Valorant Beta Review – Gameplay, Weapons, Maps, Graphics, Characters, Agents and More!

Published: Apr 13, 2020, 2:24 pm Updated: Jun 30, 2023, 9:42 am

Valorant is the next huge title from Riot Games. This aims to compete with other competitive FPS games like CS:GO and Overwatch.

Riot Games is notorious for developing the outstanding League of Legends, and known is for its constant support from both fans and developers alike.

If we see the same support for Valorant, it is likely we’ll have a superior title on our hands.

The game is currently in closed beta, meaning there is limited access until the open beta release.

Gameplay

Valorant manages to combine a few different mechanics and skillsets from other games into one seamless experience.

TEAM TACTICS - Work with your team to execute some amazing plays!

The gun-play is similar to that of Counter-Strike, creating a very high skill ceiling for the aiming in-game.

This also makes hitting multiple headshots extremely rewarding.

The game also has another set of skills included in the mix. These are the abilities and ultimates of each character.

Here, you can utilise traps, flashbangs and cameras to gain an advantage over your enemies.

READ MORE: Valorant: Is Riot’s New Game the Fortnite Killer? Release Date, Playstyle, Abilities & more

Each character is equipped with a different set of abilities
and skills to tackle certain situations, meaning your team composition is key
to winning a match.

Weapons

The weapons are (again) similar to that of Counter-Strike. Almost every gun can be compared to one in CS:GO.

PHANTOM - Use suppressed weapons to take out your enemies using stealth!

This makes choosing a loadout particularly easy. For
example. The assault rifle ‘Phantom’ is comparable in damage and recoil to the
M4A1-S.

With the economic system in the game, each round you’ll carry over your weapons if you stay alive, but if you die, you’ll lose your weapons and need to buy new ones.

This means you’ll need to work with your team to choose
which rounds to save money and which to go all out.

Unfortunately, this leads to a small number of guns actually
being utilised due to the current ‘meta’.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as most games will have metas that change over time, causing players to adapt and change their play style to tailor to current loadouts.

Maps

In the closed beta, there are three maps, these being: Haven, Bind and Split.

Haven consists of three objectives. This is probably the most chaotic map.

This makes defending all three sites very difficult meaning the defenders end up having to retake sites with a lot of angles to cover at once.

BALANCED EXPERIENCE - Each map in Valorant tries to deliver a balanced experience for each team.

If the objectives were slightly closer together, it could mitigate this issue. But for now, you’ll have to juggle the three objectives and come up with a strategy with your team to tackle this issue.

The other maps (Bind and Split) are well organised with a three-lane layout and two objectives. This makes attacking and defending fairly balanced.

Riot has also managed to incorporate some interesting spots to utilise each character’s ability and take advantage of the movement and verticality options.

Agents

The Agents are the characters available in the game. Each
has their own unique ability and ultimate which can turn the tide of the round.

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY - Riot has created a unique experience by combining multiple skill sets into one game.

However, unlike Overwatch, you have to work with you’re ultimate to make it effective, rather than the ultimate speaking for itself.

There are some outliers to this, but for the majority of
characters, you’ll need to work with your abilities to execute some awesome strategies
with your team.

If you’re looking for an easy champ to use, go for Phoenix. His abilities are simple and intuitive, which can be easily utilised to help your team.

These agents add another level of skill to the game. But can
add some confusion for new players.

Overall

Valorant has some of the best competitive FPS gameplay we've seen, with rewarding skill progression and addicting gameplay.

ACCESS DENIED - Make sure to watch streams on Twitch to gain access to the Closed Beta!

If you enjoy games like Counter-Strike and Overwatch, you’ll feel right at home jumping into Valorant.

Some of the maps feel a little chaotic and unorganised but
take a leap in the right direction with additions like climbing ropes and teleporters
to add another level of traversal.

Valorant’s full release will be Summer 2020 with no official release date confirmed as of yet.

We can’t wait to see how Riot Games update and add to Valorant, with lots of hope for future tournaments and competitive competitions.