Surprise! After a very recent closed beta test, and an even more recent open beta on console, the hardcore FPS known only as Valorant has finally launched in full on both Xbox and PlayStation. Have Riot Games hit the nail on the head as they bring this super-popular shooter to the console market, or should this one have stayed firmly in the land of PC?
Well, and without wanting to give too much away in my opening lines, given that Valorant on PC boasts impressive players numbers, you won’t be surprised to hear that Valorant on Xbox sits in the top bracket of shooters you can play today.
For the uninitiated, think of Valorant as a close cousin of Counter-Strike, and you quickly get the picture. Throw in the hero-shooter gameplay of something like Overwatch, where every ‘Agent’ has their own magical abilities that complement each other, and you the whole piece comes together.
In 5v5 gameplay, you’ll fight off in a series of Rounds, each taking just a few minutes to complete. One team will be the Attackers, who must plant a Spike (bomb) on certain areas in what is an incredibly claustrophobic map, in order to take the win for the Round. The Defenders, on the other hand, must act to defuse the planted Spike to take the dub. An additional win condition for either team in a Round is to eliminate the opposition in their entirety, at which point the killers will be victorious. Before each Round, there will be a Buy Phase in which you can pick up new weapons, restock on Abilities, and equip the most necessary item in the game – Shields.
Swap the Attack / Defense roles half-way through the match, pick up the most rounds from a best of 24 match, and congratulations – you’ve just won a game of Valorant!
With 25 Agents to take for a spin, each with their own unique abilities, there’s tons to learn when it comes to mastering Valorant. Will you find love for Agents with the Initiator role, with bespoke abilities to start off team-fights? Or perhaps the Controller class is for you, with defensive abilities to control the flow of movement throughout the match? Of course, many players will lean towards the Duelists, with powers that shine in close-quarters combat.
You’ll also need to learn the best positions in each of the maps that you can fight across; specifically the best sites to peek your enemies and crack off a couple of shots. One of the most unique elements of Valorant is the incredibly, incredibly low time-to-kill (TTK): a couple of bullets is all it takes to reduce an enemy to zero HP from their maximum, with the purchase of Shields granting you a few precious extra milliseconds. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that any noticeable lag during a game spoils Valorant, but I’ve luckily not had any major issues in this regard during my time with the game.
So, how best to graduate from Valorant school? I’d personally make use of the secondary modes that Riot offers, namely the inclusion of free-for-all (Deathmatch) and Team Deathmatch modes. Additionally, Swiftplay shortens the overall length of a Valorant game from approximately 35 minutes to around 15, with a best of 9 played out. Swiftplay is certainly my preferred way to take in Valorant, whilst the deathmatches are perfect for getting to grips with a new Agent or particular weapon.
There is, of course, the option of The Range to practise your aim. This contains a classic gun range for you to shoot targets with, the ability to spawn in bot robots to hone those headshots, and you can swap weapons and Agents to try out new Abilities. The Range certainly does the job, but more determined players will probably find it a bit lacklustre – the likes of the free-to-play Aimlabs is much better suited. You’ll also struggle to find a decent option for creating Custom Games – whilst you can play with a party online in your own custom matches, you are currently unable to add in bots or change much of the vanilla gameplay when doing so.
And then we turn to Competitive – the ranked arm of Valorant’s gameplay in which you slowly crawl up the ladder. Games here are exactly the same as those seen in Unrated (AKA unranked), albeit with a greater intensity on behalf of the players. If the upper-echelon of sweat-fests is what you look for, then you’ll certainly find it in Valorant’s Competitive mode!
Riot Games – those behind the similarly competitive League of Legends – have decided to go down the free-to-play route with Valorant on console. Instead of charging a one-time fee for gaining access to all your Agents, you’ll instead have to grind out Agent Unlock tokens in order to slowly grow your roster. Of course, there will be a few Agents granted to you immediately, and you’ll have the choice to either unlock the others through grinding out matches, or you can of course get your wallet out and pay up.
Additionally, you may choose to swag out your guns, Agents and profile with a range of cosmetics, which can be purchased in the Shop, or accessed through a Premium Battle Pass. The latter is your standard fare – 50 levels of cosmetics that can be attained through regular gameplay, as well as the completion of Daily Missions. Generally, the cosmetic options you have to choose from, should you pick them up via the Shop or Battle Pass, are fine – nothing to write home about, but perhaps a skin for your favourite weapon may tempt you.
Riot’s audio team must surely be in the running for a promotion this summer, as the sound design for Valorant is truly second-to-none when it comes to the FPS genre. In a game where a single wrong move can lead to your untimely death, keeping track of enemy footsteps and gunshots is crucial. Luckily, the audio team has put in a stellar job, ensuring that you are always aware where incoming foes are, how close they may be, and if they are wrapped up in another firefight. I wouldn’t recommend it, but you could play Valorant with your eyes closed and be pretty confident of your enemy positions at all times.
For all the goodness to be found in Valorant – and trust me, there’s a lot – remember one key piece of advice. The gameplay on offer here is hardcore, with little in the way of assistance that is made. Take just one or two shots to the head, and you’ll go down, forced to wait until the next round to put things right. Granted, as is the norm console players are afforded a touch of aim assist for their troubles – the key reason Riot refuse to allow PC and console players to matchmake together, for reasons of ‘competitive integrity’ – but I don’t blame many for being turned off by Valorant’s steep learning curve. I can’t stress just how brutal Valorant is – expect to go many games without even registering a Round win or even a single kill. Intense knowledge of the maps and weapons, as well as precise aiming, is not just recommended but a necessity if you are to get any enjoyment from Valorant.
That being said, dedicate time to mastering the abilities of your favourite Agents, learn the callouts for each map, and get your aim down to a T, and Valorant may quickly become your next major gaming addiction.
