Feeling lost in Valorant? No surprise; you may have trouble finding your way around if you haven't played similar games (like CS:GO or Overwatch) before. But that's where we come in to help with our Valorant Beginner Guide.
Valorant is a pretty specific game. Many find it relatively easy to learn, but if you haven't had much experience with shooters and similar multiplayer games before, it may not be that easy at all. Even veterans of games like Counter-Strike can find themselves in trouble; after all, no one is flying over your head or throwing knives at you in classic FPS Games. That's why we've put together this guide! After reading it, some of Valorant's features might become a lot more clear, making it easier for you to actually enjoy the game.
Valorant Beginner Guide: Basics
Let's start with the game's principles; in other words, what is Valorant all about? So, Valorant is a First-Person-Shooter, where two 5-player teams fight each other until one of them wins 13 rounds. Both teams are divided into two roles — Attackers and Defenders. Attackers' goal is to plant and detonate a Spike on one of the bombsites (A/B/C). Defenders have to defend the bombsites from Spike's planting or defuse it.
- Want to play Valorant on a macOS device? Look here: How to Play Valorant on Mac
Each match has two halves. After a first half (which is the first 12 rounds), both teams switch their roles — Attackers become Defenders, and Defenders become Attackers.
Agents
Before any match starts, each player must choose an Agent to play with. Agents have specific skills, and they often indicate your playstyle (offensive/defensive/support, etc.). As we compile this guide, there are a total of 16, although there are already leaks about a new Agent coming to the game soon.
- Read more about the new Agent coming to Valorant: Valorant Episode 3, Act 2: Release Date, Leaks & Details
Every new player gets a set of 5 free Agents; those are Brimstone, Phoenix, Sova, Jett, and Sage. To unlock more Agents, you will have to complete Free Contracts, which you can do by completing daily quests and earning XP. We already have guides for each of them, so we recommend you check them out:
- Valorant Agent Guide: Brimstone
- Valorant Agent Guide: Phoenix
- Valorant Agent Guide: Sova
- Valorant Agent Guide: Jett
- Valorant Agent Guide: Sage
Valorant Beginner Guide: Best Free Agent
In our opinion, the easiest Valorant Agent to start with is Phoenix. Phoenix's skills are pretty straightforward to use, and they can forgive many mistakes. However, watch out for your flashbangs (aka the Q ability)! At first, you will probably blind yourself and your teammates, but you'll get it after some time.
Valorant Beginner Guide: Best Game Mode To Start With
In general, we wouldn't recommend starting with playing in Unrated mode. It may seem counterintuitive, but when you're new to Valorant, the game may not be fun enough for you. Frustration can result in quitting the match, leading to penalties taking away the XP you need to unlock Agents. That's why we recommend you start with Spike Rush. An average game in this mode lasts about 8 minutes, where some Valorant games may last as long as 50 minutes.
In Spike Rush, you don't have to worry about the economy, plus you can test Agents' abilities and try out different weapons. It's a great game mode to learn the very basics of Valorant; and once you get the hang of it, try your hand at Unrated. After playing 20 games in Unrated, you will gain access to Competitive Mode and compete for ranks.
Check out our Valorant section for more tips and hottest news! Don't forget to also join MyEarlyGame for giveaways, tournaments, and exclusive content.