Valorant combines precise gunplay with crazy abilities. Not all agents are suitable for beginners and your experience also plays a role. Check out which character is suitable for you at the beginning.
Why is the choice of agent important? In the hardcore shooter Valorant, everything revolves around gunplay. Although there are also abilities that can deal significant damage, most kills are attributed to the diverse weapons.
However, with the extraordinary abilities of the agents, you can have a strong influence on the course of the game. Crowd control, healing, smokescreen, or reconnaissance – every properly used ability can decide a firefight or an entire round.
For beginners, it is particularly important to understand that you can exert a significant influence with your abilities. Check here how to properly utilize the 4 agent types and with which agents you can be helpful to your team right from the start.
Two agents are perfect for starting
Valorant offers you a total of 10 agents, but you have to unlock half of them first. Here are the 5 starter agents:
Which agents are best suited for starters? If you are completely new to Valorant and want to gradually get used to the speed and gunplay, choose either the tactician “Sova” or the guardian “Sage”. Both offer strong abilities that allow you to support your team without putting yourself in immediate danger. However, most abilities are not free, so you have to purchase them at the start of the round in the shop, like in CS:GO.
Sova – The Scout: With this initiator, you can exert a significant influence with minimal risk. His recon shot (E-skill) is available at least once in every round and gives your team a strong advantage at the start of the first firefight, as you can “recon” the enemy team for your teammates.
With his C-skill (owl drone), you can comfortably fly over the battlefield and scout out enemies. Sova can be a strong support for his team without putting himself in much danger. His ultimate ability can even go through walls and deal damage to, distract, or force the discovered enemy in a specific direction.
Sage – The Healer: This agent combines strong healing abilities with crowd control attacks. Stay close to your team and support the duelists as they enter the fight. If things aren’t going well, you can create massive walls (C-skill) for a while and give your buddies a healing orb (E-skill).
If the enemy team tries to overwhelm you or you want to prevent opponents from quickly getting through a specific area, you have your “Slow Sphere” (Q-skill). As a cherry on top, Sage has an ultimate ability that can revive an agent from your own team.
Ready for kills? We have something!
If you are starting the matches with a certain expectation and already have a lot of experience with shooters, you can start with one of the two duelists.
Who should I choose if I come from Counter-Strike? Phoenix is your choice here. The duelist comes with a grenade (E-skill is like a Molotov cocktail) and a flashbang (Q-skill like a stun grenade). Additionally, you can create a nasty fire wall that damages enemies. If you take “damage” from your fire abilities, you also heal yourself. On top of that, there’s the ultimate ability that allows you to essentially “respawn” for a while.
If you feel right at home with Valorant’s gunplay, you can shine with Phoenix right from the start. Remember your many hours in CS and approach the Riot shooter a bit like the Valve counterpart. With powerful abilities, you have more tactical space than in Counter-Strike. Especially when your ultimate ability is ready, you can take full risks for a short time and become the hero of the round.
Who should I choose if I’m used to faster shooters? Jett is the one for you. If you are used to the mobile movement of Call of Duty or crazy moves like in Destiny 2, try this duelist. She can jump (Q-skill), dash (E-skill), and comes with a smoke grenade (C-skill) that can effectively obscure the view of the enemy while you dive down on unsuspecting foes from above.
With Jett, you can surprise your opponents from positions that are unreachable for most agents as a defender, and trick them with unusual maneuvers in the attack. Her ultimate gives you some nasty knives with which you can land precise and hard hits even while moving.
Class choice based on your playstyle – Tacticians for advanced players
The 4 archetypes should be used in a well-coordinated manner. The duelists at the front are supported by the initiators. Guardians hold back incoming enemies or support the advance of the front-line fighters.
Tacticians offer unique abilities that can deepen the team’s strategy and surprise the opponent – that’s why they are more suited for experienced players.
What can the duelists do? They form the front line of the team and are responsible for kills and suppressing the opposing team. Their abilities help you in combat with weapons through surprising attacks or quick actions.
What can the initiators do? With these supporters, you create opportunities for your team. With their abilities, they scout the battlefield or create an advantage with flashbangs. Together with the duelists, the initiators ensure a successful start to combat so that after the first firefight you can hopefully proceed into the rest of the round with an advantage.
What can the guardians do? These classes are the team’s defenders. With strong crowd control abilities, healing, or reconnaissance, they support the team’s advance or help hold the line.
What can the tacticians do? These agents are special and are hard to categorize. Within a class, there are the largest differences among the tacticians. For example, Brimstone can buff the team, while Omen creates confusion and chaos among enemies with his abilities. The choice of tactician can be a direct indication of the strategy a team is pursuing and conversely, it can significantly influence your team’s tactics.
When should I try others? Over time, you will unlock more and more agents until you can choose from 10. Once you have settled into Valorant, try out all agents, as long as the beta is running. If you are looking for a list of all agents and who they are suitable for, check here:
This way, you will not only find out if one of the unique characters is right for you, but you will also learn about your enemies’ abilities. Knowing what nasty tactics each agent can deploy against you will teach you how to react or counter those abilities.
For a good start, get to know the weapons, memorize the unique abilities of the agents, and read our beginner tips for Valorant. If you also have a practiced trigger finger, you will have a lot of fun with the faster shooter.
