To be successful in VALORANT, players must familiarize themselves with the game’s 23 agents and their abilities. Though this can seem overwhelming at first, taking it one agent at a time makes it possible to get up to speed.
Beginners will need a lot of practice to catch up with others who have played the game since the beta, but once you get a hold of the abilities and standard gunplay mechanics, the learning curve becomes relatively straightforward.
Players will only have a handful of agents available while starting VALORANT. You will eventually unlock more by progressing in the game and unlocking them via in-game or real currency. While some characters are tough to master for beginners, others are easier to learn.
Easiest VALORANT agents to play
The easiest VALORANT agents for total beginners are Phoenix, Sage, and Brimstone. However, if you’re coming from another FPS title, you may want to try out an agent that has a similar playstyle to the game you’re already a master at.
If you’re coming from Counter-Strike, we recommend picking up KAY/O as your first agent, and if you’re coming from Overwatch 2, we recommend Killjoy. If you’re used to Call of Duty or Apex Legends, you might want to pick up Raze.
It is essential to understand the agent’s kit when starting as a beginner, and you will need to play several matches with the same agent before you feel comfortable with them. You’ll also want to fool around in The Range with their abilities. Though since you may not get to pick your favorite agent all the time, it is best to learn a range of characters to have options available once you master your first character.
Phoenix
Phoenix, Sage, and Brimstone all offer the most straightforward versions of several types of utility in the game. Phoenix provides a great introduction to flashes and AOE (area-of-effect) abilities. Flashes will blind your enemies so they can’t see, but be careful because they can blind your teammates as well.
Phoenix is one of the best VALORANT agents for beginners, and he is available right when you start the game. Classified as a Duelist, Phoenix’s role in the team is to provide a way into a site for teammates by landing eliminations. Phoenix’s kit is full of offensive abilities allowing players to move into an area quickly.
You can use Phoenix’s Curveball, his flash ability, to blind enemies. Hot Hands will throw a blazing fireball that damages enemies but heals Phoenix if he stands in it. Similarly, players can use Phoenix’s Blaze to create a wall of fire that blocks enemy vision and damages anyone touching it (again, aside from Phoenix himself).
His ultimate ability essentially gives Phoenix two lives, allowing you to take aggressive fights or save yourself if you’re low on health. It’s a great ultimate ability for beginners because there’s rarely a “wrong” way to use it.
Maybe the best part of Phoenix’s ability kit is that his Hot Hands and Blaze abilities both offer opportunities for the duelist to heal himself. If you make a mistake, as all beginners inevitably do, you can heal yourself back up without having to rely on your teammates. In combination with his flashes and quick-charging ultimate ability, this all allows for him to be very self-sufficient.
Phoenix is a perfect choice for beginners who have an aggressive playstyle.
Sage
Sage is a healer and is also one of the unlocked agents players will get to choose from when starting VALORANT. Classified as a Sentinel, Sage’s abilities revolve around healing teammates and creating barriers to prevent enemies from entering areas on the map. Sage’s utility can help teach new players the importance of controlling space on any of VALORANT’s maps.
Sage can use the Barrier Orb to create a fortified Radianite wall that closes down areas. The Slow Orb creates a lingering field on the ground that reduces the opponent’s movement speed. You can use Sage’s Healing Orb to heal yourself or your teammates. Unlike Phoenix, Sage’s role requires her to stick close to her squadmates. Sage’s ultimate, Resurrection, is one of the most powerful ultimates in a game without mid-round respawns. This ability allows the player to revive a fallen teammate at full health.
This healer is a great pick for new players who maybe aren’t as skilled with aiming or movement in shooters. You don’t necessarily have to get a ton of kills to be a useful teammate while playing as Sage if you can consistently heal your squad and set up effective walls. Since her kit requires you to stay relatively close to your teammates, playing with this agent can also help you practice your team play if you’re used to playing games solo.
Sage is a great agent for learning each of VALORANT’s maps because you’re constantly going to be thinking about where to use your orbs to get the best value out of them. Her wall is a very powerful tool, so make sure you use it in some way every round you play.
Sage is best for beginners who prefer a supportive, yet still essential role on a team.
Brimstone
Brimstone is another unlocked agent players will get to select while beginning the game. Brimstone is classified as a Controller, and his abilities revolve around protecting teammates by deploying smokes and deploying other AOE abilities. Brimstone has the most simple mechanics for deploying smokes and can help players learn how to be effective from a distance.
In general, the Controller is known as perhaps the most difficult role to play in VALORANT. So in most cases starting on a Controller agent for your very first game is not advised. As a Controller, you’re expected to not only know the map you’re playing on but also understand how to carefully place your utility to not accidentally give the other team an advantage. However, if you’re determined to become a Controller main, Brimstone is your best bet to start with.
Brimstone’s Sky Smokes are his bread and butter. The smokes can be deployed on the map from an overhead view to obscure the opponent’s vision. Incendiary will shoot a Molotov that bursts into a puddle of flames that damage enemies who touch it. Stim Beacon gives teammates a rapid-fire buff with a slight speed boost. His ultimate ability, Orbital Strike, allows Brimstone to call in an aerial laser beam that heavily damages enemies caught in its radius.
Brimstone is the stock “old white guy with a beard” character that every FPS game has as a starter character for new players. He’s meant to help you learn the basics of this game, from smokes to mollies, to basic shooting and positioning. Players who enjoy the metagame and come up with strategies will like playing Brimstone.
KAY/O
KAY/O is a character you will need to unlock in VALORANT by activating his agent contract. He won’t be available when you first launch the game. Classified as an Initiator, KAY/O’s role is to identify where on the map enemies are located. This agent’s kit consists of FRAG/Ment, FLASH/Drive, ZERO/Point, and NULL/Cmd. Even though these ability names sound complicated, they’re relatively straightforward.
KAY/O’s flashes are the most similar to those used in CS:GO, so many mechanics from that game will transfer well to his play style.
The FLASH/Drive ability is a classic flashbang that blinds enemies but can also blind your teammates if you don’t make sure they’re out of the way. Players transitioning from CS:GO will love this ability. Players coming from other games may find his flashes frustrating to control.
The FRAG/Ment ability throws an explosive that sticks to the floor and damages opponents stuck in its radius. The ZERO/Point ability is a suppression blade that sticks to the surface of a wall, ceiling, or floor and suppresses all of the opponent’s abilities for a short duration. This means all your enemies can do while they are suppressed is shoot their weapons and walk. It’s great to use at the beginning of a round to try and figure out where your enemies are coming from. Similarly, NULL/Cmd suppresses the opponent caught in its radius for a short duration, and KAY/O gains enhanced movement speed and fire rate.
Anyone who’s used to flashbangs in other games will have an easier time using this robot’s kit more effectively. KAY/O’s utility is helpful for newbies wanting to learn what the Initiator role is all about since he can easily gather information and prevent defenders from being effective.
KAY/O is a great choice for players with an aggressive style who also want to use as much utility as possible to be effective.
Killjoy
Killjoy is one of the agents you need to unlock after progressing in the game, which will cost you Kingdom credits in VALORANT’s new progression system. Classified as a Sentinel, like Sage, Killjoy is an expert at holding and locking down an area, though she does not have a healing ability. Killjoy’s abilities include Nanoswarm, Alarmbot, Turret, and Lockdown. Killjoy is an agent heavily focused on externally-placed utility like turrets and other info-gathering robots, which will have Overwatch 2 players feeling like they’re in familiar territory.
Killjoy’s signature ability is her Turret, which has a very flexible placement. The Turret automatically fires at enemies in its cone-shaped field of vision. Nanoswarms are small AOE grenades that can be placed on the ground and later activated manually to create a damaging swarm of nanobots. Killjoy’s Alarmbot becomes invisible once placed and activates when opponents enter its range, and the bot explodes, applying a vulnerable effect to enemies. Killjoy’s ultimate ability is Lockdown, which detains all enemies caught in its radius after a short timer.
Because her bots can effectively serve as an extra player if positioned correctly, Killjoy is a great choice for new players. You may not be able to hit all of your shots, but you can use Killjoy’s kit to weaken your enemies enough for the Turret and your teammates to take them out if you can’t. Also, try positioning the Turret as your own little backup buddy to hit any shots you might miss.
Killjoy can be a great choice for players who are great at multitasking and creating the perfect setup to hold their ground.
