KAY/O is the next Valorant agent. Riot Games confirmed the robot character yesterday with an official trailer, and we got a good look at all of Kayo’s abilities.

We’ve been waiting for a new Valorant agent for some time now, and now he’s finally here. Almost there. Valorant’s Episode 3 Act 1 begins on June 22, and at that time players can also expect the newest agent: KAY/O. The robotic agent has been teased for a few weeks before he was finally officially revealed yesterday.

What was the inspiration for KAY/O?

The KAY/O trailer reminds us of Groundhog Day and Terminator. This is no coincidence, as the design of the new agent was also inspired by sci-fi cult classics. Valorant Game Designer, Ryan Cousart comments:

Not being too well versed in sci-fi, I actually learned a lot about the various inspirations from Terminator to me, Robot to Chappie.

Valorant Character Producer Jon Goscicki revealed that KAY/O was the first agent the team began working on after Valorant launched.

Agent KAY/O’s abilities

KAY/O is really something special, as he brings a number of new mechanics. His main gimmick is taking out enemy abilities, a mechanic we’ve seen in other FPS titles like Apex Legends (Revenant). Then there’s his ultimate ability, which allows you to bring KAY/O back to life – a common mechanic in Battle Royale titles. Will Riot be taking the plunge into Battle Royale territory soon? Here are all of KAY/O’s abilities:

• Ability 1 – FRAG/MENT: Equips an explosive fragment. FIRE to Throw. The fragment sticks to the ground and explodes several times, dealing near-fatal damage in the center with each explosion.
• Ability 2 – FLASH/DRIVE: Equips a flash grenade. FIRE to Throw. The flash grenade explodes after a short fuse, blinding anyone in sight. Right-clicking on the flash grenade will throw a charged flash that only takes 1 second to charge, as opposed to left-clicking which throws a flash that charges in 1.6 seconds.
• Signature Ability – ZERO/DOT: Equips a suppression blade. FIRE to Throw. The blade sticks to the first surface it hits, winds up and suppresses anyone within the radius of the blast.
• Ultimate Ability – ZERO/CMD: Instantly overloads with polarized radianite energy, empowering KAY/O and causing large pulses of energy to emanate from its location. Enemies struck by these pulses are suppressed for a short duration. While overcharged, KAY/O receives combat stimulus. If KAY/O is killed while overcharged, he is struck down and enters a destabilized state that allows allies to stabilize his core and revive him.

As promised by Riot, KAY/O is a throwback to some classic shooters. KAY/O’s abilities grant him access to a frag grenade, a flash grenade, and knives to take out enemies. With all of that, KAY/O will have no trouble making his mark in the current meta.

Agent KAY/O Release Date

The release date for KAY/O is expected to be June 22, when the next episode in Valorant begins. We’re sure more information will be available in the Valorant dev livestream on June 21.

Will you be picking up KAY/O once the agent is out? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter!

ValorantAgent

Agents are the playable characters in Valorant. Each agent belongs to one of four possible classes and has four abilities. In addition, almost every agent represents a country.

There are nineteen agents in total, although in the earliest versions of the game there were only eight. The rest were added gradually.

There are four different classes: Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel.

Agents have one Signature Ability which they get free of charge each round.

The riot was meaning to send off the game with 12 agents, however, just 8 were accessible in the early press constructs. On March 29, 2020, a confidential occasion presented Breach. Since the Closed Beta send-off on April 7, 2020, Raze was added alongside the guide Split, bringing the Agent complete to 10. Five agents are accessible at the first send-off, with two more that can be effortlessly opened by stepping up in the game. More agents can be opened by taking Contracts and assembling XP on them.

Agents have base well-being of 100; Light Shields carry the most extreme well-being to 125 and Heavy Shields to 150.

It is the goal of the designers that another specialist be delivered around once per act. New agents require 12-15 months to create, and their plan is engaged around focuses, for example, what’s absent from the game’s current playstyles, are there any imminent thematics that present large open doors, and what’s required for better game wellbeing.

Roles

Every specialist satisfies one of four jobs, characterized by their capacities and playstyle:

• Controller agents are specialists in cutting up perilous domains to get their group in a good position.
• Duelist agents are independent fraggers who their group anticipates, through capacities and abilities, to get high frags and search out commitment first.
• Initiator agents challenge points by setting up their group to enter the challenging ground and push safeguards away.
• Sentinel agents are protective specialists who can secure regions and watch flanks, both on assailant and protector adjusts.

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