Valorant
Valorant Pro Settings, Gear List, Top Players and Teams
In the online battle royale genre, Valorant is the name that is one of the most popular first-person shooters. Valorant allows its player to choose between many characters, termed ‘Agents,’ each having a different backstory, with strengths and weaknesses.
The players can choose from many game modes as part of a team and dominate the map. They can utilize their character’s many abilities, as well as the standard weapons that are part of the FPS battle games.
Valorant has been a massive success in the online gaming community, competing with many of the established players in the segment.
While there are no public figures regarding the earnings of Valorant in the market, RIOT Games – the developer & publisher of the game, reportedly made over 18 million USD just from Valorant Champions Skins.
And it needs to be noted that the game is completely free-to-play for everyone. RIOT Games have also announced a plan to release a mobile-based game under the same title, but nothing concrete is in play yet.
During the game’s development, the developers heavily drew inspiration from Counter-Strike, a legacy FPS franchise.
Valorant Overview
| Genre | First-person hero shooter |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
| Developer | RIOT Games |
| Platform | Microsoft Windows |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| First Release | June 2, 2020 |
Ratings
| Metacritic | 80/100 |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10 |
| GameSpot | 7/10 |
| IGN | 9/10 |
| The Guardian | 4 Stars |
Most Popular Valorant Players
Most popular Valorant Teams
Settings of Most Popular Fortnite Players
Valorant Game Modes
| Spike Defusal | Spike Defusal, or Plant/defuse game mode, as it is more commonly known as is the most popular game mode offered in the game. So, while there are many variants to this game mode, the core of the mode is the same. There are two opposing teams, aptly named attackers and defenders, in this game. The attacking team is responsible for planting the spike, whereas the defenders have to prevent the denotation – that’s it. Teams switch sides after a certain number of rounds. |
| Unrated | Unrated is the standard variant of the Spike Defusal mode, with the same objective. Two 5-player teams compete with each other over supremacy over the map. It is a 24-round match, with teams switching sides after the 12th round. The first team to collect 13 points wins the match. In the case of a 12-12 tie, the match ends in a draw with no tiebreaker. |
| Competitive | Competitive is the ranked version of the Spike Defusal game mode. As with Unrated, both teams compete to get to the 13 points first. With a 12-12 tie, the match goes into overtime, where the first team to get a 2-point lead wins. Also, the players compete for rank. |
| Replication | In Replication, all the players of the team have to play as the same agent. It is something that is true for both sides. Now the selection of the agent is made by a voting process where all the players vote for their preferred choice, and then the game randomly picks one. Besides that, the round is pretty similar to the unrated Spike Defusal mode. |
| Spike Rush | In Spike Rush, the players from both teams start the round with random weapons. There are orbs spread around the map that players can collect, which will provide them or their teammates with buffs. Also, one can find debuffs on these orbs that will affect enemy players. |
| Deathmatch | Deathmatch is different from the standard team v team matches that are standard in Valorant. It is a 12-player free-for-all combat with the first player getting to the 40 kills or at least having the highest kill count at the end of the round, winning the match. The player can equip the weapons of their choice. However, their abilities are deactivated in this mode. The players have infinite respawn in this mode and will respawn after a short waiting period. |
| Escalation | Escalation is another variant of the Deathmatch game mode with one huge difference. The players compete in teams. It is a 5v5 team deathmatch, with the team getting to the 12 points first or staying ahead at the end of the round, winning the match. The players have to use random weapons assigned in every round. |
| Snowball Fight | The name of the round is a clear indication of the game. It is a team deathmatch variant, with the players only having access to the Snowball Launcher. The first team that collectively kills fifty opponent players wins the round. |
Maps
| Bind | Bind has two site maps, aptly termed A & B, for the gamers to play in. The distinguishable thing about the map is the teleporters that are present for use. The rotational doors also give ample opportunity for players to gain an advantage. It is a relatively smaller map. |
| Ascent | It is a simple but, at the same time, expansive location for the playthrough. On Ascent, one will find that the doors have automatic features. It is a more traditional FPS game map that one will find in Valorant. |
| Breeze | It is one of the most challenging maps in the game. Based on a tropical island, the map is split in the mid-area, which only adds to the challenge. It has everything from open areas to long alleys and more for gamers to enjoy. |
| Fracture | Fracture has a puzzling layout that does leave even experienced players scratching their heads. It is an H-shaped area that requires players to evolve new strategies to have any hope of success. |
| Haven | It is a complicated map with a triple layout that can be hard for players to get familiar with quickly. It is also one of the newest maps added to the game. |
| Pearl | Pearl is based on a utopian city that is encased in glass, which certainly gives it attractive gameplay. Many chokepoints are there on the map, which surely makes the gameplay a lot more interesting. |
| Tundra | It is a cold location that is sure to punish players for making even a slight mistake. It has many excellent spots for close-range combats but also numerous choke points that would be great for long-range shootings. |
Valorant Characters
These characters are called ‘Agents’ and have unique skills and abilities with excellent backstories.
- Astra
- Breach
- Brimstone
- Chamber
- Cypher
- Jett
- KAY/O
- Killjoy
- Neon
- Omen
- Phoenix
- Raze
- Reyna
- Sage
- Skye
- Sova
- Viper
- Yoru
Esports
- Valorant has a massive presence in the eSports market. RIOT Games regularly organize VCT (Valorant Champion Tour) with millions in the prize pool. It is a year-long competition.
- The 2021 Valorant Champions was hosted in Berlin.
Achievements
- Nominated at BAFTA Awards 2021 for “Best Multiplayer”
- Nominated at the 2021 BAFTA Awards for “EE Game of the Year”
- Nominee at NAVGTR for “Game Design, New IP”
- Nominated at The Game Awards 2021 for the “Esports Game of the Year”
- Nominee for the award of “Best Community Support” at The Game Awards 2020
- 2020 Nominee for “Best Multiplayer Game” at The Game Award
- Nominee for “Esports Game of the Year” at the 2020 Game Awards
Trivia
- A special feature is introduced in the game, which reduces the in-game earnings to half when the game is played for 3 hours a day. This is only China-specific.
Valorant System Requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7 – 64 bits | Windows 7/8/10 – 64 bits |
| CPU | Inter Core 2 Duo E8400 Athlon200GE | Intel i3-4150 Ryzen 3 1200 |
| GPU | Intel HD 4000 Radeon R5 200 | GeForce GT 730 Radeon R7 240 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| VRAM | 1 GB | 1 GB |
