In this inspirational metling pot, Riot Games draws heavily on the source of first-person shooters that hit the mark. And this is a great strength for Valorant: having the gift of bringing together all the communities in addition to the curious or newbies who have never touched an elitist FPS. However, not everyone will hang on to the difficulty, the discipline, the delay to catch up on the economic knowledge present to manage their equipment and their spells, not to mention the graphic bias at the antipodes of current e-sports FPS like Rainbow. Six Siege, Call of Duty and Counter Strike Global Offensive. We take the best and make it better; or at least, we appropriate it by remodeling it, because as Lavoisier said: nothing is lost or nothing is created, everything is transformed. In order to appeal to as many people as possible, and why not see further on television broadcasts or planetary events, Valorant dusts off the concept of Good and Evil, of these nice policemen and naughty terrorists. Offering a realistic rendering is for some the basics for buying a game, since it makes the immersion stronger. For others, it is an irremovable brake that prevents uniqueness. In order not to offend institutions that take a dim view of these shooting games, attack and defense are introduced. Not to recall dark times in history, the attack will plant a spike in an area provided for this purpose. The war with the Famas or the AK-47 turns into a fight with the Phantom and the Operator, which is much softer but just as powerful to the ear. The GIGN and other extremist groups are not welcome, since we now have agents with abilities and powers specific to each. And it is precisely on this last point that Valorant stands out the most from its main inspiration: spells.
IT'S IN THE OLD POTS...
The Russian agent Sova who is king of information by interposed arrow, the American Brimstone and his smoke bombs to control the map, the Brazilian Raze who has explosives and a small lethal robot, Sage who blocks access and revives her allies , here is a jumble of agents offered by Riot Games, with the real desire to create balanced classes and teams that do not only have assassins under their thumb. Here, you will have the choice between 10 agents who fall into specific categories: duelists, controller, initiator or sentry. If you want to blind your opponents with what looks most like flash grenades, you will have to play Breach or Phoenix for example, but if you are more on a defensive and tricky style, it is Cypher that you will have to master. If the majority of spells are purchased during the purchase phase, there is the Ultimate spell (one per agent) which is obtained differently. You will either have to make eliminations, or plant the spike, or defuse it, or take an orb that is on the map or lose the round.
If you wanted to mix skills and invent the perfect character, know that it is impossible. At no time will you be able to stun your opponents with Omen, you will never be able to teleport to a safe place with Cypher and it is a real strength to combine this RPG side with such accuracy with a style of play that dates back more 20 years old. Everyone will quickly find their favorite character because we are not all kings of 1v1 and extreme shifts with a “one bullet, one death” modjo. By choosing your agent intelligently, you will always have the feeling of being useful to your team and of being part of the collective. Proper management of your spells is just as important. And that's where real work is needed because almost all skills have an animation of handling, using and regaining control of the weapon. Suffice to say that the habit of other FPS is felt regularly when a duel is lost during the use of an orb of slowness for example. It may not seem like it, but the “no 1v1 spell” rule will be your best friend. However, the more you play, the more you will understand the mechanics of this tactical FPS and the more you will also understand that your ability to win your duels is just as important, if not more, than the right choice of the agent in question. The limit between the world of the average player who wants to have fun and that of the good player is drawn from there.
TRY HARD ONLY
And this is also the most regrettable point when we talk about Valorant. When the meme of “it's very CS anyway” turns into “it's too CS” and we forget to play with the strengths of the title because it is not necessary. Yes it is essential to have a "smoker" to break the enemy lines of sight with a smoke, especially when a sniper awaits you in defense on the long C of Haven, or when the height of the point B of Bind represents a constant threat when you attack. Yes, a Sova raptor drone is expensive in credit but allows you to hold the information and position of your opponents, and since knowledge is power, you have a huge chance of winning your duel or helping a member of your team. But if the person in front of you has already played Counter Strike, as long as it is good, you can say goodbye to all this logic. Many CS players have given their opinion and KennyS, emblematic CS player at G2, finds the game certainly fun but mechanically not difficult to learn, with maps that are not worked out enough for his taste. It even reminds him why he appreciates Counter Strike even more! Valorant does not put the FPS world back on the same starting line. If it was a marathon, the old folks would already be sipping a cocktail while the newbies would be at the end of their lives at the first bend. Fortunately, the competitive mode is present to make you play with opponents within your reach because in the fast game, you can very quickly sink into the madness of frustration.
BETTER TO BE BADLY ACCOMPANIED THAN SOLO
You guessed it, Valorant is played with friends in 5v5 but above all by seeking balance over confrontations. And it's when everyone has the same level that we really have fun. This time it doesn't matter whether you are a neophyte or an expert, the pleasure and the learning curve are palpable for the salvation of our minds. And it starts in game when you're Clutch, with a huge banner that appears on screen when you do a genius move that saves the team alone, not to mention the so satisfying sound of a headshot that goes up crescendo over the eliminations, until the orgasmic Ace. From Iron 1 to Valorant, each game is different, each composition finds its strong point and its weak point in attack as in defense, we learn the rotations, we discover a whole ecosystem and a META which evolves day after day because nothing is set in stone today. After the team composition, comes the management of the economy which will force your spell and weapon purchases. To win 13 rounds, you will do 12 rounds in attack or defense, then switch roles during the thirteenth.
Each round 1 and 13 are 800 credit rounds that require you to buy pistols, a small armor pack and a spell, again it depends on each person's strategy as well as their agent because there are not necessarily spells useful in those famous "gun rounds". When you lose, all players earn 1 credits plus a bonus for each kill as well as a point for the ultimate spell. If you lose twice in a row there is a bonus of 900 credits, and yet another from 500 consecutive defeats bringing the maximum credits to €3. For the attack, we are talking about 2900 credits when the spike is planted and 300 when the round is won. Even if you haven't done Maths Sup, you will quickly realize that the economy is an essential concept that you will have to grasp in order not to be broke several rounds in a row, since everything has a price! Spells can be worth 3000 to 100 credits, decent weapons can start at 400 with a Specter and finish with a bang with the Operator at 1, but roughly speaking, we can estimate that on average to make a good round armed, a player needs 600 credits all included (shield, weapon and spells). So for those who still want to have a Bulldog in their hands, you will have to know how to put your pleasure aside and play round 4 with a Classic pistol for the good of the team.
ARMED AND READY!
For a shooter, the feeling of the weapons is essential. As it is not possible to take an M16 for example, the substitutes offered by Riot Games are called Vandal, Marshall, Sheriff, Guardian and other names that are quite sweet to the ear. We will obviously go through the spectrum of handguns, shotguns, submachine guns, automatic or semi-automatic rifles, snipers and heavy weapons. The ballistics will of course differ on the damage, the rate of fire, the perforation of the decoration but also the distance. Hence the debate that currently arises between a Vandal head that instantly eliminates an opponent regardless of the distance, or a Phantom that will shoot faster but not "one shot" from a certain distance. Despite a fairly extensive panel of weapons, the two mentioned one line above are 99% popular when the economy is in good shape. The flagship but very expensive Operator sniper can be a good alternative but not necessarily popular with ordinary mortals since its reload time after firing is excessively long and also requires good positioning and good aiming. Another specificity to note concerns the recoil of weapons which is specific to each one. It's a unique pattern that must be learned in order to perform at its best when taking on a dragging duel. Very good point also if you want to practice or warm up, the training mode is very well done. With dummies that pop at will to improve your accuracy and responsiveness, a target that you can move away to directly see the spray of your weapons, not to mention a robot that will write above its head the damage inflicted, you will have also the possibility of testing the spells of your agents upstream in order to be ready when the game starts.
THREE FINAL DESTINATIONS
For the moment, three cards are available: Blind, Split and Haven. Each has its very specific universe and its own way of being approached according to the offensive or the defensive. Only common point: two orbs present which can be recovered to increase by one point the ultimate fate of the character who recovers it. Blind takes place in Morocco, we imagine the map representing agent Cypher, with two points A and B where the spike can be planted. Very Arabic architecture, shower with tiles and the atmosphere of hammams without forgetting the shisha corner, the ocher and warm colors manage to mix perfectly with the futuristic side of the cargo ship which is right in the middle of B, the laboratory and the antennas which parasitize the decor. Ultra important aspect of this map, two teleporters are present and allow you to move instantly from one specific point to another, immutable points in terms of position. Only downside: the whole world knows you're taking the TP because he's making a hell of a racket. Suddenly, bye bye surprise effect but faster and more efficient rotation. Moreover, you will not be able to take them in any direction: a dedicated input and output, that's all.
Split is also played on two points but has less possible path if you want to access site A or B. No teleporter for this very urban Japanese map but cords with which you can climb and access certain areas more quickly avoiding doing an ultra long rotation from the respawn points. The real war is in the middle of Split, an area with very high risks but very big rewards if the skirmishes are won because it is the nerve center of the rotations of the map. With much closer fights, you will have to be reactive because the head can connect at any time. And finally Haven, we again have a connotation of the Japanese archipelago but much more anchored in the traditional with cherry blossoms, toriis, dwellings with the architecture of ancient times and choices much softer to the eye. when it comes to colors. As you have to differentiate yourself again, it is the only one to have 3 sites to deposit the spike as well as "destructible" decorative elements such as the double door next to point B which is shielded by a layer which disappears after several bursts on it . Each of them has its own way of being played, with advantageous smoke strikes on specific places, Cypher's tripwires to block a point on its own and to have the information with its spy camera even if, in terms of composition, Cypher, Brimstone and Sage seem to be indestructible. We are obviously counting on Riot Games to add lore, other agents/cards, and why not even new classes as the game develops and the competitive scene develops.
