Valorant is currently on everyone’s lips. A competitive shooter from the creators of League of Legends? A mix of CS:GO and Overwatch? That was enough to make my mouth water. In the first few days of the closed beta, I took a beating and still fell in love with Valorant.

Take a good dose of Counter-Strike, mix it all up with a developer who has and maintains years of experience with competitive play? Valorant : Probably the most important new esports title in the next few months . When former CS:GO pros like Shroud celebrate the game and a number of esports players switch to the new shooter in the beta , he must have a lot on his plate , right?

Luckily, the EarlyGame team is represented by several players in the Valorant beta and is now providing you with new first-hand information on a regular basis .

Valorant: The noob enters the battlefield

How long has it been since I last played a shooter with a mouse and keyboard? 16 or 17 years? Might get there. I think CS 1.6 and Unreal Tournament 2004 were the last shooters I played extensively on PC before moving on to consoles.

From time to time I also play Call of Duty: Warzone or Apex Legends on the PC, but then always with a controller. Yes, I know: Ninja , I don’t want to hear anything now!

The Valorant Closed Beta was the first game in years that made me want to go back into battle using a mouse and keyboard. There is no controller support in the beta yet. But a whopping 10 FPS more thanks to colorfully illuminated keyboards and mice – yay!

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the first laps…or rather hours…were pretty disastrous. But that is by no means due to Valorant, because I was already absolutely thrilled in the 2nd round .

Valorant gameplay: Alright

In fact , Valorant and CS:GO have a lot in common . Significantly more than with Overwatch and that’s a good thing. I appreciate the riot shooter for its clear line from a gaming point of view. Teammates glow turquoise, enemies are red. There are no character skins: Phoenix , Sage and Co always look the same. No distractions, no unnecessary gimmicks . Simply refreshingly classic. Especially nowadays, when every multiplayer shooter tries to outdo itself with some kind of ultra-crass special effects.

The same goes for the wonderfully old-fashioned graphics framework . This is by no means meant in a negative way, on the contrary: the comic look already looked great on Overwatch, while the three maps were designed so clearly that even newcomers understand everything right away . Two or three bomb sites with clearly defined entrances. A short, B long, Mid doors. This makes meaningful callouts incredibly simple and everyone with a little map knowledge understands where the post is going.

Personally, I much prefer it to having some burning heli wrecks or branched ruins distract me from what is important: the direct confrontation. Relying on such clear lines with Valorant almost borders on a stroke of genius from Riot Games. It’s all about no-frills, highly competitive gameplay . And I have n’t experienced that in such perfection since Counter-Strike.

Valorant: Mehr CS:GO als Overwatch

A lot of things in Valorant are reminiscent of CS:GO (which I’ve played on consoles for quite a while). I walk slowly so as not to leave footsteps behind me. If I need to be quick, I switch to the knife to run a little faster. At the beginning of a round, weapons and armor are bought and the main objective is the same. Only the bomb is called Spike here . Anyone who knows Counter-Strike will quickly find their way around Valorant.

The weapons like Specter MP, Vandal assault rifle or operator sniper rifle are also strongly reminiscent of the corresponding counterparts from Valve’s multiplayer shooter. With one difference: the unique abilities of the heroes, called agents.

This is where the often quoted comparison to Overwatch comes into play, which fits perfectly, but isn’t 100% accurate. In Overwatch, skills dominate a round, while in Valorant they only support your own skill. Two shock shells with scout Sova are definitely nice to have, but they don’t decide a round on their own. Unlike Torbjörn’s turret, Reaper’s Dance of Death, or Bastion’s tank.

The hit feedback in Valorant is outstanding. A headshot is deadly, if you don’t hit or miss anything, you’ve lost. At the same time, headshots haven’t felt so satisfying for a long time, while the agents and their skills bring a breath of fresh air.

Valorant is already in a great mood

I firmly believe that Valorant will revolutionize the esports scene in the coming months. The game already runs so smoothly in the beta and has to struggle with so few bugs and balancing problems that I have rarely experienced in the past few years. Even if there are still occasional bugs and problems .

For the first round, I chose Brimstone , which suits my playstyle perfectly with its tactical smoke cloud and incendiary grenade launcher. But it was my very first lap of the Valorant Beta and so it went… well let’s just say it wasn’t worth mentioning.

In the second round, I decided to give Sova and his bow a chance. What you can do with the Russian agent has already been proven by former Overwatch pro Daniel “ Dafran ” Francesca . It didn’t go that well for me, but I really liked the mix of offensive and defensive skills . So I decided to stick with Sova for now while slowly but surely improving my aiming. A good decision that resulted in some really good laps.

In direct comparison to the bow-wielding Hanzo from Overwatch, I like the Valorant Agent much better. Maybe because I can play with classic weapons here and only use a bow when the situation demands it.

I liked Phoenix too . In general, I like the agent’s skill selection. Especially those that combine support and offense skills. It was different with Viper, which was not my cup of tea at all. But you can’t like all characters, right?

Conclusion

Valorant feels like a CS:GO in a fresh guise that spices up the classic and beloved gameplay with the agents and unique skills. Despite input-related initial difficulties, I haven’t had so much fun with a shooter for a long time and I’m looking forward to getting even better in the coming days and weeks – and picking up on the old professional days. Even if the reactions aren’t the same as they were 16 years ago.

OVERWATCH 2 – A VISUAL EVOLUTION

Overwatch 2 takes the world and gameplay to a new level: the environments are more dynamic, the battles are more comprehensive, improved effects and shadows enrich the atmosphere in the game. You will be immersed in the story of Overwatch in gripping events. All heroes will get a completely new, even more detailed and authentic look in Overwatch 2.

The five best Overwatch skins

As really cool – so you could title the new Overwatch skins. Because Blizzard Entertainment has really put a lot of effort this time and gifted the community with new cosmetics.

The OverwatchEcent Archives is in full swing. And once again, it takes us back to the original Overwatch team that used to fight in the streets of King’s Row against the rebellion started by the Null Sector. We also remember eight years ago when we took control of Blackwatch, a terrorist organization bent on destruction. But besides all the nostalgia, there’s something else that makes this event: the Archives skins. Here comes the top 5 of the best Cosmetics.

5th Place: Zarya’s “Workout.”

Giving us a bit of workout reality is Zarya’s “Workout” skin at #5. At a young age, Zarya identified a lot with athletics and here she shows that she’s a tough woman. But we honestly expected something more from the professional weightlifter. Still, the skin turned out quite nice.

4th Place: Roadhog’s “Militia” Look

Blizzard has done a good job of mixing the scout and military outfits, so Roadhog’s “Militia” skin lands in 4th place. We especially love the patches attached to the dungarees, but this skin isn’t as colorful and fancy as, say, other skins in the ranking. For that, it gets a solid 4th place.

3rd place: Junkrats “King Jamison

Majestic and bold in 3rd place is Junkat’s “King Jamison” skin. After being banished from Junkertown by the queen, he’s back and presents himself as a real eye-catcher that the queen would be jealous of. We were taken with the golden leg, but so much potential was lost with the rather plain shirt. That’s why Junkrat only makes it to number 3.

2nd place: Pharah’s “Aviator” style

Lieutenant Fareeha “Pharah” comes flying in at number two, in a stunning look that should wow anyone. The aviator sunglasses plus jetpack give her a thematically badass appearance that still makes her look cool and beautiful.

1st Place: Ana’s “Sniper” Skin.

Ana breathes new life into us with her “Sniper” skin and is unrivaled our No. 1 spot. During the Omnic crisis in her earlier years, Ana slayed the Omnics in this color stunning outfit. Her red scarf, headset and many other smaller accessories add the finishing touches to the skin that have us excited.

We’re excited to see when and with which skins Blizzard will wow us again. For more info on Overwatch and everything else about the world of Esports and gaming, check out Early Game.

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