The highly anticipated tactical shooter Valorant officially launched worldwide today. To celebrate, publisher Riot Games has released two new trailers to showcase the game’s agents and gameplay in action.
The Ignition trailer is focused on multiplayer gameplay and highlights the various agent abilities that make Valorant a unique experience. Dashing, teleporting, and health-stealing are just a few ways players can gain the upper-hand on their competition. There’s no shortage of head shots in the trailer though, which reinforces that aiming skills are still critical for securing victory. Ignition shines the spotlight on several of the game’s most popular characters, including Jett, Phoenix, Raze, and Reyna.
This is where it begins
Duelists is a little more cinematic, focusing on a more personal struggle between Phoenix and Jett. The two agents square off in a battle of wit and skill to secure what looks to be an explosive device called a “Spike.” The team that successfully detonates a Spike earn a point for the round.
The mode appears focused on telling a greater narrative though, because the trailer ends with a twist. A section of the city is mysteriously floating up in the sky, which doesn’t sit well Phoenix. Only time will tell what plans Riot Games has in store for Valorant. It’s certainly possible the game could feature an evolving world as seen in other games like Destiny and Fortnite.
New kid on the block
In addition to these launch trailers, Riot also announced a patch earlier this week. The update adds a new map, game mode, and agent just in time for launch. Valorant will include a total of 11 unique agents, 18 weapons, five maps, and three competitive game modes.
Valorant has been one of the most anticipated games of the year since it was first announced back in March. Riot then released a beta in April which ran for the course of two months. The beta featured a unique delivery method on Twitch that led to a frenzy of attention for streamers with drops enabled on their channels. The limited beta saw over 3 million players, so it’s safe to say Valorant should be popular this summer.
