Real Talk By: Nese005

Hey guys, this is Nese005 finally coming at you with a write up on the new sizzling hot first person shooter of the summer, Valorant. Some think that this could be the next Fortnite due to record breaking twitch views and it’s free to play capacity. I needed to really see what this game is all about.

The release date was June 2, 2020 and I instantly hopped onto riot games to start the download. Currently, the game is only on PC but Riot games is thinking of putting it out on all platforms. I can sum up this game in one sentence. Think of a FPS game with CSGO gameplay, Overwatch power skills, and Fortnite like graphics.  This game caught my attention right away and has potential to be a top contender in Esports.

How the game works

 

The concept is very simple. There are two teams that consist of 5 (agents) on each side, Team A plants the bomb and Team B diffuses the bomb (identical to CSGO). There are a total of 24 rounds in each game, but whichever team wins a total of 13 rounds first, wins the game. To make it fair, after 12 rounds, the two teams will switch sides so the team defending will get a chance to plant the spike (bomb). If Team A plants the bomb, the defending team has 45 seconds to diffuse and 7.5 seconds to defuse.

Each round consists of 1 minute and 40 seconds with 30 seconds beforehand to purchase weapons/skills and to discuss strategy with teammates. During the buying process, you can purchase guns ranging from handguns, shotguns, rifles, SMGS, snipers, rifles, heavy guns, armor, and skills. There are a total of 17 guns and not sure if more are going to be added, but each gun can be customized (skins and accessories) like CSGO.

There are 3 ways to win each round

• Team A plants the bomb
• Team B diffuses the bomb
• All team members die on a side

Game Modes

• Unranked – First team with 13 wins
• Spike Rush – First team with 4 wins but added variants
• Custom – Team scrimmage and 1v1s

For unranked matches – Each game can last anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on how long each round lasts and how close the battles get. Just be ready for those long matches as some feel like they are taking FOREVER. Spike Rush game mode is a quick play type where games can average under 10 minutes.

I know they are going to release a few more patches and hopefully within a month we can get ranked mode going.

Agents

This is part of the game where it differentiates it from CSGO and other FPS games. There are initially 10 agents that have been released, but more characters should be coming in the near future. You can only play one agent throughout each game, and the other team can choose the same character to balance out the game.

Just like Overwatch, each character has different abilities and skills that make the game pretty interesting. Each agent has two basic abilities they can purchase at the start of each round. Typically, these abilities are pretty cheap in costs like 100-400 credits. Signature ability is assigned to that character only and that recharges free at each round. Lastly, there is the ultimate ability. You can get this charged up when you win a round, get a kill, plant or defuse the spike, and/or picking up orbs in each round.

My Initial Thoughts

Coming from playing on Overwatch since its initial release, it was time for me to transfer over to a new FPS. After playing about 30+ hours of Valorant, I would have to say that this game has really grown on me over the two weeks that I have played it. Is it my favorite FPS, no. But being free to play has made it accessible for me to just jump on over and pick up and play.

I can definitely say that this game will become a top contender in the Esports world, but I cant really say if will overcome Overwatch/Overwatch 2 (whenever that game releases), Fortnite, and other FPS/Battle royales. I say this because there were times in the matches where I feel bored and wanting more. Maybe I am not good enough yet, or need more playing time, but the wow factor that Overwatch has or the nostalgic feeling that CSGO had, was not present in Valorant. But I keep learning new strategies and joining a Valorant Community (Discord and Reddit) has helped me enjoy the game a lot more each day.

I am willing to spend the extra time on this game for a few more months in hoping that all the kinks get worked out and that rank mode will be available soon.

Check out my Twitch account to see some gameplay!

Valorant Gets

3.5 out of 5

 

Whats Legit?

+Free to play

+Easy learning curve

+Doesn’t require the best computer

What’s Perpetrating?

-Only on PC

-Not much wow factor

-Hard to master

-No ranked mode