsides to this; it usually takes longer to make your
final decision, and you oftentimes will lower your MMR as you progressively finalize
your choice. If you choose to go this route, you will begin by loading into the practice
range, mess around with each hero, and see what feels naturally comfortable, who you
just seem to click with. Maybe look at who is the most intriguing to you. Do not focus
on meta or who the pros are playing (For example: My first main was Viper, who
everyone sees as the worst agent in the game during the time that I am writing this
 guide, but TenZ who is the first person to ever reach the highest tier ranking possible
in NA almost exclusively plays Viper) Do not pay attention to the meta, focus on who
you feel you have the most success with. I recommend playing a little bit of target range
on easy for new players, and medium for more experienced. Then, when you’ve learned
the abilities and you are starting to narrow down your list, move onto the “Spike
Defusal” area. Set the difficulty to medium for new players, and hard to intermediate
players. Spike Defusal is a fantastic place to try out different abilities and heroes. I do
not recommend using the Spike Planting Scenario to get comfortable unless you are
trying out Cypher, as his kit is highly defensive, and the Spike Planting on hard mode
is brain-dead easy for some reason. Once you have an idea of what kind of play style
you generally enjoy, take your top 3 favorite heroes (even if you aren’t completely
comfortable with their kit yet) and queue up for unrated to play with actual people.
Lock in one of your 3 characters and try to communicate and coordinate your abilities,
see how you enjoy playing each of your agents alongside people, listen to your gut as
you practice with a mindset that you are just trying to learn, don’t take losses or deaths
to heart, playing a new Agent takes time to even begin to be confident with them. Once
you have played with your 3 different Agents a few times, and you're beginning to
develop the fundamental aspects of each Agent, you should start to feel a strong urge
to play only one specific Agent. Maybe you will have a strong urge NOT to play
another, either way, as you play more and more you will be able to whittle down your
list until you have the final two.

Note: Many times people have asked me how to decide between a hero they really enjoy, and
another hero that they think is better in the Meta. I give the same answer every single time.
“PLAY WHO YOU ENJOY PLAYING.” If you enjoy one character more, play them, as each
character has completely untapped potential, Valorant has only been available to the public
for an extremely short time, every single character has incredible untapped potential and
strategies that no one has even thought of yet, master a character now, develop your OWN
strategies and study the game. I promise you will perform much better as a character you love
over a character that is deemed better by someone else. (Lets face it, tier lists are 50% personal
opinion anyway!)
 2. The second method to finding a main is found through the answer of little surveys and
questionnaires. The positives about this method is that it is much much faster, you won’t lose
MMR as you play a bunch of heroes, you can immediately start to develop your talents with
your selected Agent. The downside is that it is not nearly as accurate, and you may end up
switching Agents later on if you end up disliking your chosen character after a while. The only
other downside is that you won't have as much of a familiarity with the other Agents on the
roster because you have not put in as much time playing a bunch of agents like you would in
option 1. The questionnaire goes something like this:

a. Which of these do you find the most interesting? Which would you like to study more
of?

i.Outsmarting the opponent strategically

ii.Setting synergistic traps and capitalize off of mistakes

iii.Precise execution to outplay opponents through superior knowledge

iv.Out skilling opponents mechanically consistently

If you chose “i” move on to question “B”, If you chose “ii” move on to question “C”,
if you chose “iii” move on to question “D”, If you chose “iv” move onto question “E”
below.

b. If you chose option “i”, answer the following question:

i.Which answer better describes how you normally perform when you are under pressure?

1. I like to be aggressive, let my actions do the talking, It is better to go out

and accomplish what must be done with drive and purpose.
 2. I like to be methodical, I want to know all of the facts before I make
decisions. This way I can do it right, and avoid mistakes.

Answer Key: 1) Try Breach - 2) Try Sova

c. If you chose option “ii” answer the following question:

i.Which of the following options makes you feel the most safe and in control when you must
accomplish a task?

1. If I maintain self discipline with precision I can achieve any goal

2. If I ensure there are no complications first, things will go smoothly

3. If I can manage my resources, and ensure high quality work, I am most

effective.

4. If I cover every detail personally, I will get all the glory, or receive all
of the punishment myself

Answer Key: 1) Try Omen - 2) Try Brimstone - 3) Try Viper - 4) Try Killjoy

d. If you chose option “iii” answer the following question:

i.According to your personal values; which is more true?

1. Sincere and genuine work with others is the best way to complete any
challenge too big to face alone

2. No challenge is too big to face alone if you have the right tools at your
disposal and you have prepared well enough
 Answer Key: 1) Try Sage - 2) Try Cypher

e. If you chose option “iv” answer the following question:

i.If you wanted to invest your life’s time/energy/money into creating a work of art, what would
be the most important aspect of your life’s work to you?

1. The art MUST be without flaw, even if it takes many attempts

2. The art MUST be intricate, and brilliant. A masterpiece

3. The art MUST be completely unique, extraordinary, and loud

4. The art MUST encompass the blood/sweat/tears it took to finish

Answer Key: 1) Try Phoenix - 2) Try Jett - 3) Try Raze - 4) Try Reyna

Now that you have found your main, answer the questions again. This time choose the next
best option when you answer them! This should give you your pre-determined secondary Agent
that will fit you based on your personality.

CHAPTER 4

Equipment Introduction

In this chapter we will be having a basic discussion about each of the current weapons in
Valorant. We will break it down by weapon type, and their strengths and weaknesses. I will
not be discussing exact damage values as by the time you have read this, balance changes may
have happened. We will also discuss the difference between hip firing and Aiming Down Sights
(ADS) for each weapon, as not all weapons are affected the same way! Without further ado:
Note: Eco Value, and Economy (often referred to as Eco) are two separate things. Eco Value
refers to your point value that is summed up at the end of each match, which calculates the
amount of damage you give per $1000 spent. Economy or Eco refers to how much money
you/your team/enemy team has to buy equipment and abilities at the beginning of each round.

SIDEARMS

In every round of Valorant’s unrated and rated mode, players will begin each round with the
“classic” pistol. Side arms are the cheapest weapons in the game, and if utilized correctly, can
be punishing in the right situations, even when placed against the highest valued weapons in
the game. However, sidearms have much more weaknesses when put up against rifles and other
much more expensive weapons in the game. Successfully killing enemies with pistols provide
extremely high “eco” value, alongside Melee kills. Sidearms can be extremely useful in tight
pinches when you do not have time to reload your main arm. Switching between your main
weapon to your sidearm during a firefight instead of backing off and reloading will save your
behind more often than not. I recommend only reloading when you know you are in no danger.
For example: If you are holding a long angle with a sniper, and you need to reload, and you
have a teammate covering you from another angle, and the enemy cannot damage you with any
of their abilities from where they are, you may back off and reload, and then re-engage. Ensure
you constantly communicate important actions with your teammates. Get in the habit of
changing weapons if you run out of ammo, skilled enemies will also listen for a reload, you
can begin to reload, and then switch to your sidearm, prepare for them to peek you, and hit
them with an unexpected dose of pow pow.

• The first sidearm on our list is the Classic the basic pistol with a punch

• The Classic is free at the beginning of each round unless you already own a
different sidearm. The Classic is most effective at medium to short ranges. MB1
will shoot 1 bullet at a time, and MB2 shoots 3 at the same time with a random
 spread. The classic has 12 bullets per clip, it will not kill a 100hp target with a
single headshot.

• Pros:

• Good rate of fire

• Good accuracy

• Free

• High eco value

• Cons:

• Smaller clip size

• Poor damage per bullet

• Next up we have the Shorty, a sawed off shotgun

• The shorty is the cheapest gun in the game (aside from the free knife and classic
naturally) a Close Quarters Combat (CQC) powerhouse, the Shorty punishes
enemies who do not respect their social distancing. There are a few extreme
drawbacks to using the shorty.

• Pros:

• High damage output for its cost

• Cheapest sidearm

• High Eco value

• Can one-shot at appropriate range

• Cons:

• Extremely limited range

 • Only 2 shots per clip

• No ADS or alt fire mode

• Long reload time for a sidearm

• Next on our list is the Frenzy, a automatic pistol

• The Frenzy has the highest fire rate of any sidearm in Valorant, however its
accuracy lacks heavily, and is only effective and consistent in CQC situations.
High damage fall-off and medium sized clips give this weapon some promise
when used in the right hands.

• Pros:

• Highest rate of fire within Sidearms

• Higher end of kill time CQC during pistol rounds

• Perfect weapon to finish off targets with extremely low health

• Middle of the pack price for Sidearm

• Cons:

• Worst accuracy among sidearms

• Clips go extremely fast, must have high quality aim to be

effective

• Poor damage fall off

• Next up we have the controversial Ghost, which is a silenced accuracy machine

• One of the most used pistols in the game. Strong range, highly accurate, good
clip size, can 1 tap unarmored targets, making it very strong for pistol rounds
against players who did not buy armor. The biggest drawback to this weapon is
 the price, second most expensive sidearm, and prevents you from buying it and
light armor.

• Pros:

• High rate of fire

• Good accuracy

• Low damage fall of at long distances

• Good clip size

• 1 tap potential

• Cons:

• Expensive

• Poor Eco value

• High risk high reward play during pistol rounds

• Finally we have the Sheriff, a 6-shooter that can 1 tap any target at great distances

• Strongest sidearm in the game. The Sheriff comes in with a punch that can 1 tap
heavy armor targets. Medium rate of fire, poor spray accuracy, almost useless
to players who are not accurate. Proper Aim and timing is essential to get the
most out of the Sheriff.

• Pros:

• Strongest sidearm

• Highest kill potential on any target

• Can 2 tap the body of an unarmored target

• 0-30 Meter range

 • Cons:

• Most expensive sidearm

• Poor Eco value

• 2nd slowest rate of fire among sidearms

• Small clip size

SUB MACHINE GUNS (SMGS)

Sub machine guns are the perfect middle-ground between Eco value, and damage output for its
price and range. SMGs are often the preferred weapon category when the team decides to
perform an “anti-eco” round. SMGS have high rates of fire, short-medium ranges. SMGs are
used most often when players and their teams do not have enough money to buy armor and a
Rifle, or when you are trying to “light buy” in order to stockpile your economy in preparation
for an improved economy in future rounds.

• The first Submachine Gun on our list is the Stinger, the more CQ of the two SMGs

• The stinger is the second cheapest weapon in the buy menu that is equipped to
your main arm. The Stinger has an impressively high rate of fire, allowing for
easy clears in tight corridors. The clip size is small and the damage per bullet is
low, but the biggest drawback is its range.

• Pros:

• Highest rate of fire

• High Eco value

• Short time to kill at close range

• Affordable automatic weapon

• Cons:
 • Low Wall penetration

• Terribly Poor damage fall off

• Small clip size

• Weak damage per bullet

• Poor accuracy

• When hip firing the Stinger, it is fully automatic. When ADS the stinger
switches to burst fire (4 bullets per click) and speed reduction applied.

• The second SMG is the Spectre, the stronger and more accurate of the two

• The Spectre is slightly better in every way than the stinger aside from 3 things,
slower time to kill than its counterpart, slower fire-rate, and it is more expensive.

• Pros:

• High damage output per cost

• Medium eco value

• Short time to kill at close range

• Affordable automatic weapon

• Medium Wall Penetration

• Cons:

• Almost twice the cost of the Stinger

• Does not excel at anything, “average” at everything

• Poor range
 • When hip firing the Spectre, the weapon is fully automatic. When ADS the
Spectre is fully automatic with a slight reduction in fire rate,but also a slight
reduction in bullet spread

SHOTGUNS

Shotguns have haunted the dreams of FPS players since the dawn of the digital age. Every one
of us knows what it’s like to walk around a corner you think is safe, and without warning, your
soul has separated from your body. Although shotguns require a keen sense of positioning, and
timing, you really can't go wrong buying a shotgun to get some early round picks when you are
performing a “light buy” with your team.

• There are two shotguns available for purchase in Valorant. First up we have the Bucky.

• The bucky has two firing modes. MB1 shoots the gun like normal, while MB2
shoots a projectile roughly 9 meters in front of you, and then explodes into the
usual shotgun spray. If positioned correctly, and accurately, you have a high
chance of one tapping opponents even at a length range for the typical shotgun.

• Pros:

• Two firing modes to adjust distance

• Cheapest main hand weapon available

• High eco value

• Cons:

• Slow rate of fire

• Poor ability to kill multiple targets

• Poor range

• Low wall penetration

 • The second shotgun on our list is the Judge which is a semi-auto shotty.

• The judge is often chosen over the bucky due to its larger magazine and faster
rate of fire. The judge shows much more success when dealing with multiple
enemies, even if it does slightly less damage at longer ranges than the bucky.
However, the Judge costs an additional 66% more than the bucky, putting you
at risk of losing eco value.

• Pros:

• Rapid fire rate

• Best shotgun against multiple enemies

• Medium Wall penetration

• Large magazine

• Cons:

• Average eco value

• Poor range

RIFLES

The 2nd largest number of weapons share the Rifle classification. With a diverse range of
options at your disposal, making the right choice can be the difference in getting the kill or
being killed. Each rifle has its own unique and high quality pros. Most discussion around
“meta” weapons revolves around the Phantom and the Vandal. We won't go into too much
detail about that in this chapter however, as I want to make sure we stick with the basics!

• The first rifle we have at our disposal is the Bulldog, an automatic/burst fire eco pick
 • The Bulldog can be a strong contender for one of the best purchases you can
make if you just won a pistol round, as it's the cheapest option and packs a lot
of punch at any distance with no damage fall-off. With two fire modes, and a
healthy magazine size, the Bulldog may be one of the best guns in the game to
start learning early on in your Valorant career.

• Pros:

• Medium/Large magazine

• No damage fall-off

• Two fire modes to adapt to different situations

• Cheapest Rifle option

• Good Eco value

• Cons:

• Weakest Rifle

• Medium Wall penetration

• Suffers in CQC against most weapons

• Slower rate of fire than most weapons

• Next on our list we have the Guardian, a Semi-Automatic rifle for precise, ranged
effect.

• The Guardian is a one tap at a time gun with the slowest rate of fire out of any
rifle, but packs a serious punch at any range, this gun is the first rifle on our list
that can 1 tap fully armored enemies. Valued at 2500 credits, it is a good choice
when you want abilities, armor AND a rifle.

• Pros:

• Accurate at long distances without scoping in

 • 1 Tap potential

• Costs less than the Phantom or Vandal

• Only rifle with Heavy wall penetration

• Cons:

• Semi-automatic only

• Slowest rate of fire among rifles

• ADS with the Guardian reduces the spread slightly.

• Next Item on our agenda has the Valorant community split in two, the Phantom

• Comparable to the M4A1-S in CSGO, the Phantom is the most expensive rifle
matching the price of the Vandal. The Phantom boasts the highest rate of fire
among Rifles and is most effective at ranges from 0-15 meters. The Phantom is
the bridge between rifles and SMGs.

• Pros:

• Largest magazine out of all rifles

• Fastest rate of fire out of all rifles

• 1 Tap between 0-15 meters

• Easy to control spray pattern

• Good in CQC and ranged conflicts

• Cons:

• Anything outside of 15 meters requires two head shots to kill

• Poor eco value

• Medium wall penetration

 • ADS reduces spread, and reduces rate of fire dramatically, hip fire whenever possible

• The final weapon we have on our list is the phantom’s big brother, the Vandal

• Comparable to the AK-47 in CSGO, the Vandal boasts large magazine size, 1
tap potential at any range, and more effective time to kill vs the phantom
between 30-50 meters. The Vandal’s rate of fire is much lower than the
Phantom, causing more difficult encounters when faced in CQC.

• Pros:

• 1 Tap potential at any range

• 2nd Fastest rate of fire among rifles

• Cons:

• Difficult CQC encounters

• Poor eco value

• Medium wall penetration

• Difficult recoil pattern to master.

• ADS with the Vandal causes slight spread reduction, and slower rate of fire.

SNIPERS

Snipers are some player’s best friends in tactical shooters, however they are high risk-high
reward weapons. You lose the comfort of all CQC and mid-close range fights, but you gain a
massive advantage over every weapon in the game at a distance.

• The first sniper on our list is the Marshal, A quick firing , accurate eco option
 • The Marshal excels as taking out unarmored targets at a distance, making it the
perfect option for attacking/holding long range areas immediately following a
successful pistol round. Boasting a high rate of fire (for a sniper rifle) and
impressive unscoped accuracy, this weapon can be utilized in multiple
situations you normally wouldn't be able to with a sniper.

• Pros:

• One of the most affordable weapons

• High eco value

• 1 tap unarmored targets in the chest/head

• 1 tap any target with a HS

• High rate of fire

• Good sized magazine

• High unscoped accuracy

• Cons:

• Weak in many situations

• Poor CQC ability

• Medium wall penetration

• ADS increases accuracy and decreases fire rate.

• The next sniper we have on our list is also one of the most sought after, the Operator
(OP for short, pronounced: “AWP”)

• The Operator is a one shot kill machine, facing against an enemy who performs
well with an OP is one of the most frightening things to defend/attack against,
and can all together deter a team from challenging the site altogether. With a
low rate of fire, a small magazine, high cost make it essential to perform well
 with the weapon in order to get your money’s worth. This also attracts people
because the Op can single handedly win rounds before a single “ team fight”
begins.

• Pros:

• Strongest weapon in the game (per bullet)

• High Wall penetration

• 1 Tap any target anywhere on the chest/head

• Foot shots lower the target to ~20hp, making them an easy kill
with a sidearm

• High accuracy when ADS

• Cons:

• Most expensive weapon in the game

• Worst Eco value

• Abysmal unscoped accuracy

• Poor CQC ability

• Slow rate of fire

• If you die with an OP and the enemy picks it up, they receive
tremendous value for free

• ADS increases accuracy tremendously, two options 2.5x zoom and 5x zoom.

HEAVY MACHINE GUNS (HEAVIES)

Heavy machine guns can be difficult to use, but have the strength of a rifle, with the fire rate
of an SMG, with accuracy in between the two. Heavies can be a good option when you want a
powerhouse option that is cheaper than the Phantom or the Vandal.
• The first heavy on our list is the Ares.

• The Ares is the budget heavy, as it costs the same as the Spectre, with an average
fire rate that increases up to 30% as it shoots, the Ares offers A good pay out if
you can catch opponents in the hailstorm.

• Pros:

• Low cost

• High rate of fire

• High damage

• Good eco value

• High wall penetration

• Cons:

• Small magazine for a heavy

• Poor spread control

• ADS causes spread reduction and does not affect fire rate.

• The final heavy on our list is the second most expensive weapon, the Odin

• The Odin is the big gun that everyone pictures when they think of a heavy.
Boasting an extremely high fire rate and punishing damage per bullet, it’s not
hard to see why the oden is a top choice for many playing holding a site on their
own.

• Pros:

• High damage
 • High wall penetration

• High rate of fire

• Large magazine

• Cons:

• 2nd most expensive weapon

• Low eco value

• Poor accuracy

• Difficult recoil pattern

• Slow moving while equipped

• ADS causes slight spread reduction and does not require charging up to full fire rate

MELEE

Not much is to be said about melee weapons, so I am going to keep this short. You ALWAYS
have a knife (or an axe, or sword, depending on the skin you own) and all knives work the
same exact way. When you have your knife equipped you walk at a much faster speed than
say, and Odin. You cannot drop your knife, and it takes a few slashes to kill any enemy, but if
you manage to sneak up behind one, you can MB2 to perform a powerful attack that is an
instant kill on any target. MB1 has a faster attack rate than MB2, but does less damage no
matter where you hit the enemy. The knife has no wall penetration. The knife is almost only
used to move places faster. If you are killed by a knife, something went very very wrong.

ARMOR

Armor in this game is pretty simple. Armor soaks up incoming damage, gives the Agent
additional HP (max of 150) and cannot be healed back.
Note: Reyna can Overheal back to 150 hit points, but does not provide her armor.

• (Currently in patch 1.01) Light Armor soaks in 66% of the damage you take. It
provides an additional 25 hit points and if bought during the proper times, Light Armor
can:

1) Save your life against certain weapons which ultimately improves your chances at winning
the round.

2) Provide more eco value in the right situations

• (Currently in patch 1.01) Heavy Armor soaks in 66% of the damage you take. It
provides an additional 50 hit points. Heavy Armor provides everyone with the highest
possible HP value; 150. This provides the same benefits as Light Armor, with an
additional 25 hit points, but at a much higher cost.

Imagine if professionals knew exactly when they needed light armor and when they needed
heavy armor every single round, and was never wrong. Their eco value and economy would
boost immensely!

CHAPTER 5

Introduction to Game Modes

In Valorant there are currently a few game modes to choose from, with many more on the way.
They are: Practice, Custom, Unrated, Rated, and Spike Rush. We will dive into the basic
concept of each game and their rules. Please note that certain rules may change depending on
each patch, and as I am writing this guide the current patch is 1.01.

PRACTICE

Practice mode is a private map that you can only load into solo. The Practice map holds the
tutorial, a shooting range with many customizable options, a drone shooting range with no
customizable options, a recoil tracker/damage counter with customizable distances, an obstacle
course, a spike-planting practice area with customizable options, and a spike-defusal practice
area with customizable options. In the practice map you can try out every single character in
the game for free even if you do not have them unlocked, you have infinite money, abilities,
and equipment to choose from at any time.

The practice mode is a fantastic place to take your time and learn each character, their abilities,
and their playstyles. The practice range offers a wide variety of options to learn and practice
the game for beginners. Daily, for my personal routine, at my pace, I ensure I warm up in the
shooting range on medium first, and then when I hit a score of 25+ I move on to hard mode,
and I don't leave until I feel comfortable and I hit a score of 20+. From there I like to move on
to the Spike-Defusal Area, settings on hard, with infinite ammo off, I buy a Vandal and Heavy
Armor, and run through the course, then I buy only a vandal, and defuse the bomb, I do the
same with the Phantom, the bulldog, the Marshal, the Sheriff, the Ghost, and finally the classic.
Cycle through all of your weapons of choice in the spike defusal arena on hard (if you can, if
you’re still learning, please lower the difficulty) and if you would like, the spike planting arena
can be useful as well. Although currently, hard mode is unbelievably easy once you plant the
spike.

CUSTOM

Custom mode is a fantastic tool to explore, learn, and discover on every map at your own pace.
Featuring a lobby that you can invite teammates, and enemies to join as friendly competition
or to practice running strategies, find new ways and places to use your abilities, and much much
more. Choose which map and mode you would like to play. Choose to enable or disable cheats,
and dive right in. When you load into the map you can activate and deactivate selected cheats
in the menu (default esc key) in the top right. The cheats available to you are:

• GAME:

• Pause Game timer (on/off)

• End Game Phase

• Pause Game Phase

• Infinite abilities (on/off) *this doesn't work on certain abilities; i.e. Viper’s Poison
Wall*

• Infinite Magazines (on/off)

• Infinite Credits (on/off)

• Ignore Shopping Restrictions (on/off)

• PLAYER

• Invulnerability (on/off)

• Auto-Respawn (on/off)

• Swap Team

• Ghost Mode (allows you to fly around the map)

Custom mode is where organized teams develop and practice strategic plays, participate in
scrimmages against other teams, and where friends face off against one another. The sky's the
limit within Custom mode.

UNRATED/RATED

Unrated and Rated share the same rule set with one major difference. Unrated places you in a
match with players similar to your current MMR, and Rated places you in a specific rank,
which you can raise or lower depending on individual performance. UR/R share the same rule
set, which are as follows:

Two teams of 5 are pitted against each other for a first to 13 victory. One team is
selected to attack, and the other to defend for the first 12 rounds, half time occurs, all of the
money abilities and weapons are reset, and each team switches sides, defenders become
attackers, and attackers become defenders for the remainder of the match. If the match comes
to a 12-12 outcome, a tiebreaker round is performed. The Attacking team scores 1 point by
either killing all of the enemies to end the round, or by planting a Spike (a bomb) and defending
it until it explodes for 1 point to end the round. The attacking team is given one Spike, and 100
seconds to get to and plant the Spike on one of multiple designated areas, called Sites. Once
the spike is planted, defenders have 45 seconds to successfully defuse the spike. Every defender
has the ability to defuse the spike during every single round. The defenders can earn 1 point by
either killing all of the attackers to end the round, or by defusing the spike once it has been
planted, or a combination of both if necessary. During round 1 and round 13, both sides are
given the same exact loadout; A Classic, a knife, an ability, and 800 credits to purchase their
choice of equipment and abilities if they chose to do so. At the end of each round, if you survive,
whatever equipment and abilities you still have equipped carries over to the next round (aside
from round 13 when players switch sides) your ammo is refreshed, your health is set back to
100 but whatever your armor’s health is stays the same. I.e. if you ended the round with 13
armor, you start the next round with 13 remaining armor. As each round progresses you earn
money by doing different things, even after the round has ended. Every kill you get gives you
200 credits, planting a spike gives your entire team 300 credits, winning/losing the round gives
you a set amount of credits that increases as the rounds progress deeper into the match. Before
the match begins, each team chooses their characters. Each team can only have 1 of each
character on their side, but two characters can be in the same match if they are against each
other. Characters can not be changed throughout the remainder of the match. One final note is
player ultimates. Each player begins Round 1, 13, and if there is a round 25, with only 3 points
away from their ultimate ability no matter if it costs 6 or 7. On every map there are 3 ultimate
orbs that are placed between the starting barrier phase holding zones that defenders and
attackers will fight for each round. Picking up an ultimate orb takes a few seconds but grants
you one ultimate point towards your ultimate ability and disappears for the remainder of the
round after it has been captured. Killing an enemy also grants you an ultimate point, and
defusing/planting a spike also gives the player who performed the action one ultimate point. If
a player leaves a match early the entire team is compensated by automatically receiving 25
armor each round for free, and a single ultimate orb in place of the disconnected character is
left in spawn for any team member to collect before the round starts for free.

SPIKE RUSH

Spike rush is Valorant’s newest game mode. Spike rush shares the same rule set as UR/R
however, there are a few differences which I will list now. Two teams of 5 are pitted against
each other for the first to 4 victory. Half time occurs on round 4. Weapons and armor are pre
selected and cannot be changed. All agents on both sides receive the same weapon and armor
each round as well as full abilities aside from your ultimate bar. Round 1 per half starts all
players off with no armor and the same random sidearm, round 2 gives all players light armor
and either the same random SMG or Shotgun, Bulldog, Guardian, Marshal, or Ares. Finally,
round 3 gives all players heavy armor and the same weapon which is randomly selected
between the Phantom, Vandal, Odin, and Operator. The only other differences are the ultimates
and ultimate orbs. kills/plants/defuses all give you 2 points per action. Ultimate orbs are no
longer on the map, but are replaced by special orbs instead. There are currently 7 types of orbs,
and 5 pre selected orbs are set for each match. These special orbs are randomized in certain
locations between the attacker and defenders barriers each round, and only revealed what effect
they will have 2 seconds before the round starts, and while the round progresses. As each half
progresses, less orbs appear each round. The list of orbs are as follows: Golden Gun (gives a
player a golden gun that does 200 damage per hit at any distance, is perfectly accurate, and
only contains 3 bullets. Ammo is replenished after each kill, and is automatically reloaded after
each kill, missing causes the reload speed to be dramatically slower) Ultimate Orb (grants the
player a full ultimate bar) Healing Orb (slowly heals your entire team over time for 20 seconds)
Blinding Orb (temporarily causes all enemies to lose most of their vision, and random footsteps
and shooting sounds play all around them) Weapon Upgrade (raises your weapon to the next
rank, i.e. if it is round 2, you will be given a round 3 weapon) Speed Orb (boosts the movement
speed of all players who stand it the radius for a few moments even after they leave) Decay
Orb (applies a decay effect removing HP from all enemies for a few moments, which is healed
back up after the effect is over) Damage Orb (boosts Agent’s damage by 30% for the rest of
the round)
CHAPTER 6

ABC’s of Aiming and Accuracy

One of the absolute most important skills to develop and master in every FPS ever created is
your aim. Aiming is arguably the heart of competition in the FPS genre and without developing
your aim you will never make progress. Aim is the mechanical ability to move your mouse to
a specific destination on your screen and click correctly on the set of pixels you intended to.
Accuracy is the controlled factor of each FPS. Each game from CSGO to Overwatch to DOOM
requires you to aim in a different way and oftentimes is one of the most difficult things to get
accustomed to when playing a new game. Fortunately there are hundreds of thousands of guides
and videos and visuals and tools out there to help you improve your aim and accuracy. I will
not be diving deeply into this topic, and I will not be touching on how to find the best sensitivity
for you, and wrist vs arm aiming methods, as there are many guides that will help you more
than I can. However, I can ensure you have the proper foundation required to begin to develop
these skills. And provide little tips and tricks to help you along the way.

Here is a conversion chart to help you adjust your settings if you’re coming from another game.
Image was provided by u/ValorantSource on Reddit r/Valorant

AIM

First let's talk about Aim. Developing your aim requires dedication, practice, more practice, a
WHOLE LOAD of practice. There are no shortcuts, however there are pleasantly a lot of
options to choose from for free right in Valorant’s Practice Mode. As a beginner, you must
know that the head, body, and legs take different amounts of damage from each weapon. The
head is the most vital part of the body, and all weapons do increased damage when they are
applied to the head, many weapons can even kill an enemy with one shot, which is known as a
1 tap. The legs take less damage than the body so it is never a good idea to try to deal damage
to an enemies legs unless you have no other option. Aiming can be improved simply through
practice and proper movements of the mouse. Aiming requires you to find and stick with a
specific sensitivity that is comfortable for you, and develop the muscle memory to continually
perform the two different types of aim I will be discussing. The two types of Aim are: Flicking,
and Tracking.

Flicking is moving your mouse quickly to get your crosshair on top of the target as quickly as
you physically can. Flicking is used when you have to change your crosshairs position from
one area to another as quickly as possible in order to increase your chances of survival.
Tracking means your crosshair is already on a target, but the target is moving and you need to
keep your crosshair on the target throughout the process. Tracking is used primarily when an
enemy is moving around and trying to dodge your bullets or when you have to move short
distances between multiple enemies who are standing closely to each other, that does not
require a flick.

In order to improve your aim you must improve your flicking and tracking skills. Fortunately,
Valorant offers a great in-house area to practice and develop your aim. The Shooting Range in
the Practice mode. There are two modes to try that I will be going over, which will accomplish
different things. You have a “Blinking Bots” mode that spawns 30 enemies, one at a time, in a
random location in the provided area, holds them in place momentarily, and then makes the
enemy disappear, a moment will pass and the next enemy will appear until all 30 have
processed. Depending on what difficulty you set this mode to, it will change the amount of
time that bots are present, and the amount of down-time between bots. This mode tracks how
many of the 30 bots you successfully killed, 30 is a perfect score. The next mode is a timed
mode I call “Speed-Run” where you kill a set amount of bots (either 50 or 100) as quickly as
you can. The bots will spawn one at a time, and will appear in a random location in the provided
area. The provided area is much larger than the Blinking Enemy mode, so be sure to check the
entire area when you can't see the bot. Your score will be how many seconds it took for you to
kill all of the bots. The lower the score the better.

Before I tell you the different training programs I have prepared for “First FPS or First PC”
players, and Beginners players, I need to tell you about one more concept. There is a famous
saying that goes like this, “The shortest distance between two points will always be a straight
line.” What are the two points? Point A, is where our crosshair currently is located. Point B is
the head of the enemy. Once you kill that enemy, your current crosshair placement immediately
becomes point A, and the next enemy’s head becomes point B. Now, you might have noticed
that every bot’s head will be at a very similar level, albeit it may be a good distance away
horizontally, enemies heights are all the same in Valorant. Therefore, moving in a straight line
is obvious, but what really determines the fastest way to get from point A to point B will depend
on the location point A is in relation to point B. For example. You NEED to start developing
a habit out of ALWAYS keeping your crosshair at head-height, and if you have a bad
habit of not doing this, you NEED to change it as soon as possible! I bolded that because
that is single handedly the best Aiming tip you can possibly get for a tactical FPS like Valorant.
The only time you adjust the vertical height of your crosshair is when you are compensating
for recoil (which we will cover in the Accuracy section below) or when you are aiming at a
location that is not on the same level ground as you are. This concept is most difficult to do if
you are above the enemy, and you are aiming downward towards them. Here are some visual
examples of this concept:

Look at this Sage player’s crosshair placement.

Can you see what is wrong with this picture? If enemies are coming around that box, or from
the hall in front of her, she is going to have to pull off a big flick to successfully survive the
encounter.

Continue below.
Outlined in the image below, you will see 4 new pieces of the picture.

The Red line is the head height of enemies who could walk right out from behind the double
boxes. The Yellow line is the head height of enemies who could be walking around the corner
from the right of that hallway further ahead. The green circle represents the ideal crosshair
placement if you suspect an enemy is currently behind the boxes to the left. The blue circle is
the ideal crosshair placement if you suspect an enemy may be coming from right.

Note: The further away enemies are, the lower you must adjust your crosshair!

Now: Look at this side by side comparison.

The image on the left is bad crosshair placement. The right is good crosshair placement. Even
though the enemy did not come from the left side of the boxes like our sage player had
suspected, look at how much closer they are to being able to turn and kill the enemy than the
sage on the left. Our Sage player on the right is far more likely to survive and kill the enemy,
thanks to proper crosshair placement.

Finally, look at this example of being on an elevated surface above your opponent.

This is where Aiming and crosshair placement becomes slightly more complex. This same
principle applies to any situation where you and your opponent are not on the same level of
ground. As you saw in earlier examples, the height of your crosshair placement must be
adjusted based on the distance between you and the enemy. Now if you and your opponent are
on different levels of ground, no matter how slight it may be, you must be prepared for it. Note
the Lines represent the head height of each of the 3 characters in this picture. The circles
represent the actual heads of the 3 characters in this picture. Notice how dramatic the blue circle
is away from the red circle. Both characters are the same even ground, but because you are not,
you must adjust and plan accordingly.

Now that we have covered those basic, but important concepts, I want to tell you some
training routines I have outlined for Beginner and Intermediate players.
First FPS or PC Game?

If you are brand new to FPS games or PC gaming in general, I HIGHLY recommend starting
off with Speed Run. Set the bots to 50, buy a Guardian or a Vandal, stand centered in front of
the podium, and shoot the start button. Be sure to stand still throughout the exercise. Your goal
is not to get a good score. When you do this at first, I want you to completely ignore what score
you get. Don't pay any attention to it because getting a good score is not your objective. Right
now, what I want you to do is to take your time, and as slowly, and smoothly as possible aim
towards the heads of the bots, actively and mindfully feeling what it's like to move the center
your crosshair right to the middle of the enemies’ forehead, and then click MB1 one time, then
once again, move to the next bot, and do the same thing. Rinse and repeat until you have killed
all 50, being mindful of how your arm and wrist move, and how it feels. Do this again but
actively restrain yourself from clicking until you are matched right on their heads. Once you
feel comfortable and you feel ready for the next step: do it again. This time, however, time
yourself with the scoreboard at the top of the Shooting Range. Try to improve your time.
Remember: “Slow is Steady, Steady is Accurate, and Accurate is Fast” keep repeating until
you can kill all 50 bots in under 125 seconds. This allows 2.5 seconds to kill each bot with a
headshot. Once you feel comfortable and happy with this you can move on to the Beginner
Training.

Beginner

Ok, now as a beginner the Blinking Bots mode will be the most useful. If you would like, before
you perform this training routine, you can warm your fingers up by performing the First FPS
training above. When you are ready, set the settings to Easy, purchase a Guardian or a Vandal,
and shoot the start button and get ready to practice. During this practice session your goal
should be to be able to kill as many enemies as possible by 1 tap head shots.

I want you to start every round of this training by centering your crosshair from the middle of
the wooden beam in the back of the shooting range at head height. We will refer to this as the
“Resting Point”. As bots appear; move your crosshair in a straight line from the resting point
to the bots head, kill, then move back to the resting point. Repeat this for all 30 bots. Try to do
this and score as high as possible. If you continually get a score of 30 you can make it more
difficult on yourself by using the Classic sidearm, which cannot 1 tap. Practice this for 15
minutes when you first log in, and in between each unrated/rated/spike rush match. If it is still
too easy, try medium difficulty.

ACCURACY

As I stated before: Accuracy is the controlled factor of each FPS. Each game from CSGO to
Overwatch to DOOM requires you to aim in a different way. CSGO requires you to be
immobile while you shoot, or to use techniques like counter-strafing or ADAD strafing to be
accurate. Overwatch, on the other hand, has Soldier 76 who does not care if you are moving or
standing or crouching, because his shooting patterns and helix rockets have a set accuracy. Or
Widowmaker who can literally fling herself a mile in the air and snipe 2 or 3 people on the way
back down with perfect scoped accuracy. Valorant is not like Overwatch at all, it IS often
compared to CSGO. There are many differences and I won't go into extreme detail (again
because there are hundreds of guides out there) but I will be laying out the basics. One of the
most basic concepts are the different levels of accuracy. Crouching is the most accurate and
reduces spread slightly on most weapons. Standing still offers exactly no benefit or
disadvantage and is used as a baseline for weapon accuracy. Shift+walking while shooting
decreases accuracy by a very slight amount. Running is terrible for your accuracy, and if you
are jumping or flying through the air, you are the least accurate you can be.

In Valorant your accuracy varies from weapon to weapon. Certain weapons require you to be
scoped in and immobile while you shoot them, and others couldn’t care less if you are Jett,
flying at mach speeds. As you saw in Chapter 4, guns that shoot quickly often have less
accuracy, the more slow and controlled it is (aside from shotguns) the less spread you must
deal with. The only exception to this rule is the Phantom and the Vandal, which have great fire
rates and manageable spread. Although almost all weapons suffer from “running and gunning”
there are some weapons that require you to be completely immobile. The Operator, Sheriff,
Marshal, Ares and Odin are all practically useless if you are moving and shooting at the same
time. On the other end of the spectrum, many lethal ultimates have perfect accuracy even while
jumping through the air. Some of these include, but are not limited to, Jett, Raze, and Sova’s
Ultimate ability, and the golden gun in spike rush. Finally we come to one of the most discussed
and often confusing concepts in Valorant: The recoil pattern. Recoil in Valorant is when you
hold down MB1 with an automatic weapon (this is called spraying a weapon) and the bullets
travel upwards ABOVE your crosshair and start to sway left and right throughout the spray.
Valorant has a semi-random recoil pattern for every single weapon. This means that the first
few shots are the same exact pattern every time, but the remaining shots are set to travel along
a path, but will randomly sway left and right throughout the rest of the magazine. Sounds
complicated right? Well do not fret, there is a very easy method to counteract recoil that just
requires what any skill requires. Practice, practice, practice!

Another aspect to Accuracy is the ability to shoot through walls, better known as a “Wall
Bang”. With well timed and placed shots, a player can wall bang another without the enemy
even being able to fight back. What is and is not wall bangable depends on your weapon, the
material type, and the thickness of the material. Almost all weapons are Medium to Low Wall
Penetration, however some weapons can pierce even thick metal, allowing flushing and easy
picks against targets who think they are safely hidden.

Below is a chart made by u/Quarkez that explains every single weapon, and its wall penetration,
at what distances, and much more. Thank you for allowing me to include this awesome
information in my guide Quarkez! You can also find his very in depth Youtube explanation
here: Quarkwy

To counter aim in order to control recoil is a simple concept but it is not very easy to master.
If the gun you are spraying recoils upwards for 8 shots, and then sways to the left and right,
you simply need to do the opposite. Pull your crosshair downwards at the same pace until you
shoot 8 shots, and then you sway the mouse to the right, and then left. Each weapon has its own
recoil pattern and it is highly recommended that you choose one weapon and stick with
mastering that single recoil first before moving on to others. You may be thinking, “But wait!
Drowsy, you handsome man, you said after a few bullets, the recoil sways left and right
randomly! How am I supposed to control that?” Ahh good point! Never fear! The devs at
Valorant have already thought of that. When your weapon has begun to randomly spray, you
will notice that the tip of your barrel will sway left and right as well! The barrel leads the recoil
pattern ever so slightly. So you must learn to watch for this out of the corner of your eye. When
the barrel sways left, you sway right, when it sways right, you sway left! NOW! Go practice
on the target next to the Shooting Range to try to learn recoil control!

The following image below is an example of recoil, and how to counter aim to control the
recoil.

CHAPTER 7

Economy Introduction

Economy (not to be confused with Eco Value) is one of the most important aspects to Valorant,
and can legitimately cause you to lose matches if improperly managed. Economy refers to the
amount of money you earn each round during UR/R matches, and how you manage that money
throughout the match. I want to give you a very basic outlook on some do’s and don'ts with
economy management. When playing UR/R the Economy is valued and earned at the same
exact pace. As I said earlier in Chapter 5, You earn money through killing, planting, defusing,
winning, and losing. All members of both teams start off Round 1 with a Classic, Knife, 1
ability, and 800 credit to spend. What you choose to purchase or not purchase is up to you.
There is a lot of debate as to what is the most valuable, we will touch on 1st and 2nd round
purchases, for each half of the match.

There are a few different types of economic terms you have to understand. A “Save round”
means that no one on your team spends any money, strictly performs the round with whatever
equipment they have on hand or pick up off of enemies. A “Light Buy” is when each individual
on your team spends a small amount of their money in order to be fully prepared for the next
round and possibly some rounds afterwards. Light buying is often used when you are ahead on
economy, and your team is performing really well, or when you are behind on economy, and
you need an economic boost to better prepare yourself for the future of the match. A “Full buy”
is when you spend as much as you can to fully load your abilities, side arm, main arm, and
armor to the best of your ability. You can also buy weapons for other players, this can be done
if some of your players have a lot more money than others, and in order to continue having the
best chance at winning the round, you would purchase a weapon to bring your teammate back
into the foreground of their ability to fight.

Let's pretend you are on attack, and you just won the pistol round. Your team will have a large
advantage over the enemy team because your economy is not only guaranteed to be strong
enough to light buy, but the enemies’ economy will be in poor shape. Looking at the economy
from this perspective is the most important way to approach in order to expertly manage it. Not
only do you want to manage your economy, but you want to want to compare it to your enemy’s
economy. Here is another example: If your enemy that has been defending Long C on Haven
for 3 rounds in a row with an Operator has died, and each round he has purchased an Operator,
then by the 4th round he will have absolutely no credits to spend. If the rest of the enemy team
is also low on funding, this will mean that the enemy will absolutely not have an Operator this
round, and it will be much more safe to peek the long hallway with a long ranged weapon
yourself, putting you and your team in an advantageous position if you enter the site through
C long, where defenses are weak.

Another good reason to save or light buy is if it is a close game, your economy is pretty weak,
you have 12 wins and the enemy team has 10, and their economy is stronger than yours, it is
beneficial to save, or light buy one round in order to prepare yourself to take on the final rounds
with a strong economy. Imagine your team gets sweeped, and the enemy wins the round, your
team is now in a 12-11 position with a strong economy. TLDR; don't be afraid to give up a
round or two in order to reset your economic strength. Forcing is less common, as you should
only force in desperate situations, or if you have the upper hand because of abilities and
ultimates.

Now, let's talk about Round 1 and 2, and how to approach them. Round 1 is one of the most
important rounds in the game. Essentially if you win round 1, you have a high probability to
win round 2. It is common for a team to save after losing a pistol round. In order to set up a
strong economy for round 3 and 4. There are a few common purchases for players to make,
and they each have pros and cons. They are as follows:

• Light Armor + Classic + Abilities (I call this going A.C.A.)

• As we all know, proper ability play can make or break a round. The more
abilities you have the higher your chance of success if your enemies have the
same weapon types as you. The argument is that a classic has a high rate of fire,
is an accurate sidearm, and using Light Armor provides you with protection
against almost every sidearm available, putting players who use this loadout,
and players who spend their money on a Ghost or a Frenzy on an even playing
field as you. Essentially giving you the upper hand by having more abilities than
the opponent.

•
 • Ghost + Abilities or Ghost + Save (no catchy nickname for this one sorry)

• Up against ACA this build is safe to purchase due to the poor damage output
the classic has. However, Ghost vs Ghost users often find themselves killing
and dying to each other quickly, leaving the living Ghost users damaged enough
to get 1 tapped by ACA. I personally only recommend using this build if you
are confident in your Aim and you have self healing capabilities. Personally, I
only recommend a few members purchasing this, to balance abilities among the
others, and being protected vs full ACA.

Now, Round 2 almost always depends on what unfolds from round 1. If you are attacking, and
you lose round 1, but you DID plant the bomb, your team can potentially light buy, and through
careful team play, and good communication skills, you have a fighting chance of winning round
2. If you are attacking, and you lost and DID NOT plant the bomb, I would highly recommend
saving in most situations, or just buying a cheap sidearm and baiting out kills as you will be
severely out gunned 99% of the time. If you are Attacking and your team won you will have
enough money to perform a light buy, if you got 3 or 4 kills, you have the ability to buy a
Phantom or a Vandal, which can put you at a large advantage over a full team at a distance.
Defending works the same way aside from there is no spike to plant. So you only have a win
or lose outcome. Team composition is also something to keep in mind, teams with high
aggression characters will be able to take more chances when attacking. The key word when
looking at the economy is always VALUE. As in: what value do you get out of buying a sheriff
round 1, when you aren’t comfortable making those tough shots yet? Compared to having more
success just playing ACA with precise ability usage. The answer? None.

The final thoughts I have on economy for this chapter is that managing economy will always
be a balancing act between risk and reward. What can you afford, and what can you afford to
lose? When you need to build economy you must communicate with your team your purchase
plan and work together to figure out the bare minimum purchase required as a team to have the
highest chance at winning the round. This way even if you fail you can have a stronger
opportunity next round to succeed. If your economy is in a comfortable place and you notice
the enemy has an economy that won’t allow their team to buy full armor AND a strong weapon.
Therefore you can feel confident purchasing a Rifle and Heavy Armor, giving you the upper-
hand and forcing the enemy to lose any economy they were attempting to build, keeping your
team in an advantageous state. Remember: always keep Value in mind!!!

CHAPTER 8

Beginner Practice Ideas for New Teams

Congratulations on forming a new team of like minded individuals who have all committed
their time and energy to starting their Valorant organized team journey. I am going to assume
that your team has already figured out the essential information. I.e. Who is the team captain?
Do you have a coach? If so; who? Do you have a member of the team who can analyze vods
and strategize? Do you have a practice schedule? Is the practice schedule consistent every
week? How long/how many days do you practice each week? Etc. What I will be explaining in
this chapter is what you, as the leader of your team should be looking at and developing in the
early stages of working with a new team. First off, you need to set a goal that is clear, simple,
and achievable for your level of play. Such as “We want everyone on the team to reach the
rank of platinum by *insert date here*” or “We would like to enter into a tournament and finish
top 3 within ___ Months”. Discuss this goal and your expectations with your team. Ensure
everyone agrees and is on the same page. If one member does not have their heart in it, and
would rather go play unrated all the time, or a whole other game instead, you may have to find
a replacement. Once you have set your goal in mind, and you have all of the basics figured out
it's time to figure out: What is the most essential need I must have my team work on? What is
the most rudimentary skill that we should begin developing for our first practice session? As a
leader, you will have to decipher that for yourself, because every single team will have its own
strengths and weaknesses, however, I personally vouch for communication being a top priority
for 99% of teams. Especially for games, like Valorant, that require precise information the
moment it becomes available. This is practically the perfect place to start. How do I develop
practice methods of communication? Simple! Set your expectations, and enforce them. Here is
an excerpt from one of my coaching documents I wrote specifically for my Overwatch team,
feel free to copy pasta for your own benefit:
Note: Please keep in mind this is for Overwatch, so a lot of this com information won't make
sense to people who have never played it.

General coms:

-Speaking the right amount

1. This is simple, Ideally you want the coms to ONLY give vital information quickly and
efficiently as soon as it is required

2. Teams have been known (as we have) to clutter coms with congratulations and wow’s
and such, only leaving us to be late setting up for our next engagement and leaving our
pre-fight briefing without all of the information we require before the enemy is showing
up

3. Cluttered communications can also cause players to miss vital call outs. If our DPS
player’s flank gets squandered, and they sigh or act shocked over the coms, at the same
time our Off Tank spots an opening they can punish, we will statistically not have
everyone on the same page, which could cause the enemies mistake to turn into our
undoing for that individual team fight

4. As difficult as it may be, we must keep our composure until at least the round is over

5. We should hold each other accountable as well, if a member is calling out a target over
and over “REAPER REAPER REAPER REAPER REAPER” this is the worst type of
call out, and completely ruins the communication for anyone else trying to make an
important call. Aside from the fact that, no one on the team knows where on earth the
enemy Reaper is, if he has wasted his cooldowns, looking for an Ult, or the amount of
health he may or may not have

6. Ensure your call outs are simple, efficient, and only the most vital information is stated
no more than twice “Reaper flanking right side, no wraith, right side” or “Zarya no ally
bubble, focus Rein, focus Rein”

-speaking with the right tone

 1. This one is more difficult

2. We have put an extreme amount of effort into progressing at Overwatch, we are all very
passionate about our individual and team performance

3. As long as we aim to improve ourselves in any sense, there will be frustrating setbacks
and unfair moments

4. When team members become frustrated, or begin to raise their voice whether it is
directed at the enemy or another member of the team, it is NOT okay, and it will
NEVER be okay

5. Once we become official, we will be going TDY to different conventions and

tournaments, literally as an embodiment of the USAF, so we need to start to act like it
now during matches. “Practice like you Play”

6. Complaining, Sighing, Groaning, and Talking crap to the enemy (not in a playful BM
way) or to our teammates is the single-handed biggest offense you can commit during
a match.

7. Similar to over-communicating, it is disruptive, blocks everyone else from being able

to communicate vital information while you are throwing a temper tantrum, and it
distracts everyone in the voice channel from the match, and absolutely worst of all, it
can have detrimental impact on the team’s attitude as a whole for the rest of the practice,
and possibly end up causing people to avoid working with you

8. Every member of the team is expected to identify if a member is beginning to

overcrowd the coms with unimportant information, or begins to be disruptive with
negative talk or noises, and shut it down by offering positive, motivating, and straight-
forward encouragement when possible. Example: “Shake it off, we got the next team
fight”, “Don't sweat it (your mistake) We are still up on Ultimate Economy”, or finally
“TURN OFF YOUR INTERCOM IF YOU’RE GONNA BAWL LIKE THAT” with
love.

-Keeping coms clear of clutter

1. Keeping coms clear of clutter is most important for “Mid-Fight” communication

 2. As important as pre-fight planning is; plans change

3. Keeping coms clear of clutter allows for all players to make their necessary call outs to
be able to adjust for unexpected circumstances that arise during team fights

4. As we are currently a “brand new” team, our team fights won't be as efficient and as
quick as they will be a year from now, so it is especially crucial that we keep our coms
focused and accurate while we are growing and maturing

5. Positive changes may occur as well during team fights, that may completely change the
team’s course of action, perhaps our Reinhardt got a huge 6-man fire strike, and gained
3000% ult charge, causing your best option to switch from a 2-Ultimate combo, to the
Reinhardt calling his Earthshatter, and the Shot Caller tells the team to switch offensive
ults to Rein

6. If your coms are cluttered it becomes nearly impossible to set up ultimate combinations
successfully, If the brig is about to dive behind the enemy Reinhardt for a stun to set up
the Ally rein for a big slam, it won't be possible unless the Brig communicates clearly
their intentions (or it was decided upon by the shot-caller) and the Brig clearly calls out
“Stun in 3-2-1” allowing the Rein to know exactly when the perfect moment arrives

It should be noted that the person, using their ability is in charge of the Countdown, and their
countdown may say “3/2/1” in 0.5 seconds, or it will be adjusted to say 5, 4, 3 ,2 1, NOW to
account for a Zarya bubble they are waiting to disappear. Or an Ana who slept an ulting Genji,
and is counting down her anti-nade. Those who are working with the counter, must expect and
prepare for the countdown to be erratic. Some examples include, Zarya using either bubble to
block incoming damage or negate stuns on an ulting ally McCree, Orisa using her pull with a
Road Hog hook or Zen volly.

-Post fight enemy Ultimate discussion

1. Shot Caller will immediately notify team of defensive holding location, or which route
they will be attacking from

2. Ultimate tracker immediately reviews their data, example: “They used Grav and Beat,
they should still have Earthshatter, Valkyrie, and EMP.”
 3. So on and so forth...

As you can see, communications management is much more complex than people realize, and
having clear, concise, and informative communication with set rules will help streamline the
rest of your team’s time working together. Once you have laid out your expectations it's time
to put it into practice. Hop into a match with a game style of your choice and listen specifically
to the call outs, actively give feedback in between rounds. Take notes, refresh them with your
team and review them after the match, and begin the process again until your team starts to
self-regulate themselves on the matter before you move on to the next weak point you would
like to cover. Remember: practice practice practice. Refreshing these ideals and rules you have
laid down will engrain them in your player’s mind.

If your team is holding some of their first practices ever, and they haven't known each other
for a long time, they may not perform at their peek because, like all humans, they can be
nervous about performing in front of their peers. Playing on a new team where you don’t know
anyone is nerve racking and can lead to poor performance, minimal coms, and simple mistakes
being made. DO NOT WORRY! This is normal, teams always have a period where they are
trying to analyze each other, learning about each other’s boundaries, their personalities (are
they try-hard or do they like to joke while they play?) if the other players like them? Do the
other players think they are good enough to be on the team? All of these insecurities and more
may come out when a team is just beginning, even if the players act like they don’t. Be patient.
You don't have to immediately dive right into lessons and VOD reviews and figure out what
your team needs to improve on right away because the only thing they should be worried about
in the beginning, is doing their best, and socializing/bonding with their teammates. This is key,
and it is something I think every new coach or team captain should understand. Besides, if the
team is all over the place, and their performance fluctuates tremendously from round to round,
it's extremely difficult to find out exactly what's wrong, and what to improve on, without the
players performing at their best to begin with.

Please note: Each team is subjective and requires personalized work, pay close attention to
why you are losing team fights and matches. Ensure you have set rules and regulations to abide
by and keep your improvement points basic, but dive deep into the problem to find the root of
the issue, and call people out on it politely.

CHAPTER 9

Intermediate Practice Ideas for Teams

So, you have had a schedule going, your team is very comfortable with each other, coms,
positioning, aim and accuracy, positioning, and other aspects of the game are improving
steadily. What can we do to reach the next level of team play? What could be next? Minimizing
mistakes is constant progressive work, what is the next step to advance? Maximizing the proper
utilization of ALL team abilities and equipment. This takes more brain power than chapter 8.
Maximizing proper ability usage is the bane of an unimaginative player’s existence. To
maximize your value you must discover, practice, develop through trial and error, and perfect
your own strategies and defense tactics. I will give you an example. During Beta, the Valorant
Development team invited FPS professionals/streamers to play in a 3 match tournament against
them on Bind, Haven, and then Split. Developers generally are not very good at their games,
and although there are ex CSGO pros on their dev team, no one expected it to be much of a
fight vs the current professional FPS streamers… We could not have been more wrong. The
Dev team demolished the streamers 3-0, with a round W/L record of 39-10. Bind went 13-3,
Haven went 13-5, and Split went 13-2. Which just goes to show that Aim & Accuracy +
teamwork can get you far, but to truly make an impact as a team, you ABSOLUTELY
REQUIRE pristine ability usage. One of my favorite examples that no one thought of when the
Beta was being played until the Dev team showed us, was on Bind. The dev team played their
Cypher on B, who had a tripwire and a cage set right at the entrance to hookah, with their Raze
positioned on A site. The Stream team pushed aggressively into hookah, were caught by the
tripwire, Cypher activated his cage, and Raze threw her Cluster Grenade THROUGH THE
PORTAL on top of the cage, killing multiple members without anyone even engaging each
other. They did this strategy and effectively secured multiple kills not once, but TWICE in the
same match!
Now, if you want to see just how far you can take a character in this game, find Flights’ Raze
Montages on Youtube. The game has not even been in full release for more than a few weeks
and this man is taking Raze above and beyond what anyone thought was possible through
superior blast pack usage, and by thinking outside of the box when using his ultimate as a
mobility tool, rather than a killing blow. Thinking about ability usage from a new angle, pairing
abilities, comparing and contrasting efficiency on each map, each site, each entrance will set
any team apart from the good, and the great. Some good combinations to try out are Sage’s
slow orb paired with Raze’s cluster grenade, Cypher’s camera paired with Sova’s ultimate,
Maybe use two ultimates at the same exact time (on different sites, when the enemy is split) to
confuse, and cause the enemy not to know exactly what and where ultimates are being used.
Sit down with your team as a group, and come up with as many ideas as you can, no matter
how ridiculous it may sound (as long as it's worth the value. Using 12 abilities to kill 1 or 2
enemies is not worth the value) and then practice them, try to develop communications call
outs and positioning that will work with these strategies. Look for the best spots to use these
strategies on each map. Have a goal in mind for these strategies. Maybe use these concepts to
tackle a weakness you have. If your team struggles holding mid on split, focus on perfecting
that through ability usage. An organized team will beat out a more “skilled” team 10-1. I am
going to stop this discussion here, as I believe this will give you more than enough to work
on...

CHAPTER 10

Advanced Practice Ideas for Teams

Successful? Because you all are a high rank? Because you have placed high in a few
tournaments? That's not what we call success! Success is taking yourself above and beyond
what you thought was possible! Success is pushing yourself as far as you can go. Success is
seeing a record you want to break, or a goal you want to achieve, working as hard as you can,
and absolutely blowing it out of the water!

If I learned anything in my time in the military, it's that “Nerves are for the unprepared”. You
have practiced, you have studied, you have developed, you have committed yourself, and your
team has too. You are at your limits and progression has slowed. Tell me, how do you get this
metaphorical train that is weighed down by carrying all of your accomplishments, trophies,
strategies, and game knowledge up this massive mountain before the other teams when they
may have a shiner, new model of engine? You push every bit of knowledge, skill, effort, and
strategy to the brink of value, and then you push it over the edge. This is when you start taking
risks. As a competitive player, making calculated risks should be second nature. You may have
gotten comfortable with your decision making skills and therefore your progression has slowed
to a crawl. With your team in mind, you need to push each other to your absolute limits. In
baseball, a player can make it into the hall of fame with a 70% fail rate trying to attempt what
they broke records doing. It took Tony Hawk countless attempts to land the famous 900. Tony
broke ribs, and strained his back, but the mentality to stay committed to doing something no
one has ever successfully done takes fortitude. This is the mentality you and your team must
develop. You will not make the biggest plays of your life by always playing it safe. Attempt
plays and enter gunfights in a smart way, but don't be afraid to push your abilities as a player
to do things you didn't think you could. Now, from a team perspective, your teammates can
help you, with proper communication and coordination, you can completely outplay the
opponent with the safety that your teammate can cover your back, or rotate to a new position
and cover multiple areas at once, so you can focus on the task at hand. The last thing I would
like to state about pushing yourself to the limits is to do it within reason. This may sound
contradictory to what I just stated above, but I will try my best to explain what I mean by that.
As Omen, you wouldn't ult directly into the middle of the enemy team to try to make a big play,
as you will have 5 players staring you down, waiting for you to fully form. You need to think
about what is actually possible against players your level and more importantly players above
your level. Keep your risk making within logical reason, but don’t be afraid to fail trying, as
failing is the key to improving. Doing these things can be very difficult, and your Winrate/KDR
will absolutely take a hit when you first start doing this. Keep the long-term goal in mind and
the work will eventually become worth the wait...

I cannot express how firmly I believe that finding and hiring a coach for your team is one of
the most important things you can do in Esports, and is absolutely essential to improving as
advanced players. Being able to critique yourself mid-match is one of the most difficult mental
battles you will face. It is near impossible to know what minor mistakes you and your team are
making mid match that are truly causing you to lose unless they are extremely basic mistakes
made by rookies. (which is unlikely when you are playing with an experienced team who play
synergistically with each other) Even critiquing a VOD Review yourself is difficult, as you
know exactly what your mindset was when making the play you did. To find a deep rooted
issue that may be holding you back will require a 3rd party at the highest levels. Coaches are
able to find individual player weaknesses, and to spot weaknesses in your current strategies as
a team much more successfully, as their entire job is to analyze, adapt, and overcome. One
benefit coaches have is that they do not have the pressure of performing in-game on top of their
shoulders. In fact, most coaches are rather garbage at the game, especially compared to top tier
players. You wouldn't expect the Coach of Manchester United to play as well as Cristiano
Ronaldo, and vice versa, you wouldn't expect Cristiano to know as much about the game as his
Coach. This takes the pressure off of you and your team to find your weak points and areas
required to improve, and allows you to focus more attention on actually improving these things.
Forgive me for another sports reference, but it is important to make cross references as the
sports world and esports world are currently colliding and referring to traditional sports is an
entire realm of knowledge that will always be relevant in some way to Esports. I apologize, I
digress… There was a famous batter who was outplaying every pitcher with a high home-run
percentage. Coaches played the videos back and found out that he cannot recognize a break-
ball pitch to save his life. From then on, pitchers one by one started throwing him ONLY break-
ball pitches, and his strikeout rate shot up to a frightening high percentage. He was able to
counteract this by taking the advice of his coaches. This player worked with his team and coach
to develop a training regimen, and practiced recognizing and hitting break-ball pitches
throughout the entire off-season, which proved successful. This gives us a great example of
how difficult it may be to recognize exactly what you as a player are doing wrong, or to
recognize when to capitalize off of a seemingly invincible enemy’s mistakes without an outside
source’s help. This is why coaches are so prevalent in Esports. Fun fact, this was not always
the case though! There were even rules against having a coach help talk things through with
their players in between matches during pro tournaments in CSGO. Luckily this changed and
the entire scene improved because of it.
CHAPTER 11

Health, Performance, and Routine

The world of Esports is changing dramatically for Professional esports athletes, and you should
follow their lead. More and more over the past few years Esports have become one of the
biggest entertainment industries in the world, but professional players seem to have unusually
short careers in the pro scene. Some of these players retire after 2 or 3 years in the industry.
After working your entire life up to this point, why would you leave after such a short run?
And why are there so many players who have done the same exact thing? This is because
professional Esport teams and leagues are still developing their understanding of Health and
Performance. Esports Professionals are often overworked, travel far more often than traditional
sports, and have to practice more to keep their spot. The pressure is always on in the world of
Esports. Fortunately this is all changing, and has been in the most recent years of its existence.
Medical Sports Professionals and Nutritionists are being added to professional team rosters
more and more. Team managers are starting to figure out that players often need mental check
ups and physical breaks to maintain spirits, and to perform at their best. Many teams offer top
level lodging, and working facilities, with professional staff to help ensure the players are in
tip top conditions moving into each match. Unfortunately for the 99% of us who cannot afford
those things, we do not have that luxury. However, this does not mean we can neglect it in the
slightest.

Health is one of the biggest factors that determines if a player’s performance stays sharp and
consistent or not. Fortunately there are infinite guides/studies/apps/websites out there that will
not only provide different ways to maintain your health, but can also be personalized to fit you
specifically. There is some basic information you should be aware of when learning to improve
and maintain your health. The first is the 5 pillars of health. These pillars are essential to
maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially when dedicating large amounts of time in a chair in
front of a screen. These pillars must all be individually maintained, because if one of them is
weak, the entire structure can collapse. The 5 pillars are: Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Social,
and Emotional. Let's break each one down and take a look at how we can improve, and maintain
these pillars in a healthy way.
Spiritual

When we discuss spiritual wellness, we are unable to perfectly summarize all that it
encompasses.This is because Spiritual Wellness is dependent on each person. A spiritual aspect
of one’s life is not a part of the body, an object or person, or thoughts within the mind. It can
be one’s belief system, their hopes and aspirations, a sense of purpose, peace, religious beliefs,
a “Gut feeling”, and more. While not all of these concepts apply to everyone, it is important to
take a general look at a broad scope to help you develop your Spiritual Pillar.

Some of the things you can do to maintain your Spiritual pillar, is to take time away from work,
and hobbies to do something you truly find relaxing on a regular basis. While doing these
things, you should look at yourself from within. Ask yourself what do you hope for yourself in
life, picture your desired outcomes. During your spiritual refreshers you should not be focused
on problems or issues that need to be resolved. You should not be thinking about pathways or
routes you will need to improve yourself on. You simply connect with yourself and enjoy the
peace of your allotted time frame to rest your spirit. Speaking of time, when you are setting
aside time to recoup your spiritual needs, you should set aside more time than you think you
will need, this way you do not stress yourself out looking at the clock and counting the time
until it's over. You should not stress yourself in any way during this time.

Mental

Your Mental wellness is one of the more under discussed aspects of one’s health. Studies have
shown more and more in recent times that your mental wellness is every bit as real, and flexible,
and in some cases fragile as your physical health. The most complex organ in the entire human
body is the brain. Your mind is astounding and has the power to change your entire perspective
on life through what I have come to know as your “Inner Coach”. Your inner coach is that little
voice inside you that talks to you when you are doing something or making decisions. It's that
voice of reason inside of your head, your conscience. Ask yourself; When was the last time
you were very stressed out, or in a very uncomfortable situation, or were very pressured to get
something done. Like most people, it probably even happened earlier today for you! Picture
that moment in your head. Think back to your thoughts and feelings. What was your inner
coach telling you at that moment? Was your inner coach telling you things like: “There is no
way to get this done in time” or “I will not survive this” or “I did _____ and I am going to be
in so much trouble!” or was your inner coach talking to you with encouragement and advice,
such as: “Keep going, you can do this” or “I am lucky I am not dead after the accident today”
or “I am proud of myself for how hard I tried to complete this, and I am going to try again.”?
Your inner coach is your mental guide. Your mental wellness can be changed if you stop your
mental coach from talking negatively, and you look for positivity that is in almost every
scenario. Having a negative inner coach causes your performance and quality of work to
plummet. After losing 8 straight rounds of high intensity play, with your heart racing at speeds
similar to Nascar driver’s, your adrenaline can sometimes give out, and spirits among the team
may be low, and it is especially crucial at this point that your inner coach is positive.

Lets picture a scenario, You are in the finals of a tournament, during the final match, the score
is 12-11, the enemy team has planted the spike and it's a 1-1 scenario, your team’s economy is
completely ruined, the enemy has every advantage, so you have to make a big play NOW. You
see a golden opportunity, and you shoot for it, and you end up missing up every shot and you
get killed. Now… Imagine your team moaning and groaning and seeing their heads hang low
as they know they have no chance of winning. The enemy team is celebrating and
congratulating themselves and each other. What is your inner coach saying? Can you imagine
how alone and depressed you would feel if you allowed your inner coach to speak negatively
to you in that moment? You need to redirect your inner coach, have the mental fortitude to pull
yourself together, and clutch the next round. This exact scenario happened during a high school
basketball game, when a player accidentally gave the ball to an enemy player when the score
was tied up, and the final 2 seconds were left on the clock during the final quarter of the state
championship. The player did not throw a tantrum, or get down on himself. His coach did not
show any expression. The player looked at the coach for guidance, as well as his inner coach,
and without saying a word knew that he was going to try to pull off an amazing feat to get the
victory back. He stole the ball, and threw a hail mary across the court within the final two
seconds of the clock, and sunk it, giving their team 3 points for the win. Now the surprise part
about this event is that after they won, what was the coach's reaction? Same as the mistake
made before, no screaming, no yelling, no shouting, jumping up and down, excitement,
absolutely stone cold face. When asked about why later, he simply stated that he did not care
about the outcome of the game, as long as his players put everything they have out on the court,
which they did, and thanks to an inner coach as strong as the player’s they came out on top
with a major win.

Physical

This is the part where many of us gamers dread. Eating habits, Sleep, Physical activity, and
cleanliness are all important parts of your Physical Health. If you feel and look your best, you
will perform your best. I am not going to go deep into food guides, as everyone is different and
require different types of diets and planning, but I will say that eating the wrong foods will
slow your reaction time, reduce your energy, lower your stamina, and cause your mood to
swing in negative ways. Look into how you can help your diet, and take the time to learn about
healthy foods, you may find you have a new hobby! Sleep is one of the most under appreciated
forms of physical health. When you sleep you repair your mind and body, if you do not get
proper amounts of sleep for yourself, you will play terribly. Setting a specific routine for your
sleep schedule is one of the most important and necessary aspects to being physically and
mentally healthy. The average adult requires a minimum of 6 hours, however most sleep cycles
last about 4, which is why it is recommended that you get 8 hours of sleep during the same
exact time every single day, even during your weekends. Physical activity can be done in
countless ways, running, hiking, gym, traditional sports, playing outside with your pets, and so
much more. Try keeping a small set of weights where you play so you can get small sets in
here or there in between matches. Physical activity is one of the poorly looked after aspects of
players who spend as much time as they can improving in a game, and can often make the
biggest difference in overall physical health. Finally we have cleanliness, many jokes and
cosplays and tv shows depict gamers as sweaty and unclean. I can personally vouch for the fact
that if you feel good about yourself, you’re clean, you’ve got a nice haircut going on, or a new
set of clothes or something that you are proud of you will play like it. Confidence is one heck
of a boost for mental and physical health. Being clean is the best way to feel confident.

Social

As gamers, being healthy socially comes a little differently than others. Although when we
play online we are constantly working with teammates and sometimes finding friends, it's easy
to forget that we are neglecting our other social needs. Finding a social group to be a part of
can be a difficult task, and one that many introverted gamers tend to neglect out of fear. But
being around supportive, like-minded individuals can be a massive support system for when
you are feeling socially distant. Look for a discord or a LFG thread on reddit or facebook can
be an easy way to have a lot of options to choose from! Another issue that gamers always seem
to face is toxic teammates. Being social is healthy, but removing toxic social threats is healthier.
You can be in the best mood, performing like you have never performed before, and then you
get placed in a match with players who are high above your skill rating or smurfing, and all of
a sudden you cant perform like you have been. If your teammates start offering you toxic
statements or making rude remarks it can ruin that good mood you were in. The worst thing
you can possibly do is respond with rude comments. This offers no help to the problem, and
can only elevate these issues. Instead, you can tell the member politely that you are trying, and
that it would be helpful if he could calmly critique what is happening, rather than losing their
temper about it. If this does not work, I highly suggest muting them altogether. Having no coms
is better than having toxic coms. As a team captain or a coach it is YOUR responsibility to
always keep your cool and to extinguish any toxic comments the moment they happen.
Remember, no coms is better than toxic coms.

Emotional

Trying to learn or improve at anything will always involve emotion. Emotion is the heart and
soul of Esports. Whether it's a feeling of pride after winning a world championship tournament,
or the shock and excitement of watching your favorite pro player pull off a strategy that
completely turns the entire match upside down. Like many players, competitive gaming brings
out the best and worst in us, but having strong emotional control over yourself can allow you
to outplay your opponent strategically and come back from a no-win scenario. For example:
there was a Tekken 7 Tournament recently where a pretty popular clip emerged from. Two
rivals sat down next to each other to play the finals of the tournament. Player 1, got in Player
2’s face in real life, and started screaming and trying to intimidate Player 2, shouting things
and proclaiming how much better he is than Player 2. Player 2 did not show fear, or timidness,
or joy or even anger at this obnoxious display of events. Instead, Player 2 stayed calm and
focused and ended up crushing his opponent without losing more than a few rounds out of 5
full bouts. Emotional wellness also includes taking self-care of your needs. You deserve to be
happy and comfortable, and if you are not, how can you perform with a clear mind and
emotional slate? Handling your emotions is one thing, being unable to control them due to
outside circumstances is another.

CHAPTER 12

Establishing a Routine

When applied in the correct manner, consistency produces vivid results. Establishing a routine
and sticking to it produces consistency. In this chapter we will be discussing the importance of
establishing a routine, and we will look at an example of one.

Getting in the habit of performing a daily routine provides structure for yourself, and allows
you to keep your health in balance while maximizing your available practice time. This can be
applied to anything you want to work on in life. Having a healthy lifestyle with all 5 of your
pillars of wellness being maintained properly offers you a clear mind, and undivided attention
to focus on what you actually want to focus on, improving at Valorant! Why else would you
be reading this mammoth of a guide? To establish a routine you first must look at your current
daily schedule. Do you work? Do you have school? Are your parents or loved ones supporting
you as you work towards becoming a professional full time? Factor these into your routine
schedule, as you should not be late to work, possibly losing your way of life just to play an
extra round of spike rush any time soon. Then mark in the times you plan on eating breakfast,
lunch, dinner. Next look at your responsibilities, or any weekly tasks you need to complete,
laundry on Mondays, grocery shopping on Sundays, and cleaning the house on Wednesdays,
and so forth. Finally factor in your 5 pillars maintenance times, this will be your sleep (8 hours
a night) physical (1 hour at least 3 times a week is a good place to start) meditation and self
reflecting for your spiritual health once or twice a week for an hour, and so forth. Try to group
as much of it together as possible. Make yourself a nice open window of time to play and
improve at Valorant. Your Valorant schedule will come next. For example, if you have 5 hours
each weekday to play, you should dedicate some time to: Warm up physically (stretches, typing
tests, reaction time tests and such) and mentally (listen to music to get your heart pumping,
review what you need to work on for that day, picture your routine in your head) and then begin
the in-game warm up, or the assisted warm up with Kovaaks or similar tools. Generally a warm
up will last around 30 minutes. Next play for 4 hours, reviewing yourself throughout the match.
Capture some Vods, have a coach review them *looking at my discord link on the cover page*
review them yourself, take notes while you are queued up for the next match, focus on
improving your notes or mentally develop strategies to fight a lost round that bugged you
during your last match, and so on and so forth. Finally you should get in the habit of warming
down, as it allows your mind to ease off of the gas when you have had some seriously busy
practice sessions going on. There are numerous benefits to warming-down, which you can find
on google. Go back into the Shooting Range, or Kovaaks, play on a difficult setting, one time
and one time only, and then lower the setting to a medium difficulty, and finally perform your
stretches again. Once again, there are countless stretches you can do for your wrists/hands,
back, legs, neck, and so on which you can discover through the beauty of Google Images. Here
is a list of a made up routine I made for someone who has a full time job (left), and for someone
who doesn’t (right).

HOUR ACTIVITY l HOUR ACTIVITY

7 AM Wake/Gym l 7 AM Wake/Gym

8 AM Clean Self/Breakfast l 8 AM Gym/Clean self

9 AM Start Work l 9 AM Breakfast/Review schedule

10 AM Work l 10 AM Start Laundry/Clean home

 11 AM Work l 11 AM Laundry/Review Notes

12 AM Work/Lunch l 12 AM Stretch/Warm Up/Start

1 PM Work l 1 PM Game/Review/Take Notes

2 PM Work l 2 PM Lunch/Review Notes

3 PM Work l 3 PM Game/Review/Take Notes

4 PM Work l 4 PM Game/Review/Take Notes

5 PM Grocery/Home/Eat l 5 PM Game/Notes/Warm-Down

6 PM Stretch/Warm Up/Start l 6 PM Social/Mental

7 PM Game/Review/Take Notes l 7 PM Dinner/Clean Home

8 PM Game/Review/Take Notes l 8 PM Study/Warm up/

9 PM Game/Review/Take Notes l 9 PM Strat Development

10 PM Game/Notes/Warm-Down l 10 PM Warm Down #2

11 PM Spiritual HP/Prep for Bed l 11 PM Spiritual HP/Prep for Bed

As you can see, with scheduling, and a 9 hour work day you are able to take time to improve
yourself. So long as you space out your other chores throughout the rest of the week.
CHAPTER 13

Agent Breakdown

Woo! This one is going to be a big one… buckle up! It's currently midnight, and I'm 2 chapters
behind my quota for the day, but I am pushing this out because I made a commitment to the
community, and darn it, I plan on following through!

Each Agent in Valorant is completely unique from the others, some of them share similar
abilities, however they all offer a wide variety of , as each smoke, each “flash”, and each
damaging ability has its own place and can be used in ways no one has even thought of yet.
Through practice, development, trial and error, YOU could be the one making leaps and bounds
discovering and implementing techniques that will change the Valorant community
indefinitely!

Let's begin by remembering the 4 current “classes” or “roles” in Valorant. There are Duelists,
Initiators, Sentinels, and Controllers. There are many mixes and matches with positive and
negative results depending on which map you play, and what strengths each player on your
team possesses. But, as there is no set-in-stone Meta currently, you are pretty much free to try
out what you want! However, there are some Agents that are clearly being chosen more due
to their kit. The most consistent across the board that I have seen in High caliber tournament
play would be Sage, Cypher, either a Sova or Breach, and at least one Duelist. The 5th is usually
an Omen/Brimstone/Reyna/Jett to counterplay Ops as much as possible.
Let's take a look at some of the Agent’s kits and their unique playstyles, and some techniques
that the highest level of players have been using to master their abilities.

DUELISTS

Jett

Jett was perceived by many as one of the worst agents when the game was in closed beta,
however as time has progressed I think the players who really wanted Jett to be meta, and saw
the bigger picture (along with a buff or two) realized just what she was capable of. Jett is an
Agent who can hold what would be bad positioning for any other agent, catch opponents
unprepared, and escape to the next position again, and again. Her kit offers so many get out of
jail free cards that when she is managed correctly, she can create a massive problem for the
enemy team.

Cloud Burst - Jett offers multiple quick-firing smokes that allow her to escape enemy sight in
a pitch, or to reposition safely without worry of cross fire. Jett’s smokes are often used by
newer players like Brimstone’s or Omen’s as a way to clear a bunch of angles to help push
onto a site. This is one of the worst uses for Cloud bursts… (if there is a will though, there is a
way) Jett’s smokes only lasts for a few seconds, and gives you hardly enough time to even
walk onto the site, let alone clear every nook and cranny. Instead, use her smokes mid fight to
block angles that the enemy will be double peeking, or eliminate LOS between yourself and
the enemy Reyna to momentarily nullify her Leer, and allow you to tailwind around a corner
to safety. Jett’s Cloud bursts can be curved through the air, so practice getting comfortable
throwing it around tight corners and down hallways, or through double doors on Haven’s
Garage. Try curving it up and landing on a box, and using Updraft to reposition safely behind
it to give you a better angle when peeking on a site. Just a few seconds is enough to kill an
enemy on the ground and fall back to reposition for your next kill. Having pristine cloudburst
usage is key to a good Jett player, but playing around your own Cloud bursts makes a fantastic
Jett player. One of the best uses I’ve seen for Cloud Burst is to throw it up against a wall to
give you a one-way smoke onto elevated surfaces. From the bottom of the ramp, to the wall on
the left and right of A Long, Haven, allows for you to see the enemies feet, and secure a kill,
while neither heaven or hell players can see you… I believe it was Hiko, who was using Jett
when he Killed an enemy that was attacking from Long C on Haven. He threw a cloud burst
down the hall and landed it right next to the cubby. Dashed in, and Up-drafted above his own
cloud burst. Instead of floating back down slowly, he spotted an enemy and immediately
dropped to the floor, flicked to where he last saw the enemy, and secured the 2nd kill, which
allowed him to place a second cloud burst and fall back to C into a new position, giving his
team a massive advantage by using some quick thinking, 2 cloud bursts, 1 updraft, and his
tailwind that will reset on his next kill.

Updraft - updraft is useful for repositioning to high grounded areas to catch the opponent off
guard, or to gather information. Updraft can be used to allow you to jump up above a doorway,
float across, and land on the other side. The opponent might suspect you are still where you
were, allowing for an easy pick. Updraft is mostly used as an informational tool or a
repositioning tool. The only other use for Updraft is through your ultimate (with some slight
uses for shotguns) At the start of the round there are many locations you can double-updraft,
and peek over top of buildings and structures to catch unsuspecting players who are holding an
angle, mostly on defense, causing an easy headshot with Blade Storm, as it is 100% accurate
even if you are floating through the air. Updraft is very loud, and easily recognizable, so against
experienced opponents who know your location, you can use updraft hidden safely behind
cover, drop to the ground and peek out from below, as your opponent will be suspecting you
to be floating around a corner from above. speaking of corners, when you are aiming to collect
information using updraft, be sure to hug corners and use LOS to your advantage. If the enemy
does see you, and you are floating out in the open, you're an incredibly easy target. If you hug
corners, you have much more of a chance to glide back around the corner, out of fire and out
of site. As of right now there isn’t much high-tier, mind bending strategy that revolves around
this ability, just be sure not to try to shoot while floating down, as your accuracy is terrible on
every single weapon aside from your ultimate, and the golden gun. Shotguns are surprisingly
accurate vs other weapons while you are floating through the air. If you are performing a light
buy with your team, a shotgun may be a good tool to help you catch your opponents off guard.

Tailwind - Tailwind is one of Jett’s best abilities by far. Always free at the beginning of the
round, which refreshes on two kills makes this ability an absolute must on the list of important
usage. Tailwind causes Jett to dash in any direction your crosshair is pointed in IF you are not
holding a movement key. If you ARE holding a movement key, you will dash in that direction
no matter where your crosshair is positioned. You cannot dash vertically at all, so, one tactic
you can use is to place a cloud burst on the ground blocking the visual sight from your
opponent, using tailwind straight into the ground, making the opponent think that you have
dashed to the other side of your cover, and peeking around the corner to shoot at your
unsuspecting opponent from the angle you were already positioned in. Tailwind is extremely
valuable and potentially endless. However, because there is only one charge, and you can only
use it multiple times if you get 2 kills, you will need to ensure you use it properly, without
wasting it to move to places faster when it is not needed, or to dash into an opponent who has
a shotgun, or some sort of CQC weapon. Tailwind is a perfect counter tool against players who
love to use Snipers or any semi-automatic weapon meant for long range engagements. In fact,
Jett’s whole kit is perfect to help you counterplay Ops. This can make her an absolute must
pick, as the meta currently favors Ops.

Bladestorm - As we stated earlier, Bladestorm is Jett’s Ultimate ability, and it has 100%
accuracy, with an instant kill on HS. 3 shots to the body/legs will also kill any player.
Bladestorm is extremely valuable against long range targets who do not suspect wildly random
angles. When using Bladestorm at the beginning of a round, it is best to find a location that you
can catch opponents off guard with the least amount of ability usage as possible, for example;
on Ascent, B site, as a defender, you can jump up to get a clear view of B Lobby/B Main by
only using ONE Updraft. This allows you to peek into this location twice! Allowing for twice
the opportunity to get a pick. No other agent can view through that window from Defender’s
side with accurate aim. Search for locations on attack/defense for each map to learn these spots
before you try to attempt them.

Here is a screenshot for reference.

Notice I am still hugging the right-hand side of the window, allowing for safe escape if I am
seen, as well as creating a harder shot for my opponent to land on my Agent. Also notice the
crosshair placement is relatively head height, looking towards where I believe the enemy will
peek from.

Phoenix

Phoenix is the Staple entry Agent. With abilities that damage, heal, flash, zone, impair visuals
(Wall), give you multiple lives, and so forth. Phoenix’s biggest weakness is his lack of mobility
compared to some other agents. Phoenix players are often aggressive and like to get the fights
started. As a Phoenix player you need to be quick, accurate, and confident. Phoenix offers a
nice all-around play style for those who solo queue, or don't like to rely on team play, while
still maintaining some sort of utility use for the team. Phoenix has one of the strongest carry
potentials out of any hero. It is important to know that although Phoenix is a jack of all trades,
he is a master of none. If you like to play Phoenix because of his healing, Reyna and Sage can
do it better. If you like him because of his Wall of fire, Viper is a much better choice. If you
like his flashes, Breach is better. The only thing that no one can surpass Phoenix on is his
Ultimate. Phoenix’s ultimate usage is what sets a good Phoenix apart from an amazing one.

Blaze - Blaze offers a wide variety of uses, to utilize it most properly relies on accurate game
sense and proper timing. Blaze casts a wall of fire that can heal Phoenix, however this should
only be used in this manner in a pinch. It blocks your vision pretty greatly and allows enemies
to see where you are from both sides of the wall, as you have to stand directly on the fire to
heal. This wall can be used to divide your location into two parts so that you may better
reposition, or to intimidate the opponent into not pushing through it until it falls. Blaze offers
cover for your teammates as well, as it can be laid down quickly. For example, if you and your
teammate are at long A on Haven, and your teammate is on the right side of the wall entering
onto the site, and enemies are watching their position from heaven and hell, your teammate has
little to no ability to escape this situation easily. Fortunately you can help by casting Blaze
along the pathway from you to your teammate, allow the enemy to try to guess when you're
moving, try to time it correctly and move to safety in between their shots. This will force them
to stay back and wait, and deter them from pushing through your fire to try to secure two kills
that will likely be prepared for them to come. Blaze can also be used to block certain locations
on the site, causing your enemy to attempt to push from an unbeneficial angle. As an example,
if you’re on Split, B site, defending, and the enemy pushes in from the garage, you can blaze
from behind cover in the center pillar over to a wall across from it. This will deter the enemy
from rotating around the pillar counter-clockwise as they won’t know what enemies are just
waiting for them behind the wall, and they will take damage from the wall if they do. Most of
the time they will be forced to rotate clockwise around the pillar, right into your crosshairs,
making it a nice simple game of timing. To eliminate the opponent. Now this is a basic example
as the enemy could wait for the wall to extinguish and then push, or use flashes and other
methods to impede your sight. Which brings me to a better option in most cases. If you use
your blaze to cut off one half of the bomb site, you can then use a curveball through your fire
flashing an unsuspecting aggressive group, allowing for an easy kill or two. Don’t forget your
wall can curve if you flick your crosshair while it is being deployed, use this to your advantage
when you can!

Curveball - Curveball is one of the more difficult flash bangs to use in Valorant, but it can be
very versatile, allowing for strong outplay potential. Curveball does not heal you, and can
accidentally flash you as well as your teammates so use of curveball must be pristine. Curveball
is best suited for close/mid ranged engagements. Agents who are flashed are only unable to see
for a few seconds, it is very short compared to Breach’s flashes. To flash over an obstacle you
can stand sideways up against the object, look upward and then curve the flash in the direction
of the object, so that it flies straight from your crosshair, over the object, and curves directly
over top of it. Curveball can be paired well with any smoke or wall, by throwing the flash from
the inside to the outside of a smoke, or from one side of a wall to another. For the best possible
chance of contact with the enemy, the flash should detonate the moment it crosses the threshold.
Curveballs are quick but they are able to be turned away from by higher level players. Ensuring
the point of detonation is at the earliest possible point that the enemies see it, gives you the
greatest chance of successfully flashing the enemy. Curveball is well used as a defensive move
as well. If an enemy is aggressively pushing you, you can toss it out around a corner to blind
them, making it an easy pick if you keep your ears open. If you plan on flashing right as soon
as a round starts, make sure you activate the ability before the barrier round ends, as when
Phoenix snaps it is very loud and very distinct. If you open the ability before the barrier phase
is over, Phoenix snaps his fingers when the enemy cannot hear it, allowing for an even higher
chance of a successful flash.

Hot Hands - Hot hands works very well as an area denial tool, or a tool to heal Phoenix back
up. Phoenix’s hot hands is a molly that works very similar to Brimstones, however it does not
last as long and it does less damage. Making it more fit as a healing tool. If played correctly it
can be both! For example: if you are attacking A site on Bind from Bathrooms, and the defender
pushes you as well. You can back off just outside of back rooms around the door, throw your
Hot Hands directly in the doorway, and hide inside of the flames behind cover, thus healing
yourself, and denying the enemy the ability to push you aggressively. It’s recommended that
you watch videos and learn/develop line ups to push enemies out of hiding or to land directly
on a planted spike to kill enemies who are attempting to defuse it from a safe location.

Run it Back - Run it back is essentially one of the strongest abilities a team can have on their
side, allows for hyper aggressive pushes onto a site, an informational scouting tool, a way to
attempt to get multiple picks to turn a fight to your favor, and a way to stall a point for as long
as possible. Run it back does have one major drawback, in that it will spawn you in a set
location, with a large lag time between being mortal, and being able to shoot your weapon. If
the enemy is able to sneak around and find your spawning point, you will be completely
defenseless as they have the ability to simply tap your head before you can move. With
teammates watching your back, you can push in without fear of a flanking enemy. A few things
to note is that you heal back up to 100 health when run it back is complete, if you grab the
spike while ulting and your timer runs out the spike warps back to your spawn point with you,
and any ammo you have is reloaded automatically as well. Run it back works very well with
retaking a site as well! Pushing onto a site, gathering as much information as possible while
collecting skulls can turn a losing 1v5 into a strong 2v5 if you are talented enough. One more
use for his ultimate is to gather info and protect a downed spike. If the enemy dropped the
spike, and you are protecting it. You should be aware of when enemies are approaching. You
can safely push out an attempt to kill as many as possible to make the hold easier especially if
you have a teammate to protect you. This turns a 2v4 scenario into a 3v4, which is much more
winnable.

Raze

Raze is my personal favorite, as her outplay potential is through the roof. Raze’s utility is a
nightmare for the enemy team when used correctly, and can cause some pretty raging moments
if the enemy team does not respect the power she holds. Raze has some seriously high potential
to be an unstoppable force, but can easily be countered in every way. Raze offers an
informational tool, a mobility tool, a lethal flushing tool and a deadly ultimate. Raze players
generally don’t play many lurking positions but can reach places and take out opponents before
they ever realize what’s happening. Raze works in high caliber on offense and defense, making
her a solid choice in many team compositions.

Boom Bot - Razes boom bot is one of the most effective tools to gather information with, as
the boom bot drives a considerable distance, bouncing off walls, locking-on, beeping, jumping,
and exploding in enemies faces when they don’t play around it correctly. You can wait to find
out where the enemy is located by watching and listening to the bot as its outline appears
through walls for you, or you can push in with it, forcing you enemies to make a choice between
shooting at you, or at the bot. Either can be lethal. The boom bot currently does enough damage
to kill any unarmored targets in its vicinity, but will only severely damage players who are
caught in it most of the time, allowing for easy picks. The boom bot can be launched up and
over small ledges with the use of blast packs. The boom bot generally takes a long enough time
to find a target, turn, move, jump, and explode. Making patience a virtue for players playing
against Raze. When a boom bot targets you, Raze players will tend to peek with the bot, stay
focused, keep crosshair placement, kill the Raze, and then kill the bot if you can. If you cannot,
get out of LOS from the Raze, kill the bot, and be prepared for a Cluster Grenade to be thrown
right on top of your position.

Blast Pack - Blast packs are what bring Raze to the next level of play. Proper blast pack usage
is what separates the good the bad and the downright dirty players you see maining this
Brazilian. Blast packs do a considerable amount of damage in a wide radius, pushing allies and
enemies away from its blast. It can be shot and destroyed but in most cases this is extremely
difficult to do. You can use blast packs to flush enemies out of corners nearby, you can kill
enemies above you in heaven or hookah, but most importantly you can use the blast packs to
boost yourself in different directions. This can be used to launch yourself on top of a position
to shoot down at your enemies, or this can be used to launch yourself into places that the enemy
won’t be prepared for you to be at so quickly. If you have any confusion on how this can be
accomplished you MUST look up a player named “Flights” who has many highlight reels of
locations and time after time killing multiple enemies through superior blast pack usage, and
is in my opinion, playing Raze to the absolute peek her potential out of any Player I have seen
play any Agent so far.

Cluster Grenades - Cluster Grenades are Raze’s most hated ability. High damage, low risk,
good distance, flushing capabilities, area denial, and easy kills against high aggression pushes
makes this ability one of the most feared in the game. Cluster grenades are easily a top tier
ability with many uses. Proper timing with a single CG can demolish an entire push, killing
one or more enemies, and absolutely tearing apart those that were able to fall back in time.
Cluster grenades are a good way to ensure you are not pushed momentarily by any enemy with
its area denial. One of my favorite uses is on Bind, being on attack, pushing into bathrooms.
Throwing a grenade up the hall towards A site forces anyone who is there to back off, and if
timed correctly, gives you free access to the Ult orb during its duration. Quickly building up
Raze’s ultimate. Using the grenades on tight corners or, in small corridors is its most optimal
usage. If a sage throws up a wall, blocking herself inside of a smaller area believing she is safe,
you can simply throw a grenade over the wall, and watch as she is unable to escape, getting a
kill, and breaking down her wall at the same time. Cluster grenades are perfect to ensure certain
corners and trouble areas are free of any enemy, eliminating the 50/50 bet, and allowing you
to have the peekers advantage against defending agents. Cluster Grenades can also be used to
block enemies off from their escape route, allowing for aggressive pushes and minimal room
to breath. Don't forget, this ability is free each round, and resets on each 2 kills Raze gets, even
if the Cluster Grenade is what caused them! Always know when the enemy Raze may have her
CG in hand, and avoid tight corridors, and absolutely be sure not to clump together, as it makes
it much harder to escape. Cluster Grenades are perfect to kill enemies through the portal at
Bind into Hookah, and Killing enemies in Heaven on A on Haven. To counter this, always be
aware of when the enemy Raze has her cluster grenades, communicate it to your team. Play
slow, bait out her CG and then push in.

Showstopper - Raze’s ultimate is devastating against players who are not aware of how it
works. Raze’s ultimate is however, fairly beatable. Raze’s ultimate is a one hit kill with a wide
area of effect, perfect accuracy, and pretty quick to use. Many players like to use Raze’s ult on
defense immediately after the round starts, jumping up in the air with a blast pack and launching
it directly towards the area that the enemy team may be pushing in from. In most cases, they
will not find very many kill this way. But every now and then you can catch 3 or 4, even all 5
players hard pushing a single site, only to be cleaned up immediately after the round begins.
Showstopper has also recently been discovered as a good tool for mobility as well. And when
paired with two proper blast packs, can put you from Long A on Haven, up into Heaven,
looking down at the enemy before they even realize where you are. The possibilities of travel
are endless, and I imagine we will see mind bending tactics with this knowledge in the near
future. (Just look at Flights, only 2 weeks after release at that!) Showstopper is a great tool to
ensure you kill a pesky player who is holding close angles in a particular position, as the rocket
is slow, and not very effective against players long distances away (plenty of time to move to
a safe location) To counter Showstopper, make sure your team is aware of when the enemy
Raze has her ult, where she normally positions herself at the start of each round, and absolutely
DO NO CLUMP TOGETHER. I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten a 2 or 3 kill
with Raze’s ult, only to see the enemy sarcastically complain: “Oh Raze isn’t broken AT ALL!”
No she isn't broken, you just handed me the win is all!

Reyna

Reyna is the newest agent in Valorant, and is highly regarded by many as the strongest
character in the game. (I am one of those people when looking at her from a solo perspective)
and many people regard her as the absolute worst character in the game. (This is absurd. Her
numbers are through the roof) Reyna makes plays by making plays. What this means is, in
order to really shine and carry as Reyna, you have to consistently outplay the opponent. You
do not get to slow them down, or kill them from vast distances. But you can take on fight after
fight without consequence. Reyna boasts the ability to heal over 500 HP each round, blind
players with two strong Leers, and be given boosts in strength, speed, and reload speed (an
invisibility) when you achieve these kills. Reyna’s biggest weakness is that she has almost no
value to her team other than Leer. When Reyna is not getting kills and utilizing her abilities as
she should, she becomes a dead weight on the team, and gives the enemy an easy economic
and ultimate advantage.

Leer - One of the most misused abilities in the game. Leer is a good way to completely ruin
your opponent’s positional advantages. By placing the Leer higher in the air, the opponent must
aim away from your head, destroy the leer, and then back down to you. Spray and pray in the
position they think you are, or avoid it all together. You can equip two of these Leers and they
travel through objects, making peeking an absolute breeze. Now, what many people do
incorrectly, is to throw it directly where they will be walking, or too high, or too far away from
their peek, allowing enemies to simply adjust their positioning to no longer be affected by the
leer. One of the best ways to use Leer is by throwing it nearby on the ground. This still applies
the same effect against the opponent, but they will have a much harder time adjusting
themselves to cut off the Leer, and the distance is completely within your control since it does
not go below ground like Omen’s does.

Devour - One of the strongest abilities in her kit, and one of the strongest in Valorant on pistol
rounds, as you can kill an enemy, and gain back full health AND 50 overheal (essentially
armor) making her the only person who gets stronger after being attacked. Players often will
buy a Ghost with Reyna instead of going ACA, as they wont need the armor, they just need
Devour. Allowing for longer range, more accuracy, and more damage, creating consistency
with their pistol rounds. You want to use Devour when you are not in immediate danger, and
you do not need to be invincible or invisible to reposition.

Dismiss - Dismiss shares the same ability pool as Devour. Up to 4 charges, Dismiss allows you
to reposition without worry. With a long lag time you have to be careful not to set yourself up
for failure when using dismiss. Many players have used Dismiss to reposition, find out they're
stuck out in the open, and are picked off completely defenseless. The Dismiss animation also
cannot be terminated early, which has lost player’s the defuse in time sensitive situations. If
you have killed everyone, healing back up is completely pointless, being invincible is
completely pointless. All it can do is delay your defuse, which in many cases will be too late,
and you will have lost the round for your entire team. Dismiss should ONLY be used to
reposition. However, there are two circumstances that are rare, but are also fairly acceptable
uses of Dismiss. 1 is to peek while you are invincible, try to gather information, and then duck
back behind cover before you are shot, which is far more likely than situation 2. Which can be
used to get in the face of an OP user, strafing, jumping, and moving sporadically, to safely
cause them to miss a shot or waste it, and then punishing them before they can even chamber
the next round. The biggest indicator of when you should use Dismiss or Devour is to know
whether or not you are in immediate danger in your current position.

Empress - Finally we have Empress, Reyna’s ultimate, which allows her to be stimulated
wherever she goes, lasts for a VERY long time, and resets its timer on kill. Empress is the
perfect ultimate for players who are trying to clutch against their opponent, or give their allies
a boost in advantage by taking out a few enemies at the very beginning of the round. Empress
also changes her Dismiss ability to turn her invincible while she uses it. This allows for her to
reposition behind enemies, and take an easy victory. However the big issue with Empress is
that you glow a bright pink/purple, making you very noticeable, and every ability you use is
very loud. When invisible, you should listen for the enemy Reyna’s smokey sound effect, as it
lasts for a set amount of time making it easy to time your shots as she comes out of her dismiss
form. Also, when you hear her laugh and turn invisible, BACK UP. She cannot get behind you
if you run backwards. She will either be forced to reposition, or she will attempt to get behind
you and allow for an easy pick right in your face as she reappears. The biggest issue newer
players have when facing Reyna, is that they let their nerves get the best of them. They will not
take their time to hit their shots, and essentially allow Reyna to take control of the situation.

INITIATORS

Breach

Breach is a strong asset to your team on both offense and defense. Breach can make way for
your team to force themselves onto a site with almost no utility usage at all. Good Breach
players will often use their abilities to force enemies out of hiding for their team to pick them
off. Clearing a site before they even step foot onto it. Breach can also stop an enemy push with
multiple of his abilities. Making Breach an easy pick for anyone looking to play aggressively.

Note: I apologize if the breach tips seem lackluster, Breach is currently my least studied
character, but I will develop this guide as I find more useful information.
Aftershock - Probably the most effective flushing tools in the game. Its long range, timely cast
time, and high damage output for anyone who doesnt avoid it makes this an easy way to force
an enemy out of their favorable position. As with any flushing tools, having a teammate helps
you catch enemies who are trying to escape the flush, and helps protect you as you use the
abilities. Aftershock is the perfect entry ability. Be sure to use this ability when you suspect an
enemy is hiding away, or when you are entering a site, and you want to worry about the least
amount of corners and campers as possible.

Flashpoint - Another effective flushing tool, however this one is much faster, and much more
effective. Compared to Phoenix’s flash Breach’s has many positives and negatives to it.
Breach’s flash requires there to be a wall in between the area you want to flash and yourself,
Phoenix’s doesn’t. However, Breach’s flash has a wider area of effect, and can be cast long
distances away. Making for an easy entry tool and defensive tool, which is less punishing to be
used incorrectly. Breach’s flash works very well against rushing targets, as it forces them to
look away, or to stop all together if they get caught in it.

Fault Line - One of the more difficult abilities to master, requires a keen amount of game
sense, and high speed follow up, this ability is much better suited for players who are stacked
in teams, rather than solo players. Enemies caught in the ability can still shoot, so be careful
not to slow peek corners, you want to wide swing against enemies, as their mouse and fire rate
are much slower than usual. Proper fault line use can completely remove multiple defenders
from play momentarily, allowing for easy pushes and quick clean up.

Rolling Thunder - like I stated in Ch 2, Rolling thunder is Fault Line on steroids, and does not
need to be charged up, covering half of any given bomb site, this Ultimate leaves enemies
defenseless if they come in contact with it.

Sova

Sova is one of the characters that requires vast study and game knowledge to use at high tiers.
Line ups are your best friend and so are wall bangs. Good Sova players know exactly where
their recon arrow is going. And is ready to follow up before it even gives him information. If
you enjoy studying and developing strategies your own way Sova is for you.
Owl Drone - owl drone is a fantastic scouting tool. Safety fly in and ping enemies for the whole
team to see. With an owl drone players can peek with you in order to bait the enemies into
shooting the wrong target. The Owl drones ping paired with hunters fury makes for a
remarkable and frightening combination. When in owl mode, it’s best to fly at very low
altitudes as enemies will have to aim down at you, which can save you just enough time to ping
them before you’re drone is shot down.

Shock Bolt - a good ability able to flex wildly different uses. To stall a point players can plant
a spike and using these figures, stall as much as they need to effectively reduce the amount of
time the enemy has to defuse the spike:

Here's the time's these take to land. (rounded up the number's so it's cleaner)

1 BOUNCE 1 CHARGE 3 SEC TO EXPLODE / AIMED AT AIR

2 BOUNCE 1 CHARGE 3 SEC TO EXPLODE / AIMED AT AIR

1 BOUNCE 2 CHARGE 5 SEC TO EXPLODE / AIMED AT AIR

2 BOUNCE 2 CHARGE 6 SEC TO EXPLODE / AIMED AT AIR

1 BOUNCE 3 CHARGE 15 SEC TO EXPLODE / AIMED AT AIR

2 BOUNCE 3 CHARGE 18 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT AIR

1 BOUNCE 1 CHARGE 2.5 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT FLOOR

2 BOUNCE 1 CHARGE 3.5 SEC TO EXPLODE /AIMED AT FLOOR

1 BOUNCE 2 CHARGE 4 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT FLOOR

2 BOUNCES 2 CHARGE 6 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT FLOOR

1 BOUNCE 3 CHARGE 14.50 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT FLOOR

2 BOUNCES 3 CHARGE 24 SEC TO EXPLODE/ AIMED AT FLOOR

Shock bolt can also be used as a nice flushing tool. Be cautious of the lengthy lag time at the
end of the ability. You don’t want to be caught out in the open.

Recon Bolt - Recon bolt is an ability that can make or break your team. If you have a skilled
and knowledgeable Sova who times his recon bolts correctly you can obtain vast amounts of
information throughout each match and each map you play on. Capitalizing on this given
information is the key to making the most use out of Sova. Recon bolts don’t have to be fancy,
in fact in high pressure situations it’s almost always better not to be, however being able to fire
your recon from a safe location is absolutely key to playing Sova. Study up, develop your roster
of recons and memorize which ones work better and which ones are useless in most cases. Be
careful of misleading information, as enemies can easily high behind something to block LOS
from the arrows, leaving you without the full picture.

Hunters Fury - strong ultimate that can be used aggressively, defensively, to stall the refusal
or plant of the spike, and etc. Good sovas will ping the spike or location they want to use their
Ult on, to not only be able to see it easier through the wall, but ti allow them to see how high
or low vertically it is as well. This Ult pairs well with any pinging ability. Dodging it is essential
as an enemy because you’re further revealed when hit. Making the next shot an easier hit. Aim
to disrupt or damage with this ability, killing is optimal but not always the best use of it.

CONTROLLERS

Brimstone

Brimstone has been a staple character on every team since launch. The longest lasting smokes
with solo-hold potential on the spike causes for high quality out-play ability. Brimstone can
force the enemy into moving in whatever direction he wants them to with his smokes and
incendiary grenade. Forcing them to walk right into a trap.

Stim Beacon - One of the most underused abilities in the game Brimstones stim beacon gives
anyone who stands in it an edge with faster fire rate and reload speed, be cautions, the enemy
can use this to their advantage as well. I have not seen it done but I often wonder how using it
as bait might play out?
Sky Smokes - Brimstones sky smokes are often misused by brand new players because they
will place all 3 down and run into a site and attempt to plant the spike without clearing it
themselves. The enemies

Are still there and they are going to attempt to peek you when they hear the spike. Brimstones
sky smokes are best used spaced out one by one to deter enemies from coming in a particular
entrance onto site. Or to at least be cautious when they do, giving up valuable time in exchange
for a false sense of security.

Incendiary - one of the best area denial tools in the game, Molly’s can be used similar to Sovas
shock bolts from a distance to land right on top of the spike, delaying it for a good amount of
time. Players at full HP cannot stand in it, and even defuse half way before they burn to death.
This allows for an easy reduction in available defusal time if the brimstone is still alive. If you
have multiple allies you will want to send someone to go kill the brimstone or distract him
while you defuse to negate this strategy.

Orbital Strike - possibly the best area denial tool in the game. Orbital strike can be used from
great distances, lasts for a long time, and paired with incendiary to stall the spike defusal is top
tier stall. Orbital strike is deadly and can be used in any sort of bait you set for the enemy team.
Using it in a dropped spike or on an enemy that’s planting or defusing is the most common way
to get value out of your ultimate.

Omen

Omen is one of the characters that offer a wide range of outplay ability, and whose potential is
just being tapped. Omen offers mobility, the element of surprise, smokes similar to Brimstones
power, a fast traveling blind and an ultimate that can guarantee a plant or allow you to fix
mistakes if you went to the wrong bomb site.

Shrouded Step - allows Omen to teleport across doorways, behind enemies, onto objects, into
defensive locations and more when used properly. Omen’s teleport can be a little slow so timing
is crucial to ensuring you live through the ordeal. Shrouded step is best used similar to Jett’s
tailwind, to reposition to wallop your enemies with the element of surprise. Shrouded step and
dark cover are the most utilized combination of abilities Omen has. Shrouded step can be used
to fake use of a teleporter on Bind, and can be used to get behind unsuspecting enemies for
easy kills.

Paranoia - paranoia received a buff that makes it fly much faster, proper paranoia usage will
save your skin multiple times each match. Try to aim it in locations the enemy may be hiding,
to hit campers who may be waiting for you to push, or to remove the site of an Operator who
has been waiting on you to leave the cubby for an easy escape. Paranoia is a good initiative
tool or a tool to help you escape bad situations.

Dark Cover - dark cover is one of Omen’s best abilities, as it can be cast across the map to
confuse the enemy in your whereabouts. Dark cover, when placed in the air, slowly falls to the
ground, which makes it perfect to cast above an object, teleport into the smoke on top of the
object, and wait as the smoke falls to the ground, giving you a strong positional advantage
against unsuspecting victims!

From the Shadows - there are 3 main uses for this ultimate, I have not dived deep into the
capabilities of his ultimate so I will list the 3 uses that I have see,. however I hope to see more
uses and tricky plays will come soon with ranked mode being announced next week!

Situation 1: the entire enemy team is defending on point A, so you teleport to point B and plant
the spike there for free.

Situation2: you confuse the enemy by using your Ult directly into your same location, causing
them to always watch their back as they may think you teleported behind them somewhere,
when you are in front all along.

Situation 3: Use it to fast travel closer to a planted bomb to help your team push in from
multiple angles. This one is the most often used, but the trickiest, as you much find a position
within close proximity, but not too close so the enemy can try to kill you when you spawn in.

Viper

Viper is one of the least played Agents, and has been mentioned by Riot that has not been
tapped into her full potential yet. Viper is one of the strongest controllers and has a high degree
of impact on offense and defense.
Snake Bite - once considered the worst area control ability in the game, patch 1.04 buffed the
snake bite, hurts everyone who touches it, even viper; but does little amounts of damage, now
that the damage per second has been increased and the fragile debuff has been implemented
this is an ability you do NOT want to get caught in! Use this similar to any area denial tool to
give yourself time to reposition, to flush out enemies, or to stallspike defusal/pushes from the
enemy team!

Poison Orb - my personal favorite and what I believe is the best smoke in the game. Although
it must be thrown, and may be difficult to find line ups for, this smoke can be activated and
deactivated at will, catching pushing enemies off guard, and unable to see or destroy it as you
reposition. Poison orb can be picked up and moved, and lasts for a very long time if fully
charged. Not to mention the enemy takes decay damage while inside of the orb!

Poison Wall - although this wall can't be picked up or moved it is the strongest wall in the
game. Poison walls can cut off entire sites, and can be placed in multiple angles which, when
used correctly can cut off visual access from two separate entrances. Causing defenders and
other players to fall back, or to push forward into an unfavorable position. Poison wall can be
deployed and taken down at will similar to the Poison orb, so whenever you want, you can
make a call out to your teammates that you are lowering your wall, lower it, and prepare to
shoot at enemies who are not prepared for it to fall. NOTE: If your poison orb and wall are
both deployed at the same time, they each only reduce the poison meter at no additional cost!
Use them both and use them wisely!

Viper Pit - Finally Viper’s Ultimate; One of the scariest things to see on the enemy team. The
pit allows for big plays when used correctly. Placing your Pit in the optimal position is
something I don't see a lot of Vipers utilizing to their optimum ability! I will get into this more
in a second, but for now I want to talk about uses. There are 4 big reasons to use Viper Pit:

1. You are on Attack, you have just planted the spike and you place your pit on top of the
spike to defend the area.

2. You are on Attack and you would like to get onto site and plant the bomb without
needing to worry about any OPs or snipers in the distance, so you use VP right before
the entrance to the site, allowing you to plant within the pit. (Risky, but I have seen it
done successfully multiple times)
 3. You are Defending and you use it right when the round starts to deter enemies from
even approaching the site, or you use it when you see the enemies are approaching your
site to better defend it, or force them to rotate all together.

4. You are Defending, you have killed the spike carrier, and you want to defend its
currently downed location. (Least likely occurrence but a very valuable play)

Vipers pit is oftentimes used in a mediocre way during scenario 1. Improving usage during
scenario 1 will dramatically improve its success rate. Viper’s pit can be easy to master, simply
you need to be aware of 3 things, the locations you place it so that you create pockets to hide
in, playing in unsuspecting locations to negate any prefire disadvantages, and ensuring your
teammates are in a good position/you have good awareness of how many enemies are left,
where they are coming from and so on. Viper’s pit should be placed in a location that allows a
pocket of air in a safe corner of a site. For example: On Bind, point B, the viper pit can be
placed so that in the back North West corner of the main site, you can physically step out of
the Pit, to hide from your enemies when they are close, or when you are in danger of being
spotted. This allows for an easy pick when they walk right past you. You have to use this pocket
carefully as you have a limited amount of time you can be outside of the pit before it shuts
down, also do not forget that while walking in-and-out of your pit, you are temporarily unable
to see due to the solid wall like substance on the outer layer of the pit.

SENTINELS

Cypher

Cypher is the ultimate defender. Being able to cover multiple angles with intuitive trapwire
placement, and blocking off enemies path with Cyber cage, you can essentially solo bomb sites.
Cypher offers a wide range of visual sight to the team with his Trapwire, Spycam and Neural
Theft allowing for wall bangs, engaging the enemy when they are caught, or being paired with
other abilities such as Raze’s Cluster Grenades with little to no communication. Cypher offers
players who like to rely on themselves a solid kit of informative and stalling capabilities.
Players who play Cypher like to outsmart their opponents and play more passively.
Cyber Cage - Cyber cage is Cypher’s smoke, when enemies pass through it, a loud zapping
sound occurs, notifying you of how many people pass through the walls of the cage. Cypher’s
cage has to be activated manually, however it can be activated from anywhere by looking at it
and hitting the ability button. This can cause confusion for the enemy team, thinking that you
may be close by when you are in fact rotating from an entirely different site. It can also be used
to allow yourself time to reposition to take on the enemies from a new angle. Cypher’s Cage
can be used in many different circumstances, it's up to you to determine which ones are most
useful to your playstyle.

Trapwire - One of Cypher's best abilities. If the enemy does not respect the trapwire, they will
be revealed to the entire team time and time again. Trapwire can be used in hallways and
doorways, but what I find the best use for it is at angles, like the entrance to B on Split, the
boxes immediately to the left of the entrance are close enough to allow the cypher to place a
trapwire between the corner of the box, and the center pillar. This is good placement as most
enemies travel directly in that path, allowing for an easy wall bang from behind the wooden
cabinet in the back of the site. One issue many new Cyphers have is their vertical placement
height. Place it too low and it can be jumped over, making it useless. Raze’s boombot and
Sova’s Owl Drone can also activate the trapwire if they run through it. Making it too high
allows for an easy flick to shoot the trap wire, try placing it at waist height or in unsuspecting
locations to throw the opponent’s aim off. Trapwire usage can be used vertically and
horizontally. Try placing it directly in the center of tight corridors vertically from the roof to
the floor, this will make it difficult for enemies trying to push onto a site without hitting it. Also
listen for enemies who shoot or stab your wire before it is activated, as if they are walking
slowly they can see and hear the wire before it activates. There are lots of Trapwire tutorial
locations online, find them or develop your own!

Spycam - Spycam is one of the most frustrating tools to get hit by, as you have to fall back to
a safe location, and then hold F to remove the tracking dart. Spycam can be used in a few
different ways:

1. To see enemies coming from specific locations, or to allow full view of a site while
maintaining a safe location

2. To try to tag an enemy for wall bangs, or easy ult usage, such as Raze’s Sova’s
Brimstone’s etc
 3. Placed on the wall facing a site from the entrance, or around corners or objects, which
does not provide any value in seeing where the enemies are coming from, but rather
gives you long visual contact as enemies won't be checking behind them up onto walls
and objects trying to see if there is a camera there. This gives you plenty of time to see
enemies and make call outs to your team, giving you a strong retaking opportunity. Be
careful not to get caught, as once the enemy is set up defensively, they are more likely
to see the camera and shoot it down. The only other downside to this is that it requires
you to place the camera before the enemies get to the site, so you must fall back to a
safe location to use it properly.

Neural Theft - Cypher’s ultimate gives you the best information you can possibly get in
Valorant currently. When activated you get a snapshot of where every living enemy is located
and their character model, as well as their positioning on the mini-map. Neural theft can save
you on defense when you were unaware that the enemy was rotating to another site, or when
you are on offense it can give you the information that no one is defending A, or that the enemy
Jett is flanking you from your spawn. Neural theft should be used by the entire team to gather
as much information as possible, and to decide what to do with that information. When using
Neural theft take note of where the enemy’s character model is facing, is it running with its
knife out towards B? Or do they have an OP watching mid? Try to communicate with your
teammate every detail you can see in the moment that it is given to you. Ping the enemies
locations on the map, and work with your team to take advantage of the information you have
been given. When an enemy Cypher uses Neural Theft, try to move in the direction you are
NOT currently headed, pretend to be watching Mid, or hiding behind one box, once the flash
occurs, you are free to reposition or head back in the original direction you were headed. Giving
your enemy faulty information is the key to countering this ultimate.

Sage

Last but not least we have our pimire stalling agent, an absolute must-pick for organized team
play, as her healing capabilities, stalling, and ability to completely revive a member of your
team is one of the most valuable abilities in the game. A good Sage player will often sit behind
their team, allow them to push in and use their abilities to clear sites, heal up allies the moment
they become damaged, and are constantly communicating with their team on their cooldown.
If you are Sage and you are the first person to be hurt on your team, you are using her
incorrectly. Sage players are always aware of the flow of battle, maintain good wall usage, and
slow orb counters to enemies who are trapped in corridors and rooms.

Barrier Orb - Sages Barrier orb is one of the best abilities in the game, especially in early
pistol rounds. The barrier orb provides actual stoppage to pushing enemy teams, lasts for a
good amount of time (almost a full spike countdown) and gives you information when enemies
try to break it with their abilities or weapons. Be careful, as many agents can simply get over
top of the wall, such as Jett, Omen, Raze, Sova (when using his ultimate) and other Sages.
Other Sages might gather with their team, and raise all of them above the wall at once, to push
onto the site together. Be prepared for this, by listening to footsteps and paying attention to the
sound of the enemy sage using their wall. Sage’s wall can be useless if placed incorrectly, for
example: in C site on Haven, if the Sage places her wall at the foot of the stairs in the back of
site towards B, enemies can simply hop onto the wall without using any abilities, ensure you
do not allow other players access to get onto the wall by placing the barrier as high as possible
in corridors and hallways. The Wall can also be used straight on down a hallway, forcing the
enemy onto one side of the hallway, making picks, abilities, and peeking a breeze to kill
enemies.

Slow Orb - Slow orb covers a wide range, can be thrown very far, and can completely stop an
enemy from attempting to peek from certain areas, as they will be out in the open, with no way
to maneuver or dodge oncoming abilities. Listen for the sound of your slow orb to diminish
before placing another down, you want to extend the life of your slow orb as long as possible.
Slow orbs and Barrier Orbs have the ability to deny access to a site much longer than it takes
for your entire team to rotate and get in position to defend a site. This is what makes Sage
the premiere stall agent.

Healing Orb - Healing Orb is one of the most sought after abilities in the game. Many players
will peek in more confidently knowing they can be healed up afterwards, however it is
important to manage your healing orb as well as possible. You always want value out of your
orb. Using the orb on a player who has 80 HP when there is another nearby who has 20 is a
waste of your ability. If a player peeks in and gets hit for 20 damage, and you know the team
is about to push in together, likely causing more damage, you want to save your orb until after
the fight. However this is a balancing act, as you will want to use it as many times as possible,
as quickly as possible throughout each round to get the most value. The cooldown time is long
and usage has to be quick and efficient. It's up to you to decide when the time is right to heal
allies up, and when to allow them to be partially damaged for the greater good of the round
later on. Healing orb can also be used on yourself, if your whole team pushes in and you and
an ally are both at critical health, you need to heal yourself. You are a priority target when
staying alive, and if you heal the enemy, they rush in and get killed, leaving you with 20 hp for
the next 45 seconds, you won't be of any use to your team. You are always a priority in a fight
unless all allies and enemies are currently engaged in a gun fight and you are sitting in the back
at a safe distance.

Resurrection - Resurrection is one of the abilities that new sages mess up the most. As strong
as it is, if you revive someone right after they die without removing the threat that killed the
ally, they will just immediately die again before they can even move, wasting your ultimate.
There are a few tricks you can do to maximize your success rate when resurrecting allies.You
can kill the enemy and allow your teammates to guard you while you ult, or you can use your
wall to block off the threat while you Rez. You can also utilize teammate’s smokes or walls to
remove LOS while resurrecting. Even just being unable to see the enemy can make your aim
inaccurate.

When deciding between multiple players on who to resurrect you want to consider the
following: 1) Who has the most utility left, and will be most useful to your current situation?

2) Who has the highest KDR currently, or who is performing the best? (would you rez your
ally who is 30-5 or the ally that is 0-15? It’s a no-brainer)

3) Who has the best weapon? The reason this is the 3rd consideration is because you can simply
pick up the better weapon if you are fast enough and it is safe to do so.

There is one more use I know of that I have seen work successfully on multiple occasions, if
you are defending a site, and it's a 1 on 1 scenario, you are playing ring around the rosie with
an object in the center of the site, you can Rez an ally to distract the enemy and bait them into
shooting at the ally while they are an easy target. peeking right as they start to shoot at your
ally from the other direction. This will either cause them to stop shooting your ally, turn and
shoot you, giving you and your ally some time to try to kill the enemy, or they will kill your
ally and leave themselves completely defenseless while you peek and kill them… Please do
not use this tactic when the entire enemy team is alive. You may kill an OP’er doing this, but
it's not worth the value of using your ultimate. Also, the only time you should resurrect an ally
after a round is won, is to allow them to save their weapons to further improve or to save your
economy. This is a valid reason, and can be the difference between your ally using an OP or a
Vandal, or using the shorty hoping for a kill.

Killjoy

Killjoy is the perfect agent to play if you like to adapt to situations through strategic planning
and bait/switching your opponent. I suspect Killjoy will be an annoying agent to play against,
but I stand by 100% with a sure mind that Killjoy IS NOT BROKEN! From the scenarios I
have run and tested over the past few days I believe Killjoy will be extremely adept at two
things: 1 - Protecting herself by holding down an area. and 2 - Setting up strong team synergistic
combos through the debuffs and information she provides. Killjoy is not a duelist. She cannot
charge in and play aggressively. She has no smokes, no flash, no mobility. To play killjoy you
NEED to play passively, and make the most out of your strong abilities to see the best results.
Charging in first will not only guarantee you get rocked, but will make all the credits you have
spent on abilities completely pointless.

Alarmbot - Alarmbot is one of the more unique informational tools, as it forces you to act to
make use of it. Alarmbot is not a “fire-and-forget” mechanic and definitely requires a quick
reaction to take full effect of. Alarmbot has a small radius so it will be extremely strong when
placed inside of a smoke that is blocking a high-traffic area; such as a choke point leading onto
a site. This will prevent enemies from just rushing in immediately, and when paired with an
AOE ability, or spraying through the smoke you will find that you will get an easy pick almost
every Single time… just make sure you’re coordinating with your team. Another thing I want
to mention is that this ability is best used to attempt to get a kill, and should be used much less
as an attempt to gather information. Don’t forget to pick it up if you haven’t used it and you
are relocating!

Nanoswarm - Boy am I not excited to get hit by this. The damage is insane, the activation is
extremely convenient and quick, you can use this in soooo many different ways, this ability
will be incredibly difficult to dodge and will absolutely be winning rounds if used correctly.
THIS is the ability we all need to fear. Nanoswarm can be used to kill aggressive enemies, to
stall, to deny the defuse, to flush out enemies and more. Use this ability whenever you see a
strong opportunity to get a lot of value. This is the closest thing to an “escape option” that
Killjoy has, due to its area denial for 5 seconds, allowing you to rotate or fall back. Nanoswarm
can be used on the fly, or can be pre-determined exactly where you think the enemies will be
coming from! This ability will pair well with Sage’s slow orbs, and Cypher’s trapwire! I
recommend buying one every chance you get, even over the turret and the Alarmbot.

Turret - the controversy this thing has caused is historical, 125 health, 8 damage x3 with a
slow fire rate, and extremely harsh fall-off damage, and only 180 degree vision? This turret
will get low ranking players killed more than it will help them. This turret needs to be placed
perfectly, quickly, and in good positioning, however you will find yourself wasting it if you
are not in the correct position yourself! 180 degree view means that if you place it just a little
to slanted in one direction; you have essentially just added a tiny little “wet floor” sign to the
map. Use the turret before your enemies arrive, and place it in a location that will force the
enemy to look in a drastically different angle from where you are currently hiding to ensure the
highest chance of survival. You’re going to have to switch up the positioning as it’s low HP
makes it an easy target to destroy by many different abilities. Be careful when using the turret,
you’ll get caught with your pants down for sure.

Lockdown - this ability is one I cannot help you with until I see it in action. 13 seconds may
be long enough to force players to act and easily push a site and kill you and your totem, or
they may just always fall back. Maybe the will completely lose their minds and rush in without
checking corners looking for the totem, giving you easy access to some kills. It’s hard to say;
but personally I will be falling back. 13 seconds is short enough to wait for. A lot of smokes
last almost as long if not longer. Just wait for the timer to count down before making your push,
or rotate sites all together. Lockdown will be most useful when time is short and the enemy
NEEDS to plant the spike. You can throw it down and wait for the plant sound, and choose to
either peak and look for the kill, or wait for the ability to activate, forcing the enemy to try to
hide from you. This is how I will undoubtedly be attempting to play with this ultimate.
CHAPTER 14

Specific Weapon Breakdown

In this chapter, I will be reviewing a few of my personally most used weapons, and the weapons
that I have seen used in most high tier tournament play. These weapons will include the
Phantom, Vandal, Marshall, and the Operator.

Phantom vs Vandal

The debate between the Phantom and the Vandal is ongoing, and just like Counter Strike’s M4
vs AK47 debate, will likely last for the entire life of Valorant. However there are a few numbers
that can help you determine which one you would like to master and which one you should use
for your character and play style. First up is the Phantom, the shorter ranged, accurate, speedy
weapon that favors aggressive play, but fails to deliver at long distances as often as the Vandal
does. Look at this attached chart below, which shows us their average “Time To Kill” (TTK)

This image was made by u/MisterEskere_ on r/Valorant

As we can see, in the 0-15 meter category, the Phantom has a faster TTK at all amounts of HP.
This shows us that in CQC the Phantom will beat out the Vandal every time by equally skilled
players with equally strong accuracy.

In the 15-30 meter category, the Vandal squeaks by as the faster TTK on all armored targets,
but still loses to the Phantom against unarmored targets. In a more likely scenario, this means
that if your ally has broken an enemy’s armor, whether or not they heal back up with Sage or
Phoenix, the Phantom is the most optimal weapon. This makes the Phantom the superior
weapon when retaking a site against most opponents.

In the 30-50 meter category, the Vandal has a faster TTK on all armored targets once again,
especially with the ability to 1 tap at any distance. However, as you can see, the Phantom still
maintains its top spot against damaged and unarmored targets. If you are a player like Sage or
Cypher, who plays it slow. Or a player who likes to get right in the enemy’s face or hold tight
angles like Phoenix or Breach, you will probably find the most success with the Phantom.
However, with the 1 Tap potential that the Vandal has, if you have high aim and accuracy, and
you are confident in your abilities, the Vandal should be your choice of weapon. It doesn't
matter if you can kill a full armored enemy at 50 meters in 0.45 seconds if you simply get 1
tapped in 0.00 seconds. I find it is best to choose your favorite, and stick with it, learning its
recoil pattern and getting used to how long it generally takes to kill, but also keep in mind your
positioning. If you are holding long angles, you might want to purchase the Vandal instead of
the Phantom. Use your head and trust in your abilities to pull off what you need to pull off. It’s
also worth it to note that the Phantom’s recoil is easier to manage, those who don’t have good
accuracy may find it easier to kill enemies at longer distances, even with the longer average
TTK

Marshall vs Operator

There is no question about which one you should use, it all comes down to the situation in
which you find yourself. For example: If you do not have enough money to buy an op and
armor, it is extremely recommended that you don't buy the Op at all. However, there is a loadout
nicknamed the “Glass Cannon” in which you buy an Op with no armor, allowing for quicker
access to the Operator, with some high risk. In order to pull off a glass cannon successfully you
will need to be on point with your shots, and in a position to back off and save yourself if things
go wrong. However if you have enough for the Op and Armor and abilities, you should double
check your team’s economy, and the enemies’ economy as well before you make the purchase.
If your enemy will not have long range weapons the Operator will be devastating. If they are
able to full-buy, but your team is not, perhaps light buy or save with your team, or perhaps
purchasing a gun for your teammates will be a better use of your money, and you can still
utilize the power of the Marshall. The Marshall’s unscoped accuracy and rate of fire, coupled
with its high damage output makes the 1,000 credit gun a considerable option when trying to
build a strong economy. The Marshall has the ability to 1 tap at any distance, and is much
lighter weight than the Operator, allowing your agent to be much more mobile while using it.
Juggle peeking, AD strafing, wide peeking, and boosting/dashing in with abilities will be much
more effective when using a Marshall over an Operator. The marshal is the perfect tool to peek
long angles, trying to damage opponents forcing them to fall back and heal, or to reposition as
they are too weak to take on a team full face. This allows Phantom users to come in and clean
up. After the initial shots have been fired. The Operator is a menace when used properly, after
each shot, switch to your knife to duck behind cover faster, prep your next shot, peek out and
repeat the process. If you find yourself missing, and the enemy is peeking you, it's time to either
outsmart them, through the use of abilities, (maybe sova arrow + wallbang) or by repositioning
to a different location. Too often I watch teammates peek over and over, missing shot after
shot, only to finally get tapped in the head losing the control over the site they had in their
position. peeking in the same location every single time makes you predictable, and easy to
counter. The enemy can simply throw a smoke, blocking your sight, or wide peek you, causing
you to miss. Be careful getting in a habit of pulling your knife out in between each Operator
shot. Unlike in CSGO, your fire rate decreases dramatically. Those split seconds are always
what decide whether you live or die in an even fight.

CHAPTER 15

Individual Play, and Team Roles

In this chapter we will be going over what to look for and how to play when you Solo Queue,
and team roles that you must adhere to in order to give yourself the most optimal chance of
winning. There is a lot to go over, however the most important thing to remember is to always
be aware of yourself, your enemies, and especially what your teammates are doing. Let’s start
at the beginning of each match.

Once you enter a lobby your teammates will begin to select their characters. If you are dead set
on playing one character go ahead and lock them down, however if you’re looking for the
highest probability of winning sit back and wait for your teammates to choose their agents.
Optimally you want your team composition to look something like this:

• Sage

• Brimstone/Viper

• Sova/Jett/Breach

• Phoenix/Raze/Reyna

• Cypher/Omen

The most used agents at high levels of play have been Breach/Sage/Cypher/Sova/Brimstone.
This offers high amounts of defensive and offensive capabilities, with control, stall, initiation,
and healing utility. map dependent of course, but this is the most likely used characters. Jett
and Reyna have been seeing more and more play lately as well. Essentially the idea is; whatever
roles your team is lacking in, you can make up for it if you are well rehearsed in the agent.
Don’t forget what I said earlier however that it will always be better to have a high aptitude
player on an agent they can play effectively rather than to have a player choose a “top tier”
agent, and play like crap with them the whole game. I’ve seen far too many times everyone
quickly locks in their characters only to complain and get mad when the last player doesn’t
want to play Sage, or doesn’t perform well with her the entire match because they have no idea
what they are doing.

Next let’s talk about barrier phase positioning. When you’re on defense you need to make sure
all of the bases are covered. Discuss with your team what everyone is planning on playing,
where they like to cover and let them rotate to their locations. See where the defense is weak
and cover there. Each round you need to be aware of your teammates locations and where you
should cover. Many times teammates will randomly switch their positioning without telling
anyone, you can call it out (politely) or you can switch them positions. If multiple people are
in the same location, keep a sharp eye on the outcome. They may be in discord talking through
a strategy amongst themselves, but sometimes they’re just playing improperly, which you may
have to compensate for later, or rotate early if they both get picked in the beginning of the
round. You should get in the habit of trying to sort this out at the beginning of each round. I
find a lot of success when rotating to a new starting position if I ask my teammates where the
enemies normally like to peek from near my current position, as patterns tend to form on both
teams.

Next we will talk about defensive cover on a site. In many cases (depending on map, team
composition, and play style of your team and the enemy team) you will have 2 players
defending on one site, one player defending Mid, and 2 players defending another site. It’s
important to position yourself to give you the most optimal chance at survival, while generating
a good crossfire with your teammate. For example: on Haven A site you have many options to
position defensively. These, again, will be most optimal depending on different
weapons/agents/play-styles. However, if you are playing Omen, and your teammate is playing
Brimstone, you can crouch on the right side of the window in heaven, peeking A Long with an
Op, and your Teammate can be positioned at the entrance of site A next to the connector coming
from B. As long as your teammate who is holding B doesn’t die, your Brimstone can safely sit
in this position watching A Short. This is an example of goodpassive positioning. Passive
meaning you allow the enemy to peek onto site before action is taken against them. Both you
and your Brim are able to fall back behind cover and reload or heal up. Both of you can control
when you peek and engage the enemy, and both of you are sitting in positions that with a few
short steps, can help cover your teammate with cross fire. If all enemies are running up A short,
you can safely peek it with your position in heaven. If they are rushing from long, your
teammate can rotate to the left or the right of the center boxes to peek them at his pace. You
may also take an aggressive defensive position, by peeking down long a with the Op, and your
brim peeking down short from the double boxes at the top of the ramp. If you are pushed you
can fall back and reposition, however you and the enemy are likely to get to the point of contact
at the same time, making it a battle of accuracy and reflexes to survive and take the kill. One
other position you may decide to take is directly to the right or left of an entranceway to catch
the opponent off guard. As peeking corners and clearing a site is common practice it may be
hard to pull off, as you have nowhere to relocate to if you are caught, and can be taken out
easily with flushing abilities.

The next thing I want to mention is the awareness you must maintain when defending a site
with a teammate’s vision. If your teammate is watching an entrance, but the enemies could be
rushing in from behind them at mid, you do not want to ALSO cover the same entrance. Make
sure you watch each other’s back from all angles possible. Just a few minutes ago I was playing
a match on Ascent, I pushed onto B without a problem, as I peeked into the garage I found both
the enemy Brimstone and the enemy Sage were ADS towards mid. I simply 1 tapped each one
and planted, and prepared for the retake attempt. If either of those players had stuck to their
post and watched the entrance at B, they both might have still survived the round. The second
part of awareness is the awareness of your teammates on other sites and your mini map.
Keeping an eye on your mini map can provide you with more information than your teammates
can sometimes. Let’s say 2 of your teammates on A scouted 3 enemies trying to attack A, and
one of your teammates is watching mid, and is in a fire fight against the enemy. You still hold
B as you have not yet identified where the 5th enemy is located. However on your mini map
you see 2 bodies at mid. Your teammate didn’t call it out because they happened to glance
down to check their ammo right as the enemy double peeked at him as he was ducking back to
reload. You now know that there are 3 at A, and 2 at mid, therefore there are no enemies near
B to defend against. You call it out and you and your teammate at B can choose if you want to
push in behind the enemy to try and flank them, or if you want to rotate behind to A to help
protect the site from the attack. You could also split and allow your teammate to rotate to A
while you flank from behind. If there is a lot of time left in the round remember that the enemy
can always rotate back and push to B. If this is the case, try to leave at least one teammate at B
to protect against the possible rotation.

Keeping an eye on both team’s economy and ultimate availability, and calling out what the
enemy is able to buy or do at the start of each round can be incredibly helpful for your entire
team. Turn this into a habit! Here I have an example of a mid-match score board.

Let’s break it down:

Let’s pretend you are the Phoenix on the blue team. At the start of the round you see your
team's load out. Generally you will want to play at longer ranges, your Sage has a strong
economy, and would benefit the team if the Jett sold her bulldog and requested a Phantom or a
Vandal. I would normally suggest that the Sova be the one to replace their weapon, but it seems
that all 5 of your teammates have died all 3 rounds. Meaning every teammate purchased what
they have currently. This shows that the Sova is the only one playing with the economy in
mind. Sage has the most money? Why don’t I think Sage is also playing smart? Because the
Sage has saved the last 3 rounds and even with a huge economic advantage she built up for her
team, she is still purchasing poorly by buying a guardian. There are much better options for her
and her team. You (Phoenix), Viper, and Jett are not playing with the economy in mind because
you have spent nearly all of your credits to get the load outs you have now. This type of buy is
considered a “force buy” and is very risky, as you will be broke if you do not win, or if the
three that forced do not survive this round. They are fortunate however, that the Sova is buying
light, and that the Sage’s poor choices might give them a second try because of all of those
credits saved up. As she will be able to help buy equipment for next round if things go wrong.
Now even the max amount of 9,000 isn’t enough to full buy the team rifles. Let’s now look at
the enemy’s economy. The Viper, Sage, and Cypher can all full buy, the Brimstone can light
buy, and the enemy Phoenix is completely broke. Having such wildly different economic
numbers often turn into a “broken buy” where players full buy what they can, but allow those
who cannot to remain without weapons, hoping to pick one up off of a dead enemy during the
round. If the enemy team is playing together, you can expect that the Viper will likely buy a
weapon for the Phoenix, and that the Brimstone will buy a cheap weapon that can pack a punch
like a shotgun or a Marshall to compensate. If they go this route they will have a strong
economy if they win, but if they lose they will still be able to light buy in preparation for round
6, or full save to set up for 6 and 7. Now let’s look at the Ultimates. Only Jett on your team and
Viper on the enemy team have their ultimates. However, you, your Viper, and your Jett are all
1 point away from having theirs. The enemy is also close, being 1 point away from their
Resurrection and their Neural Theft. These are two big ultimates, and with how fragile your
economy is, you must make sure the enemy cannot get a free kill off of your team, or capture
an ult orb for free. So your team should play this round slower than most, try to bait out cool
downs and ensure you protect the ult orbs. Any ultimate on your team can win the round for
you if played correctly, but your coordination must be on point. If the enemy gets a few
ultimates right off the bat at the start of the round, you must play safe, and try to win through
double peeks, and wait for the opponent to make a mistake.

That was a lot, but to reiterate for your team, you can simply say “our economy is poor, play it
safe, play for picks, and make sure the enemy don’t get the ult orbs for free.”

CHAPTER 16

Haven Manual
First on our list of maps I would like to discuss is Haven. As you may have discovered, each
map has a unique mechanic to it to set it apart from the others. Haven’s unique mechanic is
that it is the only map that contains 3 possible sites the attackers can plant on each round. Haven
offers mostly medium ranged engagements with defense heavy starting positions. From a
defensive point of view, the A site is the only site that attackers can contest long and short at a
similar time as the defenders, causing a lot of fire fights to happen at A Long and A Short. So
with that in mind, let’s discuss A site first.

A - Attack

When attacking A site, control of the ultimate orb and short A are crucial in the very beginning
of the round. Many defenders will play aggressively to try to capture the ultimate orb, or to get
a pick on crossing allies. Ensuring you peek long A as quickly as possible gives you the highest
chance of successfully killing the enemy before they can kill you, as they have a couple meters
further to travel to reach their peeking position. Always have a teammate back you up to protect
against aggressive A Short rushes as well. Pushing onto site in either direction can be a bit
tricky, however you have much more space when peeking from Long A, onto site, allowing for
good double peeking opportunities. And ability outplay. (Such as Jett’s one way smokes). It is
good to note that almost all of Heaven is wall-bangable, making a well placed Sova Recon Bolt
invaluable. If you’re an Omen player and you want to ult into Hell, rather than heaven, select
the back of the building, away from the window, as you cannot warp into the wall on heaven,
so it automatically warps you below it into hell. The optimal planting point varies with team
composition, however in a clutch scenario, the best place to plant is here:

This angle can be seen from deep in A Short, A Long, Heaven, and if positioned correctly, Hell
as well. Allowing for easy picks when the enemy tries to defuse, or strong outplay with stalling
abilities like Orbital Strike.

A - Defense

As a defender you have two options, playing in an aggressive stance (left) or playing passively
(right). Here they are two positioning suggestions side by side:
Your aim on the aggressive side (left) is to pick any enemies you see, and to bait out early
ability usage, and gather information for your team. The aim on the right is to protect the
ultimate orb and strive for survivability while maintaining control over the immediate site.

B - Attack

Attacking B site is the most difficult in every aspect, difficult to take, difficult to hold, and
difficult to defend against retakes. The enemy has the ability to come at you from 3 separate
directions, and is always nearby, this means that planting on B must be butter smooth and as
fast as can be executed. B site offers multiple points of cover, it will generally be flushed out
by smart enemies. It is not recommended to plant here often.

B - Defense

Mid control is very important on Haven. However with so many bomb sites, defense is often
stretched thin. You will generally not have more than 2 players in close proximity to another.
Generally defense is set with 1 on C, 1 in C Garage prepared to rotate to C or B when needed,
1 on B, and 2 on A (one long and one short). If being pressured from mid, or if you have a
weak player holding B, it will be much harder to rotate to retake sites, however you can counter
this by having the short A player rotate to B to help watch the front entrance from the hall on
the east side of B.

C - Attack

There are 3 clear ways onto site, but only two are recommended, unless you have a brimstone
to secure areas from Long with his sky smokes. Full push to C from Long, with one member
watching behind to ensure nobody flanks, a split of 2 long, and 3 C garage, or a full push into
Garage, with one member peeking B to try to get a pick of the B player rotating to help garage.
Pushing onto C site can be tricky, there are many locations to be attacked from, and generally
is easier to retake than A. There are 6 places that enemies can be lurking when you push onto
site, immediately to the left when you come from long, behind the boxes towards garage to the
right, on top of elevator to the left, behind elevator, behind the center stack, and on top of the
wooden dunnage in the right side of the site. Make sure all of these areas are clear before
planting the spike, or the enemy will have a very easy time getting a pick or two or three. The
most optimal position to plant is here:

As it can be seen from any entrance, and has a wall to bounce grenades, mollies, and ultimates
off of to stall the defuse.
C - Defense

To defend C, you will need a player watching garage, which can be done from the corner above
the elevator on C, or from the window. Inside of garage. One player can play behind the center
stack to dodge in and out of enemy fire at long. This can also be viewed from dunnage in the
corner, and behind elevator in the corner of C. Be careful, if your teammate dies at B you are
unprotected from the back of site. Few the diagram I drew up here:

Red is for cross fire, which is less optimal escape wise, but better aggressively. And Green is
safer, but provides nearly no cover fire or double peeking ability.
CHAPTER 17

Split Manual

Split is all about the two separate sections of the map. A side and B site, which is divided into
a very important section of mid ground and two back routes. Having mid control on split is
crucial to attacking and defending either site. Mid fights are almost guaranteed every single
round. Defenders have a large advantage at being able to stay in position and set up before
attackers can even peek in. However playing aggressively as a defender from A or B is almost
impossible as the attackers have the advantageous position.

A - Attack

Attacking A site is a smart move during a pistol round, as the positions that the enemy is likely
to try to defend from are very limited. With only 2 well-placed smokes, you can block off half
of the map allowing for an easy push onto site. After gaining control of the site it is crucial that
you clear heaven, as defenders travel through Heaven above A site, more often than any other
location to get to A site. Holding Ramp can be powerful, as you can see the entire width of
Heaven without moving or risking being shot from behind, but it is a small window of
opportunity, and is often the first place defenders check when attempting a retake. The best
places to plant the bomb are either on the back corner of the site, or near elbow, as they both
offer some cover, and can easily be incindiaried or have cluster grenades thrown at them to
push enemies away without a fight.

A - Defense

If the enemy has a Viper on their team that knows their stuff, they can place a toxic wall that
can remove visual ability out of both Ramp and Heaven. This can also be done with well placed
Brimstone or Omen smokes, forcing you to either push out of heaven or ramp and expose
yourself, or to sit back and allow the enemy to push onto site freely, and attempt a retake. It is
generally ideal to have one player play back in Screens behind A site, to negate this effect and
have a strong visual of the A Main crossing. This player can call out how many enemies there
are, and which direction they are headed without risking much. This ally can also take a shot
here or there, and generally is most efficient when using a Marshall on round 2 for easy picks.
The other ally does best playing aggressively at the top of A ramp, falling back to heaven when
overwhelmed or in danger. Be cautious of enemies pushing in from mid, as this player can be
an easy pick if they are not paying attention. Refer to the positioning below:
As you can see the starting position of the two defenders are the green dots. If the enemies are
pushing towards A main, the player at A ramp would fall back to A Rafters outside of Heaven.
Player 2 in screens would call out what information they can gather, in which case the player
in heaven could decide to rotate from Rafters to the lower point in heaven, peeking towards
Ramp and trying to stop the push. Falling back even further to get healed if need be, to prepare
for the retake.

B - Attack

B site is a little more tricky to get onto, however it is generally easier to hold. The corridors are
tight and the corners are sharp, allowing for easy picks on players who don’t clear rooms. The
corridor onto B site is very narrow, an ideal place for Cyphers and Razes to take advantage of
stacked enemies. Try to push in quietly, and bait out enemies' utility, while having a fixed eye
on the right side of the hallway towards the center tower, and the left side of the hallway
towards the double boxes and the wooden cabinet in the back of the site. Enemies positioned
behind the wooden cabinet are easy to pick, as they can be flushed out, and wall banged, so be
sure to fire a recon bolt or a flashpoint to check this area before moving forward with the attack.
Once on site, be sure to check the area immediately to the left of hallway, heaven, and then the
corner below heaven, as it is very easy to hide from enemies there. Once those are cleared, set
up defensively to protect the site from Defender’s spawn, Mid, and Garage. Utilize the center
pillar to play ring around the rosie with enemies to stall the point in one on one scenarios, as it
cannot be shot through and is pretty easy to hear players footsteps from a mile away on that
metallic floor.

B - Defense

B side defense is generally based around Mid control, Having 2 players watching mid from
both Mail and Vent allow for peace of mind when holding the site against Garage pushes.
Generally you want to have your strongest defensive character holding B site alone, as Mail
can always rotate to help if there is no action at Mid. Cypher and Sage can stall the enemy long
enough to allow for a rotation from your team, and Raze/Reyna can keep enemies at bay with
their utility. Brimstone is also a good choice here, as his smokes and incendiary can stop a push
in its tracks. However Brimstone usually benefits from A and Mid defense more often than not.
Be sure to have an escape plan, because B rushes hit hard and hit heavily in most cases. This
will usually result in a 1 on 4 situation. Don't take on challenges you are not calm or in a
position strong enough to defeat. Attempt to stall, and wait for backup. Fall back if you must
and allow the enemy to take the site, for a retake attempt.

CHAPTER 18

Bind Manual
Bind is one of the largest maps in the game, and often benefits players who have good accuracy,
rather than the element of surprise like Haven. Bind’s unique feature is its teleporters and
teleport stations. There is one that leads from A to B Short, and one that leads from B long to
A Lobby. These teleporters are not two way, and they are very loud, you can hear them from
anywhere on the map. Keeping your ears open for teleports is a very wise thing to do when
playing on this map. Abilities can be tossed through teleporters and land on the other side, if
positioned correctly, you can throw abilities from A port into Hookah, allowing for easy kills
or foiled plans making counter attacking Hookah easy and less risky. Bind offers a lot of fakes
and rotations to trick your opponents with. Being able to deny plants and defuses will deny
your enemies a large chunk of their credits for each round.

A - Attack
In most cases, A is the first site to be attacked, as it offers long range battles, making it easy to
collect information and test the waters before you commit to the attack, however if you are not
careful U hall can hold an enemy agent that is ready for your push through A short. Showers
and Bath allows for good site clearing before you even see Heaven, giving you a sort of
checklist to peek one area by one until you determine its clear, and then commit to peeking
Heaven to try to challenge the defender that will be there more often than not. Although
obtaining A site may not always be easy, it's important to note that it is harder to defend against
retakes, as the enemy can come from all 4 locations. This requires you to successfully defend
your areas, and constant communication with your team to ensure all enemies are accounted
for, and each location is covered. The most optimal place to plant the bomb is usually right
south of Truck, as it can be walled off by sage or smoked off for an easy plant, and a defuse
that can be much more difficult. The second most optimal location is on the South East corner
of the site, as it can be seen from Vent, Heaven, Showers, and Portal.

A - Defense

Generally A will only have 2 defenders guarding it, as it is no more difficult to defend than B
at the start of the round, but MUCH easier to retake. Enemies attacking A site will either come
from A short, or Bathrooms. When retaking the site you can rotate from Link to A Short, B
Portal to Bathrooms, or Cave to Bathrooms, Defenders Spawn to Vent or Defenders spawn to
Heaven, not to mention if you are able to take back control of U Hall, you have two additional
locations to peek site from there. Defensive positions generally are one player on U hall, or
Near the double boxes across from A Portal, which will generally be played by Razes, as they
can simply throw utility through the portal to kill enemies in Hookah, while simultaneously
defending A Short from a safe location. And Player 2 who will play Heaven. Do not be afraid
to fall back and prepare for a retake as, it has been stated before, it's easy to do comparatively
to retaking B.

B - Attack

When attacking B, you have the advantage against aggressive players in Hookah, if they peek
out, you will already be looking and aiming directly in their location, allowing for easy picks.
Try to flush out enemies that may be hiding on the left side of hookah from Mid entrance, as
peeking both the left and right side can be devastating, players can hide behind the wooden box
to the right and kill you, or if you wide peek, players located on site or in the hallway can easily
1 tap your head. Flushing the left side allows you to prefire the right without worry. It is always
best to clear the left side of the elevator and then the right side of the elevator, and then the
back hallway before pushing out of Hookah onto site. Try to time your entrance with Players
located at long, and prepare for utility and enemies to teleport into Mid. They will almost
always have the jump on you if you sit in hookah and aim towards the Teleport, as they can be
in a very wide area, half hidden behind a hard metal shooting at you, where as if you sit inside
of hookah, and wait for them to walk out of the portal all together, you will have a much easier
time cleaning up the mess. When pushing B Long, it's important to note that the enemy will be
there before you are, so be cautious peeking that corner, and be ready for a Sova arrow to try
to recon near you. Sovas generally like to play on B when on defense. When pushing into B,
make sure you have one member watching the right cubby on B site, as you cannot peek at
them until they want you to, which ends up as a death more times than not. And clear the left
side immediately following Garden, and Elbow, which many players like to hide in, as they
can line up Hookah and Gardens at the same time. When planting on B, the most optimal
location is always dead center of the southside of the Elevator, like so:

As you can see, this location can be seen from Garden/B Long, Elbow, Hookah, and in some
cases B Hall. This allows for easy ult usage and easy kills against enemies who try to defuse
it.

B - Defense
To defend B site, you will generally have 3 players. One playing aggressively B Long, and
falling back to Elbow when they need to, One playing in Hookah, and one playing behind
Elevator or in B Hall watching Hookah being prepared to rotate to A if required. Players who
play aggressively on B site MUST understand that their positioning and space is vital, and at
all costs should not be given to the enemy team for free. If you are under fire, you should fall
back immediately, the only acceptable win is if you peek, and get a 1 tap. Jiggle peeking both
Hookah and B Long can be deadly, and is almost never a good idea. Hookah can be wall
banged, and B Long usually pits you against long ranged weapons like the Guardian, Vandal,
Marshall, or Operator. Sages will usually play B hall or Elevator, allowing for easy heals when
your teammates need them most, and Walls holding enemies inside Hookah or outside of
Gardens, giving time for defenders from A site to rotate.

CHAPTER 19

Ascent Manual
Finally we have Ascent, the newest addition to the map pool in Valorant. This Manual will be
more brief as I am still studying the positives and negatives of attacking and defending each
site from different angles and perspectives. Ascent’s unique feature is its Deployable doors that
can be broken, blocking off an entrance from Catwalk/A Link at A and Mid Pizza/Market at
B. These doors cannot be deployed until 10 seconds after the round begins, and can be raised
and lowered by anyone on the Bomb site side of the door. Ascent required maximum mid
control, as all of mid is connected between A and B, holding strong at Mid can completely stop
any rotations, and cut off enemies from splitting entrances to a site. Rotating from A to B
through defender spawn is quick, allowing for fast rotations. Giving defenders an optimal
chance when playing safely. Retaking sites on Ascent is very difficult, however Retaking A is
more difficult due to its many hiding places and corners you must check.

A - Attack
When attacking A site, most players will have 1 player stay mid looking for aggressive Pizza
players, and Aggressive Catwalk players. Be sure not to stand out in the open, allowing for
easy double peeks, and putting yourself in a losing situation. Players pushing A Main must be
silent, as any noise whatsoever will cause A defenders to panic, and shut the door, and hide on
site while their teammates huddle up in heaven, and rotations begin to take place. When
pushing onto site, you should have one member stay in A main with the sole purpose of
watching heaven, to ensure no enemies peek and kill allies trying to sweep the other 10 nooks
and crannies around the unorganized A site. Generally two players will push in sweeping from
left to right, looking behind objects and eventually meeting towards hell below rafters. Only
peeking at extreme angles will allow you to see defenders tucked away on either side, ensure
this is clear before pressing onward. The most optimal place to plant the bomb that I have seen
so far is in the open in front of the center box, allowing it to be seen by players in A Main,
Heaven, and A Link.

A - Defense

When defending A site, you will want to have 2 defenders on A site, possibly one in Heaven,
and the other near door, ready to fall back behind the metallic box on the west side of the site,
or behind the center boxes, prepared to peek out and attempt to get a kill on an enemy sweeping
the site. You may also opt into having a 3rd member playing A link, peeking out Mid to play
against early round aggression at Mid Link towards B. If there is no aggression, you may push
up to try to pick an enemy at Top of Mid aiming towards Pizza. Giving you Mid control.
However if you are pushed at A, you can fall back to a corner in A Garden near Link, that
allows you to peek into the entrance of A main. Which is a fantastic defensive location in all
aspects. I highly recommend playing this strategy if you are a Phoenix player or a Reyna, as
your healing capabilities allow you to play aggressively this way, and not be punished as
heavily for it.

B - Attack

To attack B you usually require Mid control, as it is very difficult to sneak through the hallways
and push out of B Main without being punished. There are just too many stalling abilities in
the game to prevent rushes of this sort. Instead, bait out utility, and play slow, be prepared for
Omen to teleport to the right side of B main or for a Raze or Sova to throw utility through the
windows. Also note that Sage can wall on top of the boxes at B Main, allowing for a wide view
of the site, and possible picks into Market against enemies who are not prepared for this. Be
warned, Using Sage’s wall this way can be worthless, as it is the most expensive ability in the
game, and does not always give you value. Once your members assume mid control by B Link
Mid, to Pizza, you can begin pushing together onto site, as soon as you take control, shut the
door and have one member plant while the others quickly set up defense, most importantly
against defender spawn, as it is the fastest rotation on the map. The most optimal planting
location at B main has always been slightly away from the corner here:

This is the most optimal location as it can be defended from Stairs on the North side of the
shack, Walkway on the south side, both openings in B Back, and can be easily stalled with
utility and ultimates against that back wall from a safe location.

B-Defense

When defending B you will generally only have one player on site somewhere looking at B
Main at all times. This player can be on top of the barrels or right side of Defender’s side
hallway, crouched on the stairs leading to Market, close right on the walkway or hugging the
southern corner of the Shack in the center of the B. All of these are unfavorable positions as
they are hard to fall back from, or to play aggressively. Some players like to peek into B Main
and play aggressively there. However, the player with the strongest chance of survival is the
player in Market, as they can fall back easily, and are generally only there once the B site
defender calls it out, many times the Market defender is holding Mid control looking for picks
at Mid Top. If enemies take over Mid control, and are pushing into B main, the Market defender
is going to have an extremely hard time surviving, however if they are fast enough, they might
be able to sneak out through defender side hall, and back around to defender spawn to try to
regain Mid control at Pizza. Teams who cannot maintain mid control will find it very difficult
to defend their sites, and will often be required to rely on their retaking skills to come out on
top on defense.

CHAPTER 20

Gaming Etiquette

Gaming Etiquette goes hand-in-hand with being kind, and is something I wanted to touch on
heavily, because many new players and veteran players are finding that the Valorant scene can
be extremely toxic, as with any competitive game. I would like to discuss what we as a
community should and should not allow when playing the game, as in order to change the
stigma of a toxic community, we have to change the climate. What do I mean by that? If players
are being toxic, racist, or sexist, it should be the norm to call them out on their crap, and mute
them if you have to collectively as a team no matter who you play with. There will always be
toxic players, there will always be racists, and there will always be sexists, and people who
cannot handle their emotions. It’s every one of our responsibilities as players to set the tone for
each match, and to hold a standard to our fellow teammates. I find that however a game starts,
is how it is likely to play out. If you are being kind, and discussing strategies, without being
overbearing, or annoying, the rest of the team will follow. If you are in a lobby and a female
speaks up, act like it's nothing, and treat her like the rest of us. Because she is, just like the rest
of us. When matches start out, and people start making jokes, and being obnoxious, the rest of
the match always seems to play out that way. If you hear a female talking, and a teammate or
two begin harassing her, tell them that they are not being funny, and they are going to throw
the round if they don't get serious. Politely try to get the team to buckle down, and focus. If
you don't feel comfortable doing this, try to have a friend speak up for you! This goes for racism
as well. If you hear teammates saying racist things and being ignorant, don't be afraid to call
them out. Tell them that they aren’t making anyone laugh, and that they’re just making
themselves look idiotic. Your teammates love this type of stuff and 9 times out of 10 will back
you up and speak up themselves. If a teammate is continuing their toxic behavior, mute them
and report them. Riot does not tolerate racists and sexist remarks, and has a reputation for
taking action against these types of players. Remember, all of us as players set the tone each
and every match. Play and talk how you want to be remembered for playing and talking. If you
want to become a pro player, don’t mess around, take every round seriously and help those
who don’t know what they are doing, and correct those who are making the experience a
negative one for everyone else. I will always do my part to stop these types of comments when
I can. I hope you all do the same, as it can only make our community better for it.