Best VALORANT Agents For Beginners
VALORANT has become one of the most popular esports out there thanks to its fast-paced, team-based gameplay and vibrant, exciting agents. It’s sort of like Counter-Strike on psychedelics. Many of the same mechanics and strategies exist, but there’s the added complexities of mastering certain agents’ abilities and creating team compositions and strategies that revolve around them.
The blend of mechanical skills and game sense required to play VALORANT can feel a bit overwhelming at first. That’s why we’ve put together a guide outlining the best VALORANT agents for beginners. Depending on the role you want to play on your team, these are the agents that have the most straightforward kits to ensure you not only help your team, but carry them. Killjoy, KAY/O, Omen, and Reyna are the easiest beginner agents to start your VALORANT journey to Immortal rank with.
VALORANT Roles
The first step is to choose what role makes the most sense for your desired playstyle. Each agent fits into one of these four roles.
- Sentinels: These agents often support teammates by assisting them in the backlines or locking down a site with some defensive capabilities.
- Initiators: These intel-gathering agents are skilled at figuring out the best strategies at the moment based on important info on the enemy team’s location.
- Controllers: This is a group of agents focused on taking control of the map by blocking certain areas off or making an opponent’s movement more predictable.
- Duelists: If you like dealing damage, these agents are definitely the ones for you. These agents are focused on applying pressure to the enemy.
Sentinel: Killjoy
Killjoy is a great defensive agent thanks to her turret-based abilities that provide an impressive amount of map control. Her tech-based abilities will make your job much easier, assisting you in your goal of locking down the spike site.
Simply set up your Turret to gather insight and help your team gain map control. Then release a Nanoswarm nearby to damage detected agents, giving them another roadblock while alerting your teammates. Then drop your ultimate on the site to buy your team some time while the enemies are detained.
With Killjoy, the key is learning each map and understanding where to place your Turret and other abilities. Once you know the best spots to focus on, Killjoy’s abilities will immediately improve your team’s chances of winning thanks to the valuable insight you’ve collected and the setbacks you’ve put in place.
Initiator: KAY/O
This sinister war machine is very straightforward when it comes to playstyle. He basically backs up the team’s Duelist, meaning you can follow someone else’s lead — just be ready!
Zero/Point, your signature ability, is used very frequently. All you have to do is throw it at the opponent’s side of the map to detect enemy whereabouts. This powerful ability suppresses enemy agents’ abilities for eight seconds and can be used every 40 seconds — this means you don’t have to be super cautious about when and where to use it. Just go for it.
KAY/O also has some Counter-Strike-like flashbang abilities. If you’ve ever played an FPS game at all, you’ll know what to do with these. Basically, head after your Duelist and use your abilities to ensure the enemy is at a disadvantage.
Then wait for your teammate’s signal. Once you know you’re rushing in, activate your Null/CMD ultimate to become a killing machine with radianite energy that damages enemies within a massive radius. This will help your team push for map control and you can even be revived once while it’s active, so feel free to get a bit aggressive.
Controller: Omen
Omen is the easiest Controller to use since you don’t have to have as much map knowledge as a defensive agent like Brimstone. His abilities are very straightforward — and he’s honestly just fun to use.
When it comes to mastering Omen, it’s all about communication with your teammates. Coordinate with your squad on when to use your signature ability, Dark Cover. At the right time, use Dark Cover to block your enemy’s vision, giving your team the upper hand. You can further confuse enemies with Shrouded Step and Paranoia.
What makes Omen great for beginners is his escapability. Your abilities will ensure that you can get out of trouble when needed. Of course, mastering Omen takes a bit more practice. But you will be able to pick him up quite easily and instantly make an impact with this sneaky agent.
Duelist: Reyna
Reyna is often considered the easiest VALORANT agent to learn, period. You won’t need as much mechanical prowess as you would with other damage-based agents and her abilities don’t require aiming and lineups. Reyna is also pretty self-sufficient and can heal herself, giving you better survivability and flexibility in your positioning.
Reyna’s Leer has infinite range so you can blind anyone within your line of sight. This allows you to get the upper hand on unsuspecting enemies, damaging them and healing yourself without the need for teammates. Your Soul Orb will keep you alive during duels.
Reyna is sometimes considered OP and you’ll often find her in S-tier. She is difficult to play against, giving you another advantage over enemies. This is definitely a great agent to pick up if you’re looking to climb the competitive ranks even if you don’t have a consistent squad to queue up with.
Olivia is a long-time esports journalist and editor who covers just about every game but has a deep love for the FGC. Her goal is to find community-driven stories that bring a new perspective to the esports scene. In the past, she has worked for Team Liquid, Rogue, Inven Global, Dot Esports, Upcomer, and more. Outside of esports, Olivia enjoys Kirby, Pokemon TCG, Fallout, and writing science fiction. She can be found trying out new foods, traveling, or hanging out with her two orange cats. Fun fact: Olivia can do some video game and cartoon impressions!