Valorant guide: How to play Viper on Lotus

Valorant's newest map, Lotus, requires attackers and defenders to take control of the sites and neighboring areas as early as possible. Agents like Astra and Omen are strong picks on Lotus, while Viper remains a popular pick, as she has been on most maps.

Viper can discourage enemies on Lotus effectively with her toxin-laden wall and smoke. Her Snake Bite lineups can strongly contest a spike defuse on attack and stop an aggressive push on defense. Meanwhile, her Pit covers most of the map's small plant sites and gives her enough cover in post-plant situations.

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The key to playing Viper effectively on Valorant's Lotus is to communicate with your team

Viper has been a dominant pick among Controller Agents in most Valorant maps for a long time. Her recent nerf prevented big-brain players from carrying out unpredictable strategies outside her Ultimate, but it couldn't reduce her popularity.

The key to playing Viper, or any Controller Agent, in Valorant effectively is to communicate with your team as much as possible. Make sure to remind your teammates to utilize Viper's wall or one-way smoke to secure kills.

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Toxic Screen

On Lotus' defense, Viper can lock down sites and help her teammates from afar. Her Toxic Screen (wall) is capable of covering important entrances, cutting off enemy vision, and discouraging an aggressive push.

For example, you can throw her wall from Lotus' B-Main to A-Lobby, or from C-Main to B-Main. You can also combine Viper's Poison Cloud and Snake Bite with her Toxic Screen to outplay enemies.

On attack, Viper can use her Toxic Screen to cover as many visible chokepoints as possible while pushing a plant site. This will allow her teammates to concentrate on critical zones and plant the bomb. Players should continue to reuse her wall on post-plant to discourage defenders from retaking the site.

It's likely that enemies will push through Viper's wall in certain situations. In such cases, try utilizing the 'Decay' status effect or the health reduction that is inflicted on them.

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Poison Orb

Viper's Poison Cloud is pretty lineup-dependent on Valorant's Lotus. However, you can still outplay enemies with basic but unpredictable moves. Her smoke is extremely flexible, helping her enter areas or execute plans without sending a clue to her enemies.

For example, you can use the smoke to open and cross the rotating doors on Valorant's Lotus. You can also use it to cross open spaces, like the area between A Root and A Rubble.

On defense, Viper can throw her Poison Orb at the site's entrance to block vision. In combination with Snake Bite, her Poison Orb becomes impossible to infiltrate, largely due to the damage both abilities can inflict on an enemy. You can use the smoke anywhere, but popular locations include Lotus's A Main, B Main, or C Main.

You can also learn lineups for Viper's Poison Orb to create deadly one-way smokes, which are effective on offense and defense.

On attack, you can use the Poison Cloud to outplay enemies and take control of areas. You can also use it in conjunction with Snake Bite lineups to secure a post-plant win. Viper can easily pick up and reuse her smoke, which is a huge advantage.

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Snake Bite

Snake Bite is Viper's most potent ability, mostly because of the Vulnerable status effect it comes with. It is also a flexible ability that can be used to clear corners or in post-plant lineups. The Agent has two of these, so make sure to use them as effectively as possible.

For starters, you can use it with Viper's Toxic Screen, Poison Orb, or even Pit to inflict more damage than usual. Once the enemies are vulnerable, you will deal twice the damage from bullets and AoE abilities.

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Viper's Pit

Viper's Ultimate is highly effective as a post-plant barrier in Valorant. It will deal temporary damage to any enemy who enters it, so make sure to use the same to your advantage. Also, keep changing your location to avoid getting spammed.

Viper's Pit is largely effective on Lotus's B and C sites, where the plant area is small, allowing her to be sneaky. On the A-Site, the Agent needs to be careful of A Drop and A Top, as she will be at a height disadvantage.

You can also deploy Viper's Pit on any of Lotus' sites to prevent enemies from executing their initial plan. They will most possibly rotate to a different site, which you can tackle with a well-placed Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud.

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It's important to note that Viper isn't the best Controller Agent for Valorant's Lotus. This is because most of her kit is immobile and lineup-dependent, which isn't very effective in attack.

Being a three-site map, Lotus requires a frequent change of plans, letting Agents like Astra and Omen thrive better than Viper.