5 tips you MUST know when first playing Valorant

The launch of Valorant ushers an era of revitalized first person shooters. While we are finding CS and Overwatch junkees hit the battlefield for the first time, I have some important tips for any first time or beginner Valorant players

Movement for first shot accuracy

One of the most important concepts for first time FPS players is the relationship between movement and gun play. CS:GO players know all too well the tip-toe levels of finesse involved in meticulously pressing A and D to move your character to a full stop in ample time

Luckily for newer players, Valorant’s first shot accuracy (FSA) is much more intuitive than its competitors. If you’re strafing from left to right, hold down both A and D at the same time to get the fastest FSA

Play for an entry frag

Operators is a core concept that Valorant took inspiration from Activision’s Overwatch. The fun is that you can mix and match different characters to work in tandem with one another!

For example, mixing the Phoenix and Jett operators when on the Attackers side can be a sweet combo. Jett’s mobility can grant her an exit after securing an entry frag. Phoenix can set Jett up for the entry frag with his two flashbangs.

There are many, many more Operator combinations that are yet to be discovered - hop in and find some of them!

Find your main weapon... and get good at it

Valorant’s economy allows players to pick their own loadout within economic restrictions. The buy menu looks and costs the same whether you are on offense or defense

The Vandal is Valorant’s AK, Phantom is M4, and Operator is AWP. Head over to the range and figure out which gun you want to “main.” Since you can buy any gun regardless of side (unlike CS:GO), it’s much easier to main a weapon

Tactically give up a site if you’re outnumbered

Sometimes it’s worth intentionally losing the battle in order to win the war. If you are outmatched and your opponents are loading up ultimates on your site, back off and let them plant

They’ll be out of charges and your team is surely rotating in preparation for the retake. Plus, they’ll all be fully charged with special abilities, making a retake fully possible

Wait for Omen to fully teleport before spawn killing him

This one I had to find out the hard way, so I’m sharing it with my disciples today

When Omen uses his special ability that allows him to teleport anywhere in the map, you might catch him mid-teleport. Don’t jump the gun and shoot him though

Shooting Omen before he fully teleports will cancel his ability and not kill him

Instead, position yourself directly behind Omen - and once he spawns in, shoot him in the head. Using this strategy has yielded me a 100% success rate when dealing with Omen

Some tips to consider if you’re hopping into Valorant for the first time today. More educational guides, commentaries, and news on the way. Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on everything Valorant!