Valorant Best Agents - Who To Choose

Updated:

22 Dec 2021

Valorant is currently one of the biggest Esports games globally, averaging 13 million players just last October 30. As many of you might know, it is a team-based tactical game focusing on abilities and gunfights. Riot has released 16 agents so far, and more is yet to come. This is a guide for the beginners out there who are struggling to choose an agent to play.

Who are the Valorant agents and what are their roles?

Agents have different roles in the team. All of them are grouped into four categories: duelists, controllers, sentinels, and initiators.

Duelists: aggressors or entries for the team, expected to get a high number of frags because of their design.

Controllers: agents who have to cut enemy territory for the team's success by using various abilities such as flashes, stuns, and smokes

Sentinels: defense-oriented characters who can anchor sites and watch flanks with their abilities

Initiators: offensive support agents tasked to help their teammates by using flashes and info gathering abilities.

1. Brimstone

Brimstone using his Sky Smokes

Role: Controller. The commander of the Valorant Protocol. Brimstone is probably the most straightforward agent because of his point-and-click abilities that do not require lineups. He can release smokes from the sky and delay the attackers’ entry or even stop them planting the spike with the use of his molly.

Brimstone Strengths

Sky smokes are easy to use and last longer than any other smokes in the game
Unlike other agents, agents will have unclear vision if they are inside Brimstone’s smokes
Orbital strike is powerful for post plants and for forcing enemies to reposition
Unlike other smokes, sky smokes limit the vision of enemies

Pick Brimstone if you

Want an easy to use agent
Want long-lasting smokes

2. Jett

Jett dashing forward

Role: Duelist. With her easy-to-use smokes and agile gameplay, Jett is the most picked agent yet. Not to mention that her “overpowered” dash makes it effortless to get out of any situation that any other agent may deem possible to escape. Jett’s ultimate ability is also one of the strongest in the game, providing a free weapon during save rounds.

Jett Strengths

Very agile
Overpowered dash
Can get out of an unfavorable position with her Tailwind ability

Blade storm is accurate even when you are flying and moving. It is also powerful during save rounds

Pick Jett if you

Are a very aggressive player
Are skilled in using the Operator

3. Sage

Sage with her slow orb in front of her

Role: Sentinel. Like Brimstone, Sage is also a straightforward agent that anyone can master in a snap. She is one of the most picked agents in solo queue because of her supportive nature by providing healing and revives for the team. Not to mention, her Barrier and Slow orbs are great for disrupting strategies by delaying rushes and blocking pathways.

Sage Strengths

Barrier orb is overpowered on specific maps, especially during pistol rounds
Sage’s heal orb is versatile and recharges
Her ultimate abilities can provide man advantages

Pick Sage if you

Want to play an agent that has a low skill ceiling
Want to provide valuable assistance to the team

4. Sova (Initiator)

Sova getting ready with his shock dart

Role: Initiator. Sova uses the trusty old bow and arrow, and most of his abilities are based around it. What makes him one of the most picked agents is his info-gathering skills. Sova’s darts can damage opponents (shock dart) and reveal a specific area (recon dart). He also has a drone with the shape of an owl that can scout and tag enemies. Sova will fire powerful darts that can pierce through anything if he activates his ultimate called Hunter's Fury. This agent will always be a great choice since gathering info is vital for winning rounds in Valorant.

Sova Strengths

Gathers a lot of information for the team
All of his abilities are great for post-plant situations
His utility is versatile for different maps and situations

Pick Sova if you

Have a more supportive playstyle
Are creative in using abilities

5. Omen (Controller)

Omen using his shrouded step

Role: Controller. In my opinion, Omen is one of the strongest agents to play in solo queue. Omen has a low skill ceiling, and his smokes are easy to use and travel long distances. However, Omen’s most powerful ability is his flash. Unlike the other flashes in the game, it covers a long and wide area. He can also make outplays by teleporting at varying distances using his shrouded step or ultimate (global range).

Omen Strengths

He has the best flash in the game
Rechargeable smokes

Pick Omen if you

Want to have an adjustable playstyle (either aggressively or passively)
Want to play mind games against your opponents

6. Reyna (Duelist)

Reyna using her dismiss ability after killing an enemy

Role: Duelist. Reyna is probably the easiest agent to use. Her abilities don't require lineups like Sova or setups like Cypher, but it will all depend on your performance and skill in the game. Reyna can blind enemies, heal from enemy souls, and gain combat stim from her ultimate.

Reyna Strengths

Can overheal through a kill
Reyna can dismiss out of unfavorable situations
The empress buff increases fire rate and empowers her devour and dismiss

Pick Reyna if you

Are confident with your mechanics in game
Are a very aggressive player

7. Cypher (Sentinel)

Cypher using his tripwires

Role: Sentinel. Described as a one-man surveillance network, Cypher really lives up to this interpretation. He has a camera to watch a specific part of the map, traps that can detect enemies, and a cage that can block enemy sights. For his ultimate, Cypher will reveal everyone regardless of where they are by throwing his hat on a corpse to gather intel.

Cypher Strengths

Flexible setups
All of his abilities are able to gather info
Can place one-way smokes to hold sites

Pick Cypher if you

Have a passive playstyle
Want to study multiple setups to anchor sites

8. Breach (Initiator)

Breach sending out shockwaves using faultline

Role: Initiator. An agent with robot hands. Ensures that the fights taken by his team are never fair by disabling enemies by flashing and sending shockwaves through the walls or floor.

Breach Strengths

His flashes go off the fastest in the game
His ultimate (Rolling thunder) is great for retakes and entering sites
Breach’s fault line ability can displace operator players

Pick Breach if you

Want to support aggressive duelists
Want easy to use flashes

9. KAY/O

Kay/O after using his Frag/MENT

The only agent that can prevent enemy agents from using their abilities. Not only that, but KAY/O can also blind (flash/drive) and displace (frag/ment) enemies. His ultimate grants him extra fire rate. And on top of that, he can be revived by teammates when he dies during his ultimate.

Kay/O Strenghts

His knife gathers information even through walls and suppresses enemies
Counters agents that rely heavily on their abilities
Versatile flashes
His ultimate (Null/cmd) is great for retakes and entering sites

Pick Kay/O if you

Want a CS:GO playstyle
Prefer a well-rounded utility

10. Skye

Skye healing her enemies using her trinket

Skye has a mix of info gathering and flashing abilities. She makes various trinkets and sends them to the battlefield, like the hawk (flash), Tasmanian (info gathering), healing (heals), and seeker (tracks enemies).

Skye Strengths

Manipulative flashes
Overpowered heal
Wolf is great for gathering info
Her seekers could provide crucial information

Pick Skye if you

Want to have an adjustable playstyle (either aggressively or passively)
Are creative with flashes

11. Viper

Viper after casting poison cloud

An expert in chemistry. She uses her knowledge on the battlefield by deploying poisonous devices that obstruct enemy vision (toxic screen and poison cloud) and damage enemies (snake bite). Viper can make an area of the battlefield her playground by releasing a cloud of toxin with her ultimate.

Viper Strengths

Her abilities are great for post-plant situations
Enemies get debuffed when touching her abilities
Viper’s pit highlights the appearance of enemies

Pick Viper if you

Want to anchor sites like a sentinel
Prefer playing post-plant during attacking rounds

12. Yoru

Yoru teleporting away using his gatecrash ability

Despite currently having the lowest pick rate in Valorant, Yoru is still one of the most unique agents in the game. He is an expert in deception by tricking enemies with fake footsteps using his Fakeout ability. Yoru can also infiltrate the enemy lines without being seen by teleporting (gatecrash) and drifting to another dimension.

Yoru Strengths

His abilities are great for lurking
His ultimate (Dimensional Drift) is powerful for a 6-cost ultimate

Pick Yoru if you

Want to outsmart your opponents
Prefer a lurking playstyle

13. Killjoy

Killjoy placing her swamp grenades while infront of an enemy Sova

Role: Sentinel. Killjoy, being a genius agent, relies on her inventions more than anything. With a reliable turret beside her, Killjoy is one of the most difficult agents to play against as an attacker. She can also gather info with her alarmbot, displace and damage enemies with swamp grenades, and secure sites with her ultimate.

Killjoy Strengths

Flexible setups
Some of her abilities gather info

Killjoy’s ultimate (Lockdown) is great for retaking and entering sites

Pick Killjoy if you

Have a passive playstyle
Want to study multiple setups to anchor sites

14. Raze

Raze flying on top of her enemies with her showstopper

Killjoy’s archnemesis when it comes to inventing things. However, Raze uses exploding materials compared to Killjoy’s high-tech gadgetry. Raze is definitely one of the most enjoyable agents to play as. Be careful because all of her abilities blow enemies up. She can clear angles with her boombot, displace enemies with paint shells, fly high with her blast packs, and kill everyone with her showstopper.

Raze Strengths

Her paint shells and showstopper deal great damage
Raze’s boombot is versatile and gathers information
Her blast pack can destroy utilities and is great for reaching areas in a flash

Pick Raze if you

Also want to deal damage with your abilities
Are an aggressive player
Are creative with your movement

15. Astra

Astra transforming her stars

Role: Initiator. The agent with the highest skill ceiling, but also the most rewarding to play. With the power of the stars in her command, Astra can conjure smokes (Nebula), stuns (Nova pulse), pulls (Gravity Well), and a wall (Cosmic divide) during her astral form. Not only that, her abilities have a global range. Time her skills perfectly, and she will be a menace in both attacking and defending rounds.

Astra Strengths

Can time her abilities according to the playstyle
Astra can anchor sites like a sentinel
All of her abilities are placeable during pre-rounds and have a global range

Pick Astra if you

Want to be rewarded for learning a hard to learn agent

16. Phoenix

Phoenix casting his curveball

Role: Duelist. A person who is cool and hot—because of his abilities—at the same time. Phoenix manipulates fire and fills the battlefield with flames. Unlike other duelists, all of his abilities provide assistance to the team. He can flash (curveball), clear angles (hot hands), block enemy sight lines (blaze), and enter sites without the fear of dying (run it back).

Phoenix Strenghts

Even as a duelist, all of his abilities are helpful for the team
His ultimate (Run It Back) is great for entering sites
Phoenix can heal himself with Hot Hands and Blaze

Pick Phoenix if

You want a well-rounded duelist
You prefer to be creative with flashes

17. Chamber

Chamber placing his rendezvous in the site

Role: Sentinel. The newest addition to the Valorant agent lineup. Chamber offers a different approach to the sentinel role. Two of his abilities give him guns that are similar to the sheriff and operator. Chamber can also teleport around the map by placing markers, and like other sentinels, he can also place traps that slow enemies.

Chamber Strengths