"Are we still the good guys?": Episode 5 marks a new Valorant narrative arc of revelation, bias, a possible new Agent, and more

Embark on a new narrative arc (Image via Riot)
Embark on a new narrative arc (Image via Riot)

Valorant's overarching lore can be considered a good example of environmental storytelling. Through clues around maps, emails, call recordings, voice lines, and cinematic trailers, Riot has managed to create hype and excitement around a plot that still has a number of areas tantalizingly left open for speculation. The latest Episode 5 and its Shattered cinematic trailer have just plugged a few of them.

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David Nottingham, the creative director at Valorant, earlier assured players that they are trying to build "a distinct and cohesive universe that sets up a central conflict, stakes, and goals that map the experience and stakes." The latest Episode is a pivotal moment in that universe, or rather, multiverse.


Valorant's latest Episode sees Earth 1 Agents bring the fight to Omega

Fans will remember that the central drive of the previous arc was the attempt to power on the Alpha-Omega bridge so that the members of the Valorant Protocol could cross over to Earth 2 and put a stop to their attempts at stealing Earth 1's Radianite. Through the concerted efforts of Killjoy and Neon, the bridge was indeed opened, and Fade completed the initial reconnaissance report.

Before the Shattered cinematic trailer, Riot showcased a short clip of the new map, Pearl, celebrating Sanctuary Day. Based on the voiceover, the map is the underwater city of Lisbon. A geodome has been erected to keep the city from sinking. Kingdom Industries (an alternate version of the Earth 1 Kingdom Corporation) and Agents are responsible for saving the city and are enacting something called the "Reality Restoration Project."

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The Radianite-infused polycarbonate geodome was put up when the city was threatened by a total climate collapse, depicted through massive tidal waves in the clip. There is also a Multiverse Museum present in the city, which points to the inhabitants being aware of the presence of other universes. The museum offers "a sweeping look at Radianite's past and its role in shaping the future."

The Shattered cinematic trailer builds upon the scraps of clues and ideas scattered in the official map reveal clip. When Killjoy, Reyna, and Neon step into Omega Earth, Killjoy goes to steal information regarding the weapon that Alpha team suspects their counterpart has.

Reyna and Neon engaged Omega Viper and a team of soldiers led by a character with a face similar to KAY/O. It remains to be seen if this character will be expanded upon later. For a split second, during Killjoy's hacking of the terminal, viewers can see that the Omega Agents have been alerted and are called the Valorant Legion.

The Valorant Legion (Image via Riot)
The Valorant Legion (Image via Riot)

Once Killjoy completes accessing the information, she finds out that rather than Radianite being weaponized as Brimstone claimed, it is being used for reality stabilizers, hydroponics, and desalination. While the first is probably linked to the aforementioned Reality Restoration Project, the other two concepts are designed to survive a climate crisis. Killjoy realizes that it is not a weapon but a life support system.

The Life Support system (Image via Riot)
The Life Support system (Image via Riot)

Killjoy's hacking also reveals that there are two places on Pearl that house Radianite, sites A and B. Players can easily identify them by the insignia of the soldiers they came across earlier. Interestingly, the A site has two wanted posters in Portuguese for the familiar names of Ruben Pontes and Oran McEneff.

The wanted posters (Image via Riot)
The wanted posters (Image via Riot)

The former's poster reads that they are a wanted subject, while the latter is identified as an illegal alien who's plotting against Alpha, according to Google Translate. McEneff is known to have crossed over to Omega with the help of Pontes. They were also seen together in a Player Card, riding a tram.

Their identity as criminals also showcases why Valorant Legion was notified so quickly when Killjoy used Ruben's login ID at the data terminal. A passing connection that could be made here is the fact that Fade is looking for someone who disappeared, because of whom she went after Valorant Protocol. The question that arises is: Is that person Oran?

Alpha Menace (Image via Riot)
Alpha Menace (Image via Riot)

When Killjoy, Reyna, and Neon finally make their escape, they come to a room filled with various kinds of merchandise of Valorant Legion Agents, be it cutouts, figurines, or comics. One of the covers read Alpha Menace: Menace in the Mirror, referring to the Valorant Protocol. The clip ends with the trio looking at the city of Lisbon and Neon, wondering if they are still the good guys.


What can it all mean?

The new narrative arc muddies the water between who is right and who is wrong. It also plays on the bias of the observer that the protagonists they have been following from the beginning are the good guys. Earlier cinematics portrayed the Omega visitors with a tinge of something sinister, furthering them as villains hellbent on stealing Alpha's Radianite.

The comic book (Image via Riot)
The comic book (Image via Riot)

It is clear from the merchandise room in the cinematic and at the statues in the Pearl map that the Valorant Legion is deified and adored in their universe as saviors. Kingdom Industries is working their hardest to save their people and humanity with the help of Radianite and are trying to steal some because they are running short.

The same bias also works for their planet, as they consider the Alpha Agents a menace. The comic book cover indicates as much. But it will be quick on the part of the viewers, even if questionable, to adjudge Valorant Legion and Kingdom Industries as paragons of virtue and justice fighting simply for survival.

The statues (Image via Riot)
The statues (Image via Riot)

The deification of superheroes is always a point of contention, especially when backed by a company such as Kingdom Industries. Their agenda is fueled by the noble cause of saving their planet and stopping the Alpha Menace. One can be reminded faintly of Vought and The Seven from the popular series The Boys, barring the extremes, gore, and violence.

Beneath the surface tale that is provided through the voiceover, the architecture can lay a story that is quite different. One must remember that Fade mentioned sensing fear and people on edge during her reconnaissance. While it could be just because of the threat of climate crisis and a possible failure of the geodome, something else ominous could be the cause too.

Riot is notorious for providing clues, red herrings, hints, indications, and vague nods all wrapped together in its cinematics. Therefore, Shattered marks the perfect beginning to a new narrative arc. Players finally know why Valorant Legion is trying to steal Earth 1's Radianite, and it is not for a weapon.

It remains to be seen whether there is something sinister boiling underneath the noble purpose. A timeline map found in the erstwhile mentioned Multiverse Museum had a number of recognizable symbols, including Kingdom Corporation, Valorant Protocol, Radianite, the band of Omega soldiers, Kingdom Industries, and Valorant Legion.

The timeline (Image via Riot)
The timeline (Image via Riot)

Although not all of it is decipherable at the moment, it shows that Omega Earth was aware of Mirror Earth for some time and had sent scouts there. It also featured the symbol that can be seen on Phoenix's back. Given that Phoenix is seen alongside other Agents on some wall art on Pearl and that he is also one of the Agent statues, Phoenix may have an important role in Omega Earth.

Wall art (Image via Riot)
Wall art (Image via Riot)

New Agent and possible future

Coming back to the comic book store that the Alpha trio escaped into, there were multiple cutouts of known Valorant Agents. Along with that, there was also a cutout of an unknown figure who had a jetpack on its back and a pistol that looked similar to the Gravitational Uranium Neuroblaster skin.

Interestingly, the figure's suit is somewhat similar to the scout suit found in the Multiverse Museum. The cutout figure could be the image of the next Valorant Agent.

A possible new Agent (Image via Riot)
A possible new Agent (Image via Riot)

At the very end of the clip, Brimstone announces that they are arriving. It will be interesting to see what Riot has prepared for players. For now, Valorant fans can be elated to have taken the first step on Omega Earth.

Furthermore, one of the Killjoy voice lines being added to the next patch hints at something the fans have been excited about for a long time now. Killjoy tells Raze that she has found a new album that the latter would love to hear if she comes over. Valorant fans have been shipping the two for nearly two years now.

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Edited by Danyal Arabi