Valorant Killjoy Agent Guide: Abilities, Strategies & More

Killjoy has always been one of the best picks for a Sentinel Agent in Valorant, and in this guide, we'll show you how to use her effectively!

Killjoy Guide EG — Killjoy knows what German efficiency is. | © Riot Games / EarlyGame

Killjoy is a Sentinel Agent in Valorant who excels at locking down sites and providing valuable information for her team. Her ability kit contains tools that can slow down pushes, control the map, deal lots of damage, and reveal enemy positions.

It's also an Agent that prefers to fight indirectly, causing problems for the enemy team rather than engaging in direct combat. If that sounds like your cup of tea, check out this in-depth guide where we will go through all of her Agent abilities and strategies that you can implement with Killjoy!

Valorant Killjoy Abilities

Nanoswarm

Official Ability Description: EQUIP a Nanoswarm grenade. FIRE to throw the grenade. Upon landing, the Nanoswarm goes covert. ACTIVATE the Nanoswarm to deploy a damaging swarm of nanobots.

Default Key	C
Cost	200 Credits
Charges	2

Killjoy's Nanoswarm is a a grenade ability that creates a circular area that damages enemies within it (often referred to as "molly", and you can activate it from any place on the map. However, it is also worth noting that the grenades are visible to enemies, allowing them to shoot and destroy it. In short, this ability is best used to stop a Spike plant or defuse, as it can be placed like a trap and activated when enemies go near it.

Alarmbot

Official Ability Description: EQUIP a covert Alarmbot. FIRE to deploy a bot that hunts down enemies that get in range. After reaching its target, the bot explodes, applying Vulernable. HOLD EQUIP to recall a deployed bot.

Default Key	Q
Cost	200 Credits
Charges	1

Alarmbot is a placeable ability that detects enemies and applies the Vulnerable debuff, which basically means that they get twice as much damage as they normally would. It also works perfectly as a tool to reveal the enemy's location, as it will often notify you whenever this ability is activated.

Turret (Signature Ability)

Official Ability Description: EQUIP a Turret. FIRE to deploy a turret that fires at enemies in a 180 degree cone. HOLD EQUIP to recall the deployed turret.

Default Key	E
Cost	Free
Charges	1

Killjoy's Turret is a placable ability that can detect and shoot enemies within a specific range. It shoots 3 bullets per burst, each dealing 8 damage up to 20m, 6 damage from 20m to 35m, and 4 damage from 35m and up. Moreover, the Turret has 125 HP and will deactivate if Killjoy moves too far away from it.

Don't forget that if the Turret gets destroyed, you would need to wait 45 seconds before placing another one, or 20 seconds if you recalls it.

Lockdown (Ultimate Ability)

Official Ability Description: EQUIP the Lockdown device. FIRE to deploy the device. After a long windup, the device Detains all enemies caught in the radius. The device can be destroyed by enemies.

Default Key	X
Cost	7 Ultimate Points

Killjoy's ultimate ability, Lockdown, is a placeable device that creates a large dome that traps and detains any enemies caught in it for 8 seconds. During this time, they are unable to do anything except move at a slow pace. Lockdown has 200 HP and can be destroyed by enemies' weapons and abilities. And since you can actually interact with it, it is super important to place it in a safe spot.

Lockdown is an effective tool for clearing enemies out of hiding spots, either when attacking or defending a Spike Site. For example, when attacking, it can clear out defending enemies and give your team time to plant and set up to defend the site. When defending, it can prevent an enemy from planting or pushing at you, forcing them to retreat or risk almost certain death.

How To Play Killjoy?

Don't Use Your Utility Too Fast

Killjoy post plant — Post-plant is where Killjoy shines. | © Riot Games

Sure, sometimes there will be situations where it will be worthwhile to go "all-in" at the start of the round, but often you want to wait for the moment with which you will get the most value from your abilities. And such moments usually come in post-plant or retake situations!

This rule applies especially to the Attackers' side; you actually have the perfect ability kit to protect the Spike and prevent a retake. Things are a little different on the Defenders' side when you often set up your abilities in such a way that plant never happens. Either way, think twice about what value you can get out of a given ability now and recalculate whether it might not be worth waiting.

Learn Some Basic Lineups...

If you are absolutely new with Killjoy, then learn some basic setups; you know, the most obvious ones, the most commonly used in the metagame. This will allow you to better understand the operation of her utilities and what works best and what doesn't. Plus, you might want to put a bit more emphasis on the post-plant Nanoswarm and Turret lineups, as this is where you will need Killjoy the most, as we have already mentioned in this guide.

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... But Try To Be Unpredictable With Your Setups

Still, remember that you can't just copy every basic Killjoy setup and go with it through ranked play. Well, you technically can, but that's not how we think you should approach your climb. Try to improvise a little bit, think about how the enemy team might play, and do your best to counter it with your setup. This is also why we believe that Killjoy is the best pick for players who love to strategize and play a little game of chess in Valorant.

Position Yourself Around Your Setup

Speaking of strategic thinking in Valorant, another important matter is positioning yourself on the map. Often you will be the Agent who will play a bit behind his teammates, covering them. Moreover, you will likely be the player covering the most unconventional angle that will work only because of your ability kit!

You will also often want to be close to the corner where you can use Lockdown freely, pulling great value from it. Figuring all this out can be a big problem for players who are still trying to figure out how to get out of Iron, but honestly, even more experienced players can spend a week or two grasping how to play Killjoy correctly.

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And that would be it for our in-depth Killjoy guide! We hope this piece of content will help you get started on your gaming adventure with this talented German engineer. If you want to share your highlights with this Agent, feel free to do so on our Discord, just scroll down to the Valorant channel!