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Players who are new to the FPS genre or who have played it before might find Valorant to be unfamiliar because of its MOBA elements.
Valorant was released on 2 June 2020, and currently reaches a daily player count of 750 thousand players on average. Players who are just starting out may find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to map awareness and character selection.
To help new players learn Valorant faster, this article will list five tips for beginners.
5 tips for beginner Valorant players
1) Knowing how many rounds players have to win a match
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Valorant matches follow a search and destroy gameplay, which includes two parties called attackers and defenders. The attacker’s job is to plant the spike or bomb at sites of interest while the defender’s job is to prevent this from happening. To FPS genre veterans, this type of gameplay mode is nothing new, especially for CS:GO and Rainbow Six Siege players.
Every match in Valorant is a 5v5 game with two teams, each on attacker and defender sides. Both attackers and defenders get twelve rounds on each side and eventually switch in the thirteenth round. The first team to reach the score limit of 13 wins the game, however, if both teams are on a 12-12 score, the situation changes.
When both teams are in a tie during the late game, bonus rounds are provided for the teams to settle the final score. However, players do have the option to end the match with a tie, if the score ties up again during the bonus rounds.
Planning each and every round is crucial as every single one of the rounds counts towards a win. A small miscalculation between rounds is enough to cost an entire match.
2) Choosing the correct agent for winning a match
Coming to agent selection, Valorant provides a total of four agent classes named Duelists, Sentinels, Controllers, and Initiators. Each of their roles and characteristics are mentioned below:
Duelists:
Duelists are self-sufficient fraggers, and their squad will expect them to perform entry frags and seek out engagements first due to their skillset.
Controllers:
Controllers are experts at slicing risky areas in order to set their team up for victory. They are equipped with the ability to slow down enemies.
Initiators:
Initiators offer value by positioning their squad to approach contested territory and drive players defending an area away.
Sentinels:
Sentinels are defensive specialists who can shut down regions and keep an eye on flanks in both attacker and defender rounds.
Valorant players have to choose an agent belonging to one of these classes to help their team out. Every map requires a different approach, so choosing a single type of agent class is not helpful for the team. Having a variety of agents in a team and working together helps players earn victory easily.
When choosing an agent, it is important to get acquainted with their abilities as it is crucial to know what kind of in-game situation the agent provides value in. Improperly using an agent, or inadequately using agent utilities can result in team loss.
3) Picking weapons according to situations
When an agent is chosen, it is important to buy weapons according to the situation. For instance, during the first round, players can either go with a classic pistol or another secondary weapon of their choice. However, buying a secondary weapon is also going to cost some credits, so it is important to be economic with purchases.
Players might feel confused when choosing a primary weapon. It is recommended to use a primary weapon like the Spectre right after the pistol round, as it has more firepower than pistols. If a team doesn’t have enough credits to maintain a proper economy for the third round, they can choose to do an “eco”, by refraining from buying anything.
Beginners also feel confused when choosing between a Vandal or a Phantom. In simple words, the Vandal is a good weapon for long-range tapping or single shot fires, while the Phantom is good for close-range sprays.
4) Having correct mouse sensitivity to help with aiming
It is important to use balanced mouse sensitivity settings to help secure headshots easily. Since Valorant is a slow-paced shooter game, it is recommended to use low mouse sensitivity to help with accuracy. However, if a player is comfortable using high sensitivity settings in Valorant, they can choose to use it.
Apart from sensitivity, having a good crosshair helps with hitting targets. Valorant provides a detailed crosshair customization setting, which helps players get a crosshair of their choice.
The most important part about aiming in Valorant is keeping the crosshair at head level at all times. Keeping the crosshair at a head level is advantageous as it reduces the time required to kill.
5) Strategizing before a round starts
With any team composition, it is crucial to have a plan before starting a round. Defenders have to plan set-ups to stop or slow down attackers trying to enter sites, while the attacker has to do the exact opposite.
There is no shame in watching Valorant strategies on video platforms to improve with game planning. Taking ideas from different players helps to mix strategies, and forces opponents to change their approach.
