You've Been Playing These Valorant Agents All Wrong

In the world of Valorant, following a transformative event called First Light, select people have gained certain powers as a result. Agents are among these new Radiants, but not every agent's powers are the same. Each character in this tactical shooter is geared to a different playing style and strength, so the one that works for you may not be the right pick for others. However, you definitely want to leverage your agent's strength as much as possible, especially since you'll be going into the combat zone with four other teammates.

There are currently 12 Agents in Valorant spread out over four classes: Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel. Each Agent has an ultimate ability that charges over time, one that operates on a cooldown, and secondary abilities that can also be purchased. But if you're not taking advantage of your Agent's skills in the right way, you might not be making use of the best strategies.

Here's how you've been playing these Valorant Agents all wrong.

Sage, a necessary part of any team, is often utilized as a defensive support character — for instance, you can count on her to help heal and resurrect others, which is a huge asset. And her Barrier Orb is fantastic for briefly walling off enemies. But using the wall for a cheap, one-off triumph may actually hinder, not help, your suddenly trapped or choked-off teammates.

Instead, you should communicate with your team to figure out where the wall is best utilized and make the use of the Barrier Orb part of your overall strategy. Use your Slow Orbs instead when you're just trying to get away from an enemy. Using the Slows can also also give you a little extra time to figure out the best placement of the barrier so that it's not wasted.

Maximize your angles, consider the map, and make sure you're not blocking off the routes you and your group need to take. The Barrier Orb can actually be a great offensive tool as well, so using it with some forethought can definitely make your outcome more positive.

Of course, players will also have to see how things will change once the next Valorant patch comes out on Aug. 20, 2020. Sage has been nerfed numerous times already, and it looks like the next patch will try to balance her character out once again.

The new Sentinel Agent, Killjoy, has four major abilities: Turret, Nanoswarm, Alarmbot, and Lockdown. She's a defensive star, as her moves not only pair well with other players, but work well together themselves, too. For example, you can use the Alarmbot with the Nanoswarm grenade to mete out some major damage. The targeted player will actually take two times the damage from the mix of the Alarmbot's ability to follow and track the enemy, giving the player a double-damage vulnerability. Then the nanobots can finish off the job. Additionally, you can use the Turret with the Nanoswarm grenade. Use the Turret to detect enemies, then pop off the grenade when you know someone is coming.

Killjoy's talents also work well with those of other players. Use Sage's Barrier Orb to put up a wall, then stick a Turret nearby to pick off incoming opponents. Or pair Cypher and Killjoy to create a defensive powerhouse. You could put them both together to guard a captured area, or leave one behind to hold it while the other protects your squad elsewhere.

Although Killjoy is new to the mix, she's causing some controversy already. Riot Games has even asked that she not be playable at all Valorant tournaments until they can make sure of her "stability." Players dislike her because she depends on her abilities to get kills, rather than gameplay. It remains to be seen if Riot will change her in the next update.