History VideoGame / Valorant

The gameplay is set up as a 5v5 shooter, borrowing gameplay elements from the ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' games, with its game modes of Unrated, Competetive, and Spike Rush revolving around the planting of radium spikes on specific bomb sites. One team tries to plant the spike, while the other tries to either capture the spike or defuse it after it's planted, with each team also trying to eliminate the other. Where ''VALORANT'' sets itself apart from ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' is with its HeroShooter elements. The Agents are unique characters who bring their own abilities to the table, which shakes up any given match a player has. Like in ''Counter-Strike'', the player's weapons and equipment are all bought in a store menu, adding an economy management layer to the game.

--->[''after killing the last enemy agent''] There you are, you little [[PrecisionFStrike shit]].
--->[''winning the match as the MVP''] Oh, my back hurts, [[TheLoad everyone's]] so heavy.
--->[''when heavily losing a map''] They're not [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex better than me]].

-->I am both shield and sword.
-->I will soothe this turmoil... [[GoodIsNotSoft with fire if I must]].

** Phoenix and Reyna are the opposite of Skye, as they can only heal themselves. Phoenix heals with his Heating Up passive while standing inside his abilities, and Reyna heals with her Devour ability.
* ConveyorBeltOfDoom: Ziplines are a feature in a number of maps. Fracture's is a special case. One cannot leave the Zipline while using it and they are forced to move forward on it. Taking it would be risky if there is an enemy on the other end, especially if they have a steady aim, since you have no means to move back or step away. In extreme cases, this can lead to circumstances like [[https://youtu.be/b1kVZ4mKmtM this]]

* DifficultButAwesome: The Sheriff. It is a one-shot head-shot weapon at ranges under 30 meters to even fully armored opponents, but its slow rate of fire and high recoil mean that typically those who choose to purchase it are putting high faith in their aiming skills.
* ExpendableClone: The agents are quick to point out if they have a counterpart on the opposing team, as they all express dislike and derision towards their clones. Ultimately subverted, as it is revealed in "Duality" that they are fighting against their mirror counterparts from a mirror universe, whose goal apparently is to take Radianite from this world using the Spike and bring it to theirs.

** Because Valorant was conceived by Riot staff members that were fans of CS:GO's tactical gameplay, but disliked higher play relying on specific bounce patterns for grenades, a majority of the characters have abilities that mimic the 4 grenades (HE, Flash, Smoke, Firebomb/Molotov) in one or multiple ways, but fundamentally work differently. For example, many characters share a Flash-bang grenade variant ability, but they all throw them differently. Phoenix's flash is thrown in a straight curve around corners, Breach's flash has to move through a wall to activate, Skye's flies forward like a bird and can be steered with the mouse, and Yoru's has to bounce off a surface before activating. To help with clarity, each flash also has unique colors and sound effects when they blind, to better determine who sent them out in the heat of the moment.
** Comparisons have been drawn between some agents and VideoGame/{{Overwatch}} heroes. Omen is Reaper's counterpart, as both utilize teleportation and are [[TheGrimReaper edgy reaper]] inspired designs; Sova and Hanzo both base their kit around bow and arrows, sharing abilities like radar darts and Ultimates; and Jett shares similarities with Tracer, being speedster {{action girl}}s that work around their mobility, engaging more in gunfights and being respective "faces" of their franchise.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Unlike many other multiplayer games that ignore or brush off the fact that [[MirrorMatch characters can potentially fight duplicates of themselves]], this is actually a plot point here; the agents are battling their alternate universe counterparts.

* MagicVersusScience: A running theme in the game is the divide between the super-powered Radiants and those without such powers. Characters like Phoenix and Sage quite clearly have magical powers from their exposure to Radianite. The line is blurred quite a bit for others such as Viper, as it's unclear just how much of her poison abilities is actual technology versus some kind of power, which may overlap with ClarkesThirdLaw. On the science side, most technology is implied to utilize Radianite in some way, shape or form, which makes sense given how capable are the non-radiants' tech is against the radiants.

** Upon the reveal of Omega Earth, along with Fracture, Kingdom is shown to have an Omega counterpart as well: Kingdom ''Industries''. Whether this Kingdom is as or more ominous than the Alpha one is not really known, although it should be considered that their apparently benevolent endeavors (including their underwater habituation facility built after a climate catastrophe which may or may not involve radianite) are as of recent fueled by radianite stolen from the mirror world.

* {{Microtransactions}}: Valorant, being free-to-play, has an in-game store where you can spend real-world money on Valorant Points, which can be used to buy various weapon skins, gun buddies, player cards, and sprays. You can also pay for Radianite using Valorant Points, which is used to unlock advanced animations, finishers, and kill screens for the more expensive weapons. None of these affect the in-game stats of the weapons in any way.

* NoodleIncident: One of the in-universe stories has Phoenix asking Brimstone to allow him, Killjoy and Raze attend a concert in Berlin. The following voices lines from the latter two reveal that afterwards the trio went on a partying binge and somehow lost Raze, who calls to say she wound up in ''Breeze'' in the Caribbean.

* PowerEchoes: When an enemy uses their [[LimitBreak Ultimate Ability]], [[PreAsskickingOneLiner their voice]] permeates the entire map. When your ally uses their ultimate, you hear their voice normally. Just like in ''{{VideoGame/Overwatch}}'', the voice lines between ally ultimate and enemy ultimate are different.

* RoleSwapPlot: Normally, being an attacker, a.k.a. stealing radianite using the spike, is the role of the Omega agents. If it's done in the map Pearl, which is already in Omega Earth, it would be the Alpha's turn.

* StatOverflow: When playing as Reyna, whenever she kills an opponent it leaves behind a Soul Orb. [[SoulEating She can consume these]] with her Devour ability to heal, potentially boosting her health to 150 HP, which is the same as being fully healed and equipped with the strongest body armor.

* WrenchWench: Killjoy building her deadly turrets makes her one of these.

** Viper is a [[JustForPun venomous]] and bitter woman with a hunger for revenge towards an implied DarkAndTroubledPast.

[[caption-width-right:350:Badass with powers and weapons!]]

** Comparisons have been drawn between some agents and {{Overwatch}} heroes. Omen is Reaper's counterpart, as both utilize teleportation and are [[TheGrimReaper edgy reaper]] inspired designs; Sova and Hanzo both base their kit around bow and arrows, sharing abilities like radar darts and Ultimates; and Jett shares similarities with Tracer, being speedster {{action girl}}s that work around their mobility, engaging more in gunfights and being respective "faces" of their franchise.

** The Classic is a hybrid of the Glock with its three round burst fire, and the damage of the P250. The Ghost closely matches the damage profile and suppressed nature of the USP-S. The Frenzy both looks and feels very similar to the [=CZ75-Auto=]. The Sheriff matches both the high recoil and incredible damage of the Desert Eagle of ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' infamy.

** The Classic is a hybrid of the Glock with its three round burst fire, and the damage of the P2000. The Ghost closely matches the damage profile and suppressed nature of the USP-S. The Frenzy both looks and feels very similar to the [=CZ75-Auto=]. The Sheriff matches both the high recoil and incredible damage of the Desert Eagle of ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' infamy.