Riot's latest game, Valorant, is slowly taking the world by storm with many of the top streamers on Twitch falling in love with the new competitive title. The game, on a surface level, mixes the precise shooting mechanics synonymous with the Counter-Strike series and fuses them with character-specific abilities similar to that of Overwatch or Rainbow Six: Siege. Initially, Valorant launched with ten agents but has since expanded the roster to a whopping 16.
There are four distinct agent roles: Controller, Duelist, Initiator, and Sentinel. Controllers work well at manipulating the map; Duelists operate as the high-octane offensive threat hunting for kills; Initiators excel at pushing back enemy forces around corners; and, Sentinels are pure defenders and look to possibly offer healing support. Each agent sports one Signature Ability that they're allowed to use for free each round, but also a powerful Ultimate that can change the battlefield in an instance. With that said, let's rank the best overall characters in Valorant.
Updated August 30, 2021, by Avery Lawrence Feyrer: Since the posting of this article, Riot has added more agents to the game that have impacted the rankings. The developer has also added two maps, which change how certain agents are viewed or others. Each agent's abilities and description have also been added to each section.
10 Viper
Role |
Controller |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Snake Bite: Launches chemical vial filled with acid that creates a pool; damages and causes Vulnerable |
Basic Ability 2 |
Poison Cloud: Throws an emitter that releases a toxic gas cloud |
Signature Ability |
Toxic Screen: Launches a giant wall of toxic gas that causes Decay if crossed |
Ultimate |
Viper's Pit: Envelopes a wide area of Viper's toxin, reducing enemy vision and health |
Since Valorant's release, Viper has seen considerable growth as a character. Once a laughing stock, the American agent's abilities have been tweaked to cause severe pain for would-be defusers. Viper excels in the Controller role, being able to slice up parts of the map with her Toxic Screen.
While she is a bit more situational than other agents, the majority of agents only work well in certain situations. Viper's more than capable of defending a bomb site herself, and with her fast-acting Snake Bite acid pods, she can delay a potential spike defuser effectively. Her Viper's Pit Ultimate Ability can be deployed on either offense or defense, making it a handy ability to have.
9 Omen
Role |
Controller |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Shrouded Step: Can teleport a short distance away |
Basic Ability 2 |
Paranoia: Throws an orb that blinds and deafens anyone it crosses |
Signature Ability |
Dark Cover: Throws dark balls of shadow to cloud vision |
Ultimate |
From the Shadows: Allows Omen to teleport anywhere on the map; can cancel the teleportation to remain in his current location |
The mysterious Omen can be quite powerful when controlled by professionals, but can also be difficult to master. He's a defensive specialist who is great at misdirection and causing confusion. His teleporting abilities lend themselves to some impressive highlight plays, but more often than not the average player ends up sending themselves to their own grave.
A good Omen can psychologically damage opponents with his Paranoia and Ultimate From the Shadows. When Omen announces his using his Ultimate, the map gets engulfed in darkness and fear quickly sinks in as to where the agent teleported to. Omen is extremely talented in being able to deploy covers anywhere on the map, and his teleportation abilities allow for possible flanking maneuvers.
8 Killjoy
Role |
Sentinel |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Alarmbot: Deploys a bot that explodes and applies Vulnerable to enemies that get within range |
Basic Ability 2 |
Nanoswarm: Fires a grenade that goes covert until activated to deploy a damaging swarm of nanobots |
Signature Ability |
Turret: Deploys a turret that automatically fires at enemies |
Ultimate |
Lockdown: Deploys device that emits a wide radius that Detains enemies, if caught inside of it after 13 seconds |
Killjoy is one of the best defensive agents in Valorant. As a Sentinel, Killjoy excels in providing defensive support, even on the attacking team. Because of her Alarmbot, the German agent can cover any flanking angles with her device and alert her of unsuspecting enemies. On top of that, her Turret can cause more confusion in a firefight, locking on immediately to the opposing team. Don't underestimate the power of the Turret; it has perfect aim and staggers you if hit, so be sure to eliminate it once you see it.
Similar to Viper's acid, Killjoy's Nanoswarm is an effective way to push would be spike defusers away. The bonus of her grenades is she can set them up to be detonated at a later time and can activate them from a safe distance, as long as her general viewpoint is in line with the grenade. Lockdown deploys a widespread dome that will detain enemies caught inside of it after 13 seconds; a great way to push off defenders to plant the spike or move onto a site to defuse.
7 Sova
Role |
Initiator |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Owl Drone: Deploys drone for up to ten seconds that can shoot a dart that reveals an enemy's location |
Basic Ability 2 |
Shock Bolt: Can fire two electric bolts with a decent spread for splash damage |
Signature Ability |
Recon Bolt |
Ultimate |
Hunter's Fury |
Sova is a unique agent in the sense that he operates well as both an Initiator and Controller. Hailing from Mother Russia, Sova's abilities allow him to safely check corners for hidden enemies and also wider recon capabilities if used properly. For his native Initiator role, Sova's Owl Drone can fly around corners for up to ten seconds and can fire a recon dart into an enemy to pulse their location. Sova's drone can get shot down before the ten seconds, and they can also remove the dart, but even if the enemy shoots down his drone their location will still be revealed.
The reason why Sova can also function as a poor man's Controller is his Recon Bolt. Right when the round begins, it's crucial to use Sova's Recon Bolt almost immediately for several reasons. First, if Sova's bolt lands in an area of the map the enemy team is located, it'll either detect their presence or the bolt will get shot, also revealing their location. The other reason is its cooldown. Sova can reuse his Recon Bolt after 40 seconds, so if the round lasts long enough, having a second use of his Signature Ability might come in handy.
6 Phoenix
Role |
Duelist |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Blaze: Summons a flame wall that damages players crossing and also heals Phoenix |
Basic Ability |
Curveball: Throws a flare that can curve around corners to blind agents |
Signature Ability |
Hot Hands: Throws a fireball that creates a pool of flames and can also heal Phoenix |
Ultimate |
Run It Back: Phoenix creates a flame doppelganger of himself, allowing him to take down other agents or interact with the spike for ten seconds |
Any time a character can heal themselves it makes them a tough out for the opponent. They may not be as valuable as a general team healer, but that doesn't mean any player using Phoenix should be overlooked or dismissed.
By using either his Blaze firewall or Hot Hands grenade, Phoenix can cause damage or heal himself in the heat of the flames. His flash grenade ability Curveball can be devastating for enemies who enjoy peeking corners. Just make sure you don't blind your teammates in the process.
5 Reyna
Role |
Duelist |
---|---|
Basic Ability |
Leer: Throws floating eyeball to blind the opposing team |
Signature Ability 1 |
Devour: After an enemy agent dies, Reyna can absorb the leftover Soul Orb to restore lost health and shield |
Signature Ability 2 |
Dismiss: After an enemy agent dies, Reyna can consume the leftover Soul Orb to become invulnerable briefly |
Ultimate |
Empress: Reyna enters a crazed state with faster reload speeds and increased firing; she's also able to consume an unlimited amount of Soul Orbs |
For players strictly looking to hunt for kills, Reyna is the ultimate duelist. Her Leer ability blinds the opposing team with a floating eyeball, leaving them vulnerable as they shoot it down. After an enemy agent dies, they leave a purple soul orb behind for three seconds that Reyna can either Devour it to restore lost health and shield or turn invulnerable briefly with Dismiss.
When Reyna activates Empress, she turns into a killing machine. The Mexican queen becomes supercharged with increased firing and reload speed, along with the unlimited ability to consume Soul Orbs. Reyna is a tricky agent to play and solely relies on your ability to get kills.
4 Yoru
Role |
Duelist |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Fakeout: Deploys fake footsteps to confuse the enemy |
Basic Ability 2 |
Blindside: Throws flash bomb that can ricochet off walls |
Signature Ability |
Gatecrash: Throws a floating orb that Yoru can teleport to |
Ultimate |
Dimensional Drift: Yoru can shift between dimensions and appear in another location |
One of the agents added after Valorant's release, Yoru has a nasty way of causing chaos for the opposing team. Classified as a Duelist, Yoru can push hard onto a bomb site with his Blindside flash ability or sneak around with Gatecrash. He can further create confusion by deploying an echo that mimics footsteps.
Yoru's Ultimate, Dimensional Drift, allows the Japanese agent to slip in between dimensions to travel to another location. This comes extremely handy to either escape a sticky situation or possibly flank the opposing team. Because of his crafty abilities, Yoru can be an absolute pain to play against or a reliable ally.
3 Raze
Role |
Duelist |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Boom Bot: Deploys a bot that will bounce off walls until it detects a target and speeds toward them to explode |
Basic Ability 2 |
Blast Pack: Throws a backpack that will detonate, launching Raze forward |
Signature Ability |
Paint Shells: Fires a cluster grenade that creates one large explosion followed by smaller explosions |
Ultimate |
Showstopper: Raze equips a rocket launcher that causes massive damage upon impact |
Raze happens to be the pure damage dealer among the agents. Many players would assume her Boom Bot is useless as it takes little damage to destroy it, but that fire of a gun will reveal the enemy's location. Pairing this with her Paint Shell cluster grenades means the player will either have to relocate or hope they live through the burst of damage.
Her Blast Pack gives Raze solid mobility, especially with her Showstopper activated. Being able to quickly get in the face of enemies with a rocket launcher equipped is a sure-fire way to deal some series of damage. Her strengths lay in punishing enemy players who are out of position and generally zoning the enemy out of certain areas.
2 Kay/O
Role |
Initiator |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
FRAG/ment: Throws a grenade that explodes multiple times sticking to the floor |
Basic Ability 2 |
FLASH/drive: Throws a flash grenade that blinds anyone in sight |
Signature Ability |
ZERO/point: Throws a blade that suppresses anyone within its range |
Ultimate |
NULL/cmd: Kay/O pulses radianite energy that suppresses enemies that come within range; Kay/O can be revived if downed when activated |
The latest agent added to Valorant was the machine Kay/O. Coming from an alternate timeline, this knock-off Terminator can cause opposing teams headaches. Not only does Kay/O's ZERO/point blade suppress enemies and render their abilities useless, but it also identifies their location. If used properly, his suppression blade can be a heavy factor in a team's success.
Kay/O's grenade and flash-bang are fairly comparable to other abilities of that type. His Ultimate NULL/cmd doesn't operate completely as a self-revive but does keep Kay/O from being fully taken out of the game in case an ally can bring him back online.
1 Sage
Role |
Sentinel |
---|---|
Basic Ability 1 |
Barrier Orb: Summons an ice wall that can block entries |
Basic Ability 2 |
Slow Orb: Throws an orb that creates an ice field that slows enemy agents walking across it |
Signature Ability |
Healing Orb: Able to heal herself or other teammates |
Ultimate |
Resurrection: Can revive a teammate with full health |
Most players would consider Sage to be the best and most powerful agent in Valorant. She has a collection of abilities that can turn the tide of battle when controlled by a skilled and confident teammate. The assumption is that support characters often come second to damage-oriented ones, but Sage proves that whole line of thinking wrong.
She can heal teammates, create barriers, slow opponents, and even resurrect fallen teammates with her ultimate. A skilled Sage player can hold off an entire team given the right circumstances. Most teams can find success without one of the top-rated agents, but not having a Sage on the team can be a missed opportunity. If there's one agent that's as close to a must-have, it's the Sentinel healer Sage.