Harbor will be arriving in Valorant early next week and Riot Games has already provided a gameplay trailer for the character. Ever since the revelation of his abilities, the community has been discussing how he fits into the current pool of Agents, the situations he may excel in, the maps he can work best in, and more.
Slated to be the next Controller Agent on the Protocol, Harbor's kit embodies his power to manipulate water, with the ability to call up waves, bubbles, and geysers to neutralize his enemy. Only time will tell how he affects the present meta in Valorant.
Harbor arrives next week in Valorant and the community is excited to try him out
The ability list for Harbor is as follows:
- High Tide (E) - EQUIP a wall of water. FIRE to send the water forward along the ground. HOLD FIRE to guide the water in the direction of your crosshair, passing through the world, and spawning a wall along the water’s path. ALT FIRE while bending to stop the water early. Players hit are SLOWED
- Cove (Q) - EQUIP a sphere of shielding water. FIRE to throw. ALT FIRE to underhand throw. Upon impacting the ground, spawn a water shield that blocks bullets.
- Cascade (C) - EQUIP a wave of water. FIRE to send the wave rolling forward and through walls. RE-USE to stop the wave from moving further. Players hit are SLOWED.
- Reckoning (X) - EQUIP the full power of your Artifact. FIRE to summon a geyser pool on the ground. Enemy players in the area are targeted by successive geyser strikes. Players caught within a strike are CONCUSSED.
The primary discussion among fans regarding the new Agent has been what role he can play when he is finally released next week on October 18. Although he has been tagged as a Controller, the general consensus is that he will fit more into the dual role of an Initiator and Controller rather than simply being an orthodox Controller.
Many were quick to point out the initial feeling of Harbor and his abilities, especially his bullet-blocking shield, being overpowered is more of a knee-jerk reaction. The general consensus seems to be that he would be quite weak on defense when compared to other Controllers.
Furthermore, his abilities need to be complemented by the movement and abilities of his team members, which makes Harbor not an easy Agent to play for those who solo queue in Valorant. On top of that, his Cove ability can be taken down quickly if players shoot at it.
The community also shared their thoughts on the maps that he will likely have a better presence in, with the most common picks being Breeze, Icebox, Pearl, and Fracture. For many, he is comparable to Viper with respect to their kits while both have their pros and cons.
The difference in his ability to place smokes when compared to other Controllers also led players to question the efficiency of Harbor in Valorant while defending. All these questions will be better answered when the new Agent launches in-game for players to pick and play.