Riot’s competitively focussed FPS Valorant blends the precise and deadly gunplay of Counter-Strike with the characters and powers of Overwatch. Mastering weapons will be one thing, but you’ll also need to understand the Valorant character and their powers too if you want to succeed. To help you get a head start before the game launches, we’ve put together a guide on the Valorant characters and the abilities and ultimate they bring to the table.
All characters, abilities and ultimates in Valorant
© Riot Games
Each Valorant character has four abilities, but you won’t necessarily have access to them each round. Unlike Overwatch, some abilities in Valorant need to be purchased each round, similar to equipment such as weapons. Here’s how the breakdown works:
- Signature ability (E): Available to use each round. How much or how often depends on the character.
- Ultimate ability (X): Available only when charged through kills and completing objectives. Typically takes several rounds to charge.
- Extra ability 1 (Q): Purchasable each round.
- Extra ability 2 (C): Purchasable each round.
With that explanation out of the way, here’s a breakdown for the powers each of the characters we know about so far in Valorant.
Breach - Initiator
© Riot Games
An expert at setting up attacks, Breach emits tremors, flashes and explosive which travel through walls to disorient enemies.
Abilities
- Signature: Fault Line - Charges up a sesimic blast which travels along the floor and throw walls. Anyone hit by the effect will be slowed and staggered briefly. Distance and direction can be viewed on the minimap. Fault Line recharges over time.
- Ultimate: Rolling Thunder - Unleashes a seismic charge which explodes in an expanding cone and travels through walls. Enemies hit are flung into the air and staggered for a long duration. Effect zone can be seen on the minimap.
- Extra 1: Flashpoint - Equips a blinding charge. When fired at a wall it detonates on the opposite side, blinding anyone who looks at it for several seconds.
- Extra 2: Aftershock - Equips an explosive charge. When fired at a wall it charges a slow detonation on the other side, dealing massive damage to anyone caught in the blast zone.
Brimstone - Controller
© Riot Games
A commanding support character who can drop smokes and damaging strikes from the sky.
Abilities
- Signature: Sky Smoke - Calls down orbital smokescreens from a map, directly picking locations to block vision. Brimstone stars with one and can buy up to a total of three. Smokes last 15 seconds.
- Ultimate: Orbital Strike - Calls down a deadly orbital strike on a location chosen on your map. The strike lands repeatedly, dealing heavy damage over a few seconds.
- Extra 1: Incendiary - Fires an incendiary grenade which explodes in a ring of fire.
- Extra 2: Stime Beacon - Calls down a Stim Beacon at a nearby location, increasing the rate of fire for all players who enter the ring. The buff lasts 4 seconds after leaving the ring.
Cypher - Sentinel
© Riot Games
A surveillance expert, Cypher tracks movements from afar and uses traps to delay their movement.
Abilities
- Signature: Spycam - Places a camera which can be activated to allow remote viewing. Left click while controlling the camera to fire a dart which tracks enemies hit. Ability recharges when destroyed or picked up by Cypher. The camera turns invisible shortly after being placed. When activated for viewing it makes a noise and becomes visible.
- Ultimate: Neural Theft - Scans a dead enemy to reveal the locations of all of their allies.
- Extra 1: Trapwire - Places a stealthed wire between two walls. Enemies which trigger it are revealed to allies and restrained for a short duration. If the trap is not destroyed in this time it will daze the trapped victim. Traps can be picked up and replaced by Cypher. Tripwires become visible and audible to enemies when the approach closely. They can be shot and destroyed.
- Extra 2: Cyber Cage - Places a remote trap. Activating creates a ring cage that blocks vision. Individual traps can be activated by looking at them and pressing the activate key, or the whole set can be activated by holding the activate key. Cyber Cage is clear within, so beware players hiding inside.
Jett - Duelist
© Riot Games
An agile, roguelike fighter with extraordinary movement and a deadly ultimate.
Abilities
- Signature: Tailwind - Rapidly dashes a short distance in the direction you’re moving. Recharges on two kills
- Ultimate: Blade Storms - Equips several floating knives which can be thrown at enemies. Left click fires one knife, while right click launches them all in a short-range attack. Knives kill with headshots and deal damage to the body. Landing one kill restores the full set of knives.
- Extra 1: Cloudburst - Throws a cloud ball of fog that blocks vision on impact. Change the trajectory by holding the button down.
- Extra 2: Updraft - Charges up then launches you into the air with a gust of wind.
Omen - Controller
© Riot Games
A stealthy assassin, Omen can blind enemies and teleport across the map to take them by surprise.
Abilities
- Signature: Dark Cover - Enters a special vision to target smoke positions across the map before firing a stealthed orb which explodes into an obscuring field at its end. The distance thrown can be extended or reduced using left and right click before pressing use (E) to fire. Alternate view available by pressing R while aiming smokes.
- Ultimate: From the Shadows - Selects a location on your map and teleports there, forming initially as a Shade that can be destroyed. If killed as a Shade you will reform at the original location, cancelling the teleport. Omen can manually cancel the teleport by pressing the Ultimate key again (X).
- Extra 1: Paranoia - Fires a shadow projectile forwards, nearsighting (reduced vision range) anyone hit for a short while.
- Extra 2: Shadow Walk - Teleports you a short distance after a brief delay. Omen can turn around after choosing the teleport position to pick the direction he faces when arriving.
Phoenix - Duelist
© Riot Games
A hot headed (and handed) fighter who can control fire to daze or damage enemies.
PHOENIX /// United Kingdom
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) March 5, 2020
"You already know the name"#VALORANT pic.twitter.com/ZVfw56TzHl
Abilities
- Signature: Curveball - Launches a curving flare which explodes like a flashbang, blinding anyone who looks at it. Can be curved left or right with left click or right click, respectively. The flare bounces off walls.
- Ultimate: Run it Back - Marks your current location an starts a short timer. At the end of the timer or if you die during it, you will be respawned at full health at the marked location. Phoenix can pick up items, the spike, or even plant/defuse during the timer.
- Extra 1: Hot Hands - Throws a fireball which explodes after a short delay or if it impacts a surface. The explosion damages enemies and heals you.
- Extra 2: Blaze - Unleashes a wall of fire which damages enemies and blocks vision. The wall can be curved by holding left click and turning.
Raze - Duelist
© Riot Games
A twitchy explosives expert, Raze uses grenades, satchels, bomb bots and a rocket launcher to overpower the competition.
Abilities
- Signature: Paint Shells - Equips a cluster grenade. When thrown, the grenade explodes into a bundle of smaller grenades. Recharges after two kills.
- Ultimate: Showstopper - Equips a single-shot rocket launcher. When fired the rocket travels in a straight line, dealing massive damage in its explosion radius.
- Extra 1: Blast Pack - Throws a Blast Pack that sticks to surfaces. The Blast Pack detonates after a timer, or can be manually detonated by reusing the input. Raze takes minimal damage, allowing her to launch herself through the air using Blast Pack.
- Extra 2: Boom Bot - Equips an explosive, rolling drone. When launched, the Boom Bot travels in a straight line along the floor, bouncing off walls. If an enemy enters its front vision cone, the Boom Bot will lock onto them and drive at speed before exploding if it reaches them.
Reyna - Duelist
© Riot Games
A kill-hungry vampire, Reyna powers herself up by collecting Soul Orbs from the enemies she kills.
Abilities
- Passive: Soul Harvest - Enemies killed by Reyna drop Soul Orbs which last for three seconds.
- Signature: Dismiss - Instantly consumes a Soul Orb to become intangible for around two seconds, unable to shoot or be shot. If Empress is active then you also become invisible.
- Ultimate: Empress - Enters a frenzy state, boosting fire rate, equip and reload speeds. Gain infinite use of Soul Harvest abilities and boost effects. Kills restart the duration of Empress.
- Extra 1: Devour - Instantly consumes a Soul Orb, granting rapid healing for a short duration. Any health gained over 100 will decay over time. If Empress is active then this skill will automatically cast and won't consume the Soul Orb.
- Extra 2: Leer - Equips an ethereal eye. When used the eye is cast a small distance forward (including through walls). The eye nearsights all enemies who look at it, but can be destroyed when shot. Two charges can be purchased.
Sage - Sentinel
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Sage is a medic style character who can heal, revive fallen allies and repel enemy attacks.
Abilities
- Signature: Healing Orb - Equips an orb which can be fired at allies or yourself to heal for a short duration.
- Ultimate: Resurrection - Revives a fallen ally to full health after a short delay.
- Extra 1: Slow Orb - Fires out an orb which creates a slowing field when it impacts on the ground. Everyone within the field is slowed, grounded and makes a lot of noise while moving. Walking through the slow field does not make noise.
- Extra: 2: Barrier Orb - Allows Sage to place a large wall of ice to block movement. Position of the wall can be adjusted and rotated before spawning.The wall can be shot and takes extra damage from melee attacks.
Sova - Initiator
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Sova is a tracker who hunts down his foes relentlessly. An excellent scouter, he excels at uncovering the enemy locations.
Abilities
- Signature: Recon Bolt - Fires an arrow bolt which pings its surroundings, revealing enemy locations to all allies. The sonar bolt only marks enemies within line of sight to it, and can be destroyed by enemies. The bow shot can be charged, with bounces added to the shots.
- Ultimate: Hunter’s Fury - Fires up to three energy blasts that travel across the entire map, damaging and enemies struck and marking them for all allies.
- Extra 1: Shock Bolt - Shoots an explosive bolt that sends out a damaging wave of electricity when it lands. The bow shot can be charged, with bounced added to the shots.
- Extra 2: Owl Drone - Deploys a controllable drone which fires darts that mark any enemies hit, revealing them to allies.
Viper - Controller
© Riot Games
Fitting for their name, Viper is equipped with a range of poisonous attacks to subdue her foes, provided she can keep her toxin supply topped up.
Abilities
- Signature: Toxic Screen - Places a line a gas emitters which can be activated to create a wall of toxic gas. The emitter has fuel which recharges when deactivated. The gas temporarily reduces the maximum health of anyone who walks through it.
- Ultimate: Viper’s Pit - Smothers an area of the map in a massive toxic cloud which reduces the maximum health of anyone within it. The cloud is sustained as long as Viper remains within it. Enemies within the cloud are highlighted to Viper.
- Extra 1: Snakebite - Fires a projectile which leaves a pool of acid on the ground.
- Extra 2: Poison Cloud - Throws a single gas emitter which can be activated to create a poisonous smoke cloud. The emitter can be replaced after a short duration. the emitter has fuel which recharges when deactivated. The gas temporarily reduces the maximum health of anyone who walks through it.
Those are all the Valorant characters and abilities in the game so far, but we’ve no doubt Riot Games has even more planned to add to the roster. The range of abilities offers a crazy amount of utility during matches, making for a very exciting spectacle. Head over to our Valorant game hub for more news, tips and tricks.
