When it comes to first-person shooters, we all have our preferences. Rainbow, Fortnite, Halo – everyone has a preferred FPS.
But when a new kid hits the block, it’s easy to get interested, and even a little bit excited about the latest release. While many try and fail, there’s a new game in town that’s grabbing the attention of even the most devoted gamers – Valorant.
Still in its BETA stage, Valorant is already luring gamers away from their much-loved FPSs and is already earning some big fans.
What is Valorant?
Valorant is the latest first-person shooter on the horizon. Developed by Riot Games for Microsoft, it will be a free to play online game, and is set to be rolled out widely this summer.
From April this year, Valorant was launched as a closed-access BETA via Twitch. Those who have been lucky enough to access the game so far have been giving it rave reviews, with Polygon’s Austen Goslin describing it as “one of the most fun tactical shooters I’ve played”. It’s proving difficult to access for many, which is making the appetite for it even greater.
Set in the not-so-distant future, Valorant is a tactical/first-person shooter game where players play as multiple characters from all over the world. Players are given the choice to play as agents on either attacking or defensive teams. In the game, the attacking team have to work to plant a bomb, named ‘the Spike’. If they are able to protect it within the 100-second time limit, they keep the point, while the defensive team will earn the point for defusing the bomb successfully. Teams will also earn points from eliminating members of the other team. There are 24 rounds in total, and teams will switch sides after 12 rounds. The team who win the best of 24 games wins the overall match.
Valorant has a simple concept, but it’s the cast of characters, choice of weapons and settings that make it an exciting new contender in the world of FPS.
How can you access the closed BETA?
If you’re already intrigued by Valorant, you’re probably wondering how you can start to play it? To be among the first to access the BETA, you’ll need to sign up to Riot and connect your account to your Twitch account. You’ll need to watch Valorant streams to be in with a shot of getting access to the game via a BETA key.
While this might sound simple, many people have been trying to access a BETA key for weeks with no luck. Judging by recent streaming figures (which could also be down to coronavirus), there is a lot of demand for Valorant. So how do you get your Valorant access key?
At first, the codes were only available for certain, selected streamers to issue to their viewers. This has now been changed so that all streamers who have access to the BETA are able to distribute access.
Viewers must watch at least two hours of streams to be eligible to receive a code. Your odds increase as the number of hours watched goes up. There are also some other ways to be rewarded with a code, including being highly engaged with those streams.
However, there are no guarantees for being able to access the streams, as explained in Riot’s post, so you’ll simply need to be patient and wait.
What do the professionals make of it?
All of this waiting sounds like a lot of effort for a new game, is the wait really worth it? It seems the professionals think so! Valorant is currently attracting more Twitch viewers than Fortnite, and many top gamers are ditching their existing games to begin careers in Valorant.
High-profile CS:Go players are amongst some of the ones moving over to Valorant, who will likely bring some of their following to the game too.
It’s worth checking out reviews from some of the top streamers like DrDisrespect and Anomaly to find out more from those who know their stuff:
As more people get access to play over the coming weeks and bugs are ironed out, there’ll be an even wider range of reviews for you to sink your teeth into.
How does it compare to other FPSs?
When a new first-person shooter is released, it’s easy to start making comparisons with what’s already out there. Some articles are describing Valorant as a ‘Rainbow Six/CS:Go mashup’, with fast gameplay and only one life to play with, it’s an action-packed game that will suit many gaming styles. While things might seem fairly calm at first, things become more hectic as players start getting eliminated and the counter starts counting down.
The gameplay is also smart, which makes things a little more interesting and ends some of the possible frustration from your turn ending early. Bringing together the best out of popular shooter games, it seems that Valorant is the change that many have been hoping for.
Some tips if you are able to play Valorant
If you are one of the lucky ones who is able to play Valorant, you might want to consider a boost Valorant service to increase your rankings, along with the plethora of other tips available on the internet.
- Get your game station set up for comfort – as with any new game, you’re going to want to play it for a long time.
- It’s very strategic, so rather than trying to gun everyone down, you’ll need to anticipate your rivals’ moves to stand a chance of success. With multiple rounds of gameplay, it’s important to get to know your opponents in as little time as possible.
- The sensitivity of your mouse can make a huge difference, so make sure you use a Valorant mouse sensitivity calculator to help improve your gameplay. You can even compare it to levels used with other games to help give you the best experience.
- You’ll need to adjust your shooting style. While games like Rainbow Six make running while shooting possible, without much fear about accuracy, Valorant is much more about stopping to shoot, making greater accuracy an important part of attacking style.
- It’s worth investing in lower-priced weapons at the beginning, so that all members of your team are on the same page. As the rounds progress, you can put your resources to good use and upgrade as you approach the final rounds.
You’ll be sure to discover plenty of other nifty tricks along the way that will help you navigate this new territory and have you playing like a pro in no time.
With the arrival of any new game, there’s always some initial excitement. But with Valorant, the difficulty to access the game, as well as the glowing reviews that are already coming in, are making it all the more coveted by gamers. As more people begin to experience Valorant, the buzz is sure to continue in gaming news and beyond, and it will be interesting to see how the game fairs against Fortnite and the rest. Are you ready for Valorant? Well get ready, because it’s coming to a screen near you very soon.
