Valorant Agents guide: How to find your perfect role in Riot's tactical shooter

Agents are an integral part of Riot Games' competitive first-person shooter, Valorant. Many fans regard the popular video game as a concoction of Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. After all, it contains numerous features directly inspired by the aforementioned experiences.

Valorant technically falls under the "hero-shooter" genre but is more commonly regarded as a tactical first-person shooter title. That said, Agents and their utilities play a major role in shaping the gameplay experience here. The character roster presently features 19 Agents, with the 20th to be introduced soon.

With so many options available, it's normal for beginners to be uncertain of their strengths. This article will help novice and intermediate players pick the right class and, consequently, a main Agent in Valorant.

Picking best role and choosing perfect main Valorant Agent

Maining a particular operator/agent is pretty common in character-based shooter games. Players often prefer sticking to one role, depending on what they like to take responsibility for.

There are four classes available in Valorant, namely Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel, each catering to a particular tactical role. Currently, there are six Duelists, five Initiators, four Controllers, and four Sentinels available on the game's Agent roster.

Each Agent has their own class and comes with four utilities, one of which is an Ultimate ability that recharges every few rounds. In addition to utility usage, firepower is also quite important in the game. With the basics laid out, let’s take a look at what every character class in Valorant means.

Duelists

Duelists possess an extremely independent kit that lets them focus on aggression and picking frags. Their utilities are of very little value to the team. Hence, players with a lone-wolf mindset may fare well in such a role, which is light-hearted and fun to take on.

Duelists must possess enough confidence to enter sites and pick the first blood for their team. The current roster features six Duelist Agents with very different kits. They are Reyna, Jett, Raze, Yoru, Neon, and Phoenix.

Initiators

Next on the list are the Initiators, whose kits enable Duelists and other Agent classes to push into sites. Agents belonging to this class feature a lot of abilities catering to the team's well-being. Hence, if you are someone looking to provide robust support to your teammates, choosing an Initiator may be a good idea.

The current roster features five Agents in this class: Fade, Sova, Skye, KAY/O, and Breach. Each comes with very unique utility kits, allowing players to choose an Agent based on a map's requirements. An Initiator role can be incredibly flexible, letting gamers play aggressively or passively whenever they want.

Controllers

Agents belonging to this class specialize in securing control of sites, be it on offense or defense. The role of a Controller is to support their team with smoke and support utilities. Hence, it is an extremely passive role.

Playing as a Controller will require one to take control of the team's strategic plans. Using smokes on chokepoints and critical corners while pushing can only be done efficiently with proper communication. Hence, this role is suitable for those who want to lead their team.

Sentinels

Sentinels are defense experts and come with utilities that are perfect for supporting the team passively. There are currently four Sentinels in Valorant, namely Sage, Chamber, Killjoy, and Cypher. However, ever since his introduction, Chamber has remained the most preferred defensive Agent of all time.

One can choose to play a Sentinel if they want to approach sites or opponents passively and support their team from a safe corner.

Now that their classes have been introduced, it's time to talk about Agents in particular.

When to pick a Duelist

As mentioned earlier, Duelists feature selfish utility kits that cater to their frag-picking mindset. Hence, anyone who loves to aggressively make their way into sites independently and possesses confidence, as well as firepower, can pick an Agent like Reyna, Jett, Raze, Neon, and Phoenix.

Yoru, on the other hand, is a great Duelist, but his kit has a steep learning curve. He isn't suitable for beginners, but one can choose to main him anyway.

When to pick an Initiator

Coming to Initiators, these are Agents that possess the ability to blind their opponents. Flashes are a very powerful utility type in Valorant and, when used correctly, can fetch one a bunch of kills effortlessly.

In addition to flashes, Initiators carry intel-gathering capabilities that are extremely important for the team. In this role, not only can a gamer help the squad but can also cater to their K/D ratio as a Sova, Skye, Breach, Fade, or KAY/O main.

When to pick a Controller

Controllers, as mentioned earlier, are best suited to experienced players looking to guide their team. They are responsible for site control. Thus, they must remain alive for as long as possible. Agents like Viper, Brimstone, Omen, and Astra can easily outplay their enemies with some patience and good utility usage.

If one is well aware of all the maps and can predict and react to an opponent's move quickly, they may fare well in the role of a Controller; outplaying enemies can be extremely fun.

When to pick a Sentinel

Sentinels come with a lot of potential to dumbfound opponents. It's quite difficult to get past Cypher and Killjoy's setups. Chamber can pick some easy first-blood kills with his teleporting ability. Lastly, Sage's barrier can promote some big-brain outplays as well as stop an aggressive push.

Sentinel Agents are perfect for beginners who are still in the process of learning the basics. They are great for veterans who love supporting their team with utilities and remaining passive in gun fights.

It's important for players to know every role in Valorant. Hence, picking a main Agent from each class may be a good idea. This will allow gamers to balance their team when it lacks a certain class of Agents. Playing the same character or class can become stale after a while, and keeping options is always a good idea.