Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter extremely close to Counter-Strike, but with a set of quirks and features of its own. Unlike CS, it has agents with unique kits, and those agents have to be unlocked (bought with in-game currency), or you can have every operative from the start if you have XBOX GAME PASS.
The rules of the game
On the whole the rules are identical to Counter-Strike: you have to plant the bomb (the spike) and wait for it to go off, or the other way round, defuse that bomb or stop it being planted - a direct analogue of T and CT in CS2. The score runs to 13 rounds: whichever team wins 13 rounds in total takes the match.
Every match has 5 players on each of the 2 teams. Before the fight itself starts, players choose from the agents available to them, each of whom has 3 unique abilities and one ultimate. In a single match there CANNOT be 2 identical agents on one team!
Before each round starts, players receive a certain amount of in-game currency, and here, unlike CS2, you can always look at your economy and work out how many credits you will have next round. Credits buy weapons and armour, and you can also buy 1 of your 3 unique abilities, which stays with you until you spend it, after which you have to buy it again.
Tips for playing
Never forget to buy shield. Sometimes you can take light shield instead of heavy shield: it will save you from plenty of one-shots and also cut body shots by 70%, though it will not save you from a headshot.
Light shield gives you 25 points of armour, heavy shield 50. We recommend buying shield first and building the rest of your plan around it. Do not forget either that you can request a weapon from your teammates, or buy one for them yourself when they ask in the shop.
Shift is the key to success!
Do not forget to use Shift to walk quietly, it will save your life many times over. The game's mechanics also let you climb a rope quietly, and so on.
Knife out means more speed!
As in CS and plenty of other shooters, holding the knife instead of your other weapon raises your movement speed. That will often help you get out of a fight quickly, or get to one. But do not forget that running around dangerous spots with only the knife out is a bad idea - the enemy may be waiting for you!
Use your ult wisely
Every agent has an ultimate ability that can be used the moment it comes up. But it is worth asking whether using it straight away makes any sense.
First, work out how useful the ability is to you or to the team, and only then decide whether to use it. There are plenty of agents whose ultimate is used almost immediately. A revive or revealing the opponents' positions, for instance, gives your team a great deal, whereas an offensive ultimate can simply be wasted if you die right after pressing it.
Unlock new agents
Getting agents has been made a fair bit simpler: all you have to do is collect in-game currency, and you can buy any agent you like with it.
Pick your own playstyle, try different characters - you may well feel more comfortable and more useful to the team on one particular agent!
