Tejo: Explosive New VALORANT Agent - Release Date, Abilities, Lore
VALORANT is kicking off the new year with a new Agent who will light up the in-game battlefield with explosive abilities. Colombian intelligence operative Tejo is set to join the title's roster shortly. Here's everything we know about Tejo, his agent type and abilities, his backstory, how he may change the VALORANT meta and more.
When will Tejo Arrive to VALORANT?
VALORANT's newest agent Tejo will arrive with VALORANT's Season 2025 Act I on January 8 2024. He will be available for play immediately and enter the game with a ten-tier agent contract users can earn.
Related Article: VALORANT Season 2025 Act 1 Guide: New Agent and More
Who is Tejo?
Tejo, VALORANT's newest Agent, is an experienced Columbian intelligence operative. He is a military veteran who now uses his skills as a consultant (perhaps he could get along well with fan-favorite 'old dog' Brimstone, who served in the US Military).
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Tejo's codename is likely a reference to Colombian culture. A game invented by indigenous Colombians, also called Tejo, involves throwing heavy metal discs at explosives on a board filled with gunpowder. It connects to his abilities as a VALORANT agent — in Tejo's "Sticky Grenade" ability, players will similarly toss a grenade at a target area.
Tejo wears a yellow jacket, a loose black undershirt and jeans with a gold belt. He sports slicked-back hair and bright sunglasses. A short teaser clip shows Tejo's orange shades resting next to a steaming cup of Colombian coffee. He appears cool, calm and collected as laid-back music plays in the background. An alarm begins to blare, and after taking a sip of his drink, Tejo picks up a Sheriff and skydives out of a hatch.
What Type of Agent is Tejo in VALORANT?
New Agent Name: Tejo | #VALORANT
— Valorant Updates (@ValorantUpdated) January 3, 2025
Role: Initiator
While Riot Games has not confirmed it, leakers including @ValorantUpdated on X.com have stated that Tejo is reportedly an initiator. This fits in with his abilities including a drone and homing explosives that locate targets. As an initiator, Tejo would work closely with his teammates to gain information, take space and push onto sites. It is also possible (though less likely) that Tejo could be a duelist due to his aggressive gameplay potential.
Tejo's Abilities
FINAL AGENT TEASER | #VALORANT
— Valorant Updates (@ValorantUpdated) January 5, 2025
UNOpic.twitter.com/D0NyDaPYNr
Riot Games states, "Tejo’s ballistic guidance system pressures the enemy to relinquish their ground - or their lives. His targeted strikes keep opponents off balance and under his heel." His skill set includes guided missiles, an enemy-revealing drone, a grenade and a tactical strike.
All Tejo VALORANT Abilities
- Ability 1, Special Delivery: "EQUIP a sticky grenade. FIRE to launch. The grenade sticks to the first surface it hits and explodes, concussing any targets caught in the blast. ALT FIRE to launch the grenade with a single bounce instead."
- Ability 2, Stealth Drone: "EQUIP a stealth drone. FIRE to throw the drone forward, assuming direct control of its movement. FIRE again to trigger a pulse that Suppresses and Reveals enemies hit."
- Ability 3, Guided Salvo: "EQUIP an AR targeting system. FIRE to select up to two target locations on the map. ALT FIRE to launch missiles that autonomously navigate to target locations, detonating on arrival."
- Ultimate Ability, Armageddon: "EQUIP a tactical strike targeting map. FIRE to select the origin point of the strike. FIRE again to set the end point and launch the attack, unleashing a wave of explosions along the strike path. ALT FIRE during map targeting to cancel the origin point."
Tejo's Contract Cosmetics
Every Agent allows players to unlock ten unique pieces of Agent Gear in their Contract, and Tejo is no different. Tejo's Contract contains ten tiers of cosmetics including sprays, titles, a weapon skin and more.
All Tejo VALORANT Agent Gear
- Tier 1: Spray - Ordinance Request
- Tier 2: Player Card - VALORANT Tejo
- Tier 3: Title - On Target
- Tier 4: Spray - Heat Wave
- Tier 5: Kingdom Credits - 2000
- Tier 6: Gun Buddy - Misilito
- Tier 7: Spray - Tejo Spray
- Tier 8: Title - Hermano
- Tier 9: Player Card - Collateral
- Tier 10: Sidearm (Shorty) - Hard Bargain
How Will Tejo Change the VALORANT Meta?
Tejo's abilities uniquely allow for diverse, situational use and proactive play. While most of his abilities focus on gaining information, they do so with aggressive flair — his playstyle will enable him to not only passively initiate but do so while delivering the killing blow.
For example, Tejo's 'Stealth Drone' Reveals enemies but also Suppresses them. Unlike the Sova drone, it places him in a position to take an immediate duel off of that information and puts him at a high advantage since enemies can't counter with abilities. Tejo's 'Guided Salvo' missiles similarly allow him to actively take space and go in for the kill once they detonate. This autonomous ability alleviates the disconnect in initiator-team coordination and means Tejo can actively participate in pushes without being staggered by long cooldowns.
Movement agents who can quickly dodge Tejo's utility will likely be strong counters against him. Jett, Raze and Omen could be quite effective here. Agents including Sage, Phoenix(self-healing), Reyna and Clove (Overheal) also have abilities that can serve them well. As a Sentinel, Vyse's walls can stagger his push, block his drone and missiles and stop enemies from capitalizing on his explosive kit. The key here is to survive Tejo's engagements with the least punishment possible, waste his utility and deny information using unpredictable positioning.
This is all theory-crafting, of course — once Tejo arrives, we'll get a better idea of how he performs in-game relative to other agents.
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