Valorant offers you tactical 5v5 battles with unique heroes. But what do you need to consider to be successful right from the start? Find out in our tips for an optimal game start.

What are the basics of Valorant? Valorant plays like a mix of Counter-Strike and Overwatch. The abilities here, however, are not as strong as in Overwatch, and kills are primarily achieved with weapons, like in Counter-Strike. The key fundamentals of the game are as follows:

• Each team has 5 players, you can choose from 10 heroes (agents), but only one hero of the same type can be on each team. You can find out which agents are particularly strong here in the tier ranking.
• A match is considered won when a team has won 13 rounds. A maximum of 25 rounds are played.
• One team plays as attackers, the other as defenders. The attackers must plant a bomb (Spike) at one of several strategic points and defend it until it detonates. The defenders must prevent this by defusing the bomb.
• There are no respawns in the game; if one team is completely taken out, the other team wins the round. Some agents, like Sage and Phoenix, have limited respawn skills.
• There are no weapons to be found in the game itself; you start only with a pistol and an initial skill of your agent. If you want more weapons and skills, you can buy them at the beginning of each round. Credits are earned for finishing a round, kills, or actions with the Spikes.

12 useful tips for success in Valorant

Once you know the basics of Valorant, here are some additional tips that should give you an advantage.

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Tip 1 – Don’t run constantly

Here’s why running is often a bad idea: When you move in Valorant, you automatically run. This is fast, but it has two disadvantages:

• You can aim worse while running
• You make a lot of noise and opponents can hear you.

The noise you cause is indicated on the minimap by a white circle around your character. In this radius, they can hear you and ambush you.

Therefore, you should almost always sneak around while holding the Shift key. Then nobody hears you, and you can aim more precisely.

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You should only run when necessary. So if you really need to defuse the bomb quickly, the opponent already knows about it, or you are sure that there are no enemies around.

If you want to practice your movement, you could also try your hand at the secret jumping puzzle in the training level.

Tip 2 – Don’t shoot while walking

Here’s why walking and shooting is a bad idea: If you are used to fast skirmishes and wild shooting from the hip, you need to make a proper adjustment in Valorant. Shooting while running is rarely a good idea as your accuracy decreases significantly, and you will likely shoot way off target.

So stand still and crouch ideally before firing. The weapons in Valorant are then extremely precise, and with a few well-aimed shots, you can often quickly decide a skirmish.

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It’s also worth it to move slowly and not run, as your accuracy is much greater then, which you can also see in the expanding and contracting crosshair. The tighter it is, the more precise your shots are.

Don’t forget to adjust the settings to your needs. Pro player shroud has a useful setup on how to adjust the crosshair.

Tip 3 – Buy wisely and don’t spend all credits at once

Here’s how to buy correctly: It is tempting to spend all your money at the start of the round. But please don’t do that! It isn’t helpful if you are the only one with a big gun while the team barely has more than a pistol.

So pay attention to your teammates and buy gear that matches their equipment. It might also be advisable in some rounds to save first and make do with lesser gear.

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Make sure to check out our guide on shopping, where you’ll find more useful information on the shopping system in Valorant.

Tip 4 – Don’t forget to buy shields (armor)

Here’s why shields are important: A shield protects you from 50% of incoming damage and gives you some extra hit points. However, you will still take damage to your health, as only half is absorbed. These armors can be a strong ally, but they don’t completely protect you from damage.

So during rounds when you fully gear up, definitely spend some money on armor and don’t invest everything in weapons. The biggest gun won’t help you if you go down in the first skirmish.

Tip 5 – Always aim for the head

Here’s why you should always aim up: Headshots are extremely deadly in Valorant and can quickly kill even armored opponents. To avoid having to aim frantically every time, you should always keep the weapon at the height where the heads of your opponents are likely to appear in a skirmish. This way, you can react faster and outpace your enemy.

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Tip 6 – Pay attention to the opponents’ money

Here’s how you can see how much money the opponent has: When you look at the scoreboard, you can see how many creds the opposing players have. This gives you a rough overview of how well equipped they are. If the opponent is spending all their money, you have to expect strong enemies with top gear.

If they are being frugal, then they either already have a good loadout or want to save money in this round. Adjust your tactics and purchasing behavior accordingly.

Tip 7 – You don’t have to defuse the whole bomb at once

Here’s how the bomb works: The Spike (that’s the official name for the bomb) takes 4 seconds to be planted. However, defusing it takes 7 seconds, almost twice as long. During that time, you are vulnerable and an easy target. But fortunately, you don’t have to defuse the entire bomb at once.

It is sufficient to defuse it for 4 seconds; then those 4 seconds are secured and cannot be taken away. You can finish the rest of the defusal time later or leave it to a teammate.

If you are carrying the bomb yourself, please don’t make the same mistake described in this article:

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Tip 8 – Pay attention to your ultimate

Here’s how the ultimate ability works: Keep in mind that you cannot buy your ultimate ability (Ultimate). Instead, it charges up during gameplay. And it is charged through:

• Kills
• Blue orbs that you can collect
• Defused bombs
• Automatic points at the end of the round

Keep an eye on it and use your ultimate when it’s full, so you can recharge it soon.

Tip 9 – You don’t have to stay in the spawn zone while shopping

Here’s how to make the most of the shopping time: If you are used to Counter-Strike, you might stay in the spawn zone at the beginning of the round and shop leisurely. But that doesn’t have to be the case! You can actually move around freely here.

Especially as a defender, you can move quite far into the map and take strategic positions. Since you can buy while moving, you should do so and head to your optimal position.

Tip 10 – Lure enemies with the bomb

This trick works when defusing: When someone is tampering with a hot bomb, the attacking team is alerted. You can exploit this by quickly tapping the bomb and then lying in wait.

You have a good chance that an eager opponent will come rushing in and hopes to catch you unprotected on the ground. How surprised will they be when you instead greet them with a decent burst?

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Tip 11 – Get better weapons from the opponents

Here’s why you should loot: Weapons are usually bought at the beginning of the game, and then you have to make do with them. However, when an opponent or ally dies, they drop their weapons. If you are unhappy with your loadout, this is a good opportunity to grab something better.

Tip 12 – You can shoot through walls!

Here’s how wall-banging works: In Valorant, walls are not insurmountable obstacles. You can even shoot through thick walls with various weapons. Pay attention to the description “wall penetration” on the weapons. Weapons with “medium” penetrate thin walls, while those with “high” can even go through solid walls.

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Sniper rifles like the Operator and the MG Odin are particularly well suited for this. But assault rifles are also a good choice.

If you are still looking for guides on the heroes in Valorant, then take a look here:

• Jett Guide
• Phoenix Guide

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That’s it for our tips for beginners in Valorant. Do you know any other tips and tricks? Then share them with us in the comments. Don’t forget to check out our beta overview of Valorant, where you can find more information and updates about Riot’s new team shooter.