What makes Viper’s poison? What tricks can Omen use? And what is the most effective way to play the new Reyna? Our Valorant agent guide reveals it. We give an overview of the individual agent abilities and how to best use them. All in easy-to-digest guides, one Valorant character at a time. Today we introduce you to the crew’s tactician: Brimstone

Valorant has been officially released for over a month now, and the game has already received a few patches. The latter have toned down popular picks like Sage and further customized a large portion of the maps. Brimstone hasn’t been changed since the game’s release on June 2, so it’s just as good as before.

The US-born agent has a variety of tools that make him a valuable member for any team composition. Brimstone possesses several Smokes, a Molotov, a Stim buff and a massive air strike à la Nuke. His kit allows him to excel in both defense and offense.

Brimstone Ability Guide: Stim Beacon

Brimstone’s first basic ability is Stim Beacon (Standard C). It allows him to drop a Stim Pack in front of him, which can buff both Brimstone and his teammates. Any teammate who enters the zone of the ability receives the RapidFire buff. This grants:

• 10% increased fire rate
• 10% faster reload
• 10% faster weapon switching
• 10% faster recoil recovery

While 10% may not seem like a lot, it can make the difference between a death and a kill. Stim Beacon lasts for a total of 12 seconds, and the buff lasts for a few seconds when you leave the zone. You have a limit of two Stim Beacons per round with which you can turn the tide. So use them wisely.

Brimstone Ability Guide: Incendiary

Brimstone’s second basic ability is Incendiary (Standard Q). When used, Brimstone equips a grenade launcher and fires a projectile that makes the ground burn. It’s basically a Molotov, like many of us know from other shooters like CS:GO. The molly won’t detonate until it hits the ground. This allows you to do some cool wall bounces and have it land right where the enemy least wants it to. The flames deal 20 damage per second and last for a total of 8.3 seconds. Theoretically, you could do a lot of damage with this, but practice is different. You quickly flee the burning area. However, you can use this to your advantage. Scare up enemies that are hiding in corners and thus provide a clear field of fire. Unfortunately, Incendiary only has one charge per round, but it’s very cheap!

Brimstone Skills Guide: Sky Smoke

Brimstone’s signature ability is Sky Smoke (Standard E). It is basically what the agent is best known for, as it provides massive control over Map. The Smoke allows Brimstone to cover a large portion of the map and place Smokes in up to three locations. When Sky Smoke is used, Brimstone opens a tactical map (which is quite large) and chooses where to drop the smoke. There’s a limit of three uses per round, so it’s entirely up to you whether you use them all at once or one at a time as the round progresses. Additionally, you can still move around while the map is open. So feel free to take your time learning and choosing the perfect smoke positions.

Unlike other signature abilities, Brimstone must spend credits to fully use Sky Smoke. He only gets one free recharge per round. So you can and must decide whether to invest in the ability. Let’s say this though: the smoke grenades are super efficient. You can help your teammates in other positions without leaving yours. You can’t see through the Smokes, so to speak. Unlike Omen, they are also not hollow inside. So better don’t go inside without assistance.

Brimstone Ability Guide: Orbital Strike

Brimstone’s ultimate ability is Orbital Strike (standard X). Upon activation, Brimstone has a tactical map on (the map is HIGHLY larger than Sky Smoke’s) and selects an area. The desired location then experiences the full power of a massive laser air attack, dealing massive damage to anyone in range.

It deals 38 damage per second and it only takes a few seconds to take out a fully armored target. Orbital Strike has a warning time of 2 seconds, during which enemies have time to react and flee. This may be more than enough in most cases, but sometimes you are able to encircle enemies and make it impossible for them to escape. Then it’s a case of: Who burned their pizza in the oven here?

Brimstone Strategy Guide

As we mentioned earlier, Brimstone is often referred to as the one-man army. He has Smokes, he has Buffs, he has a Molly, he has orbital strike over almost the entire map. What’s not to like? An experienced Brimstone who knows the map can be an irreplaceable team member. If you play Brimstone, your main focus should be to provide cover and cause trouble for the enemy team. If you do it well, you can quickly keep the enemy team away from a bomb site for a whole minute. The Agent excels in control, and it’s no wonder he’s considered one of the best picks.

Brimstone Tips

• Stim Beacon works via contact, so you can use it before you turn a corner and thus use the buff for entry frags.
• Use Sky Smoke in such a way that you block passages completely. The enemy has no choice but to wait. Alternatively, you can purposefully leave a small gap and punish the enemy for being curious if you are really waiting for him behind the Smoke and aiming for the corner.
• Orbital Strike is the perfect tool to prevent enemies from laying or disarming the spike.
• Sky Smoke is a brilliant bait in the offensive! Position yourself in front of a Bomb site and use a charge to make the opponents think your team is behind you and you want to start a push.
• Once the Smoke is down, join your team. One of the enemies of the actual target is certainly already rotated.
• Stim Beacon can NOT be destroyed. So if you catch an enemy Brimstone setting it up, don’t shoot! By doing so, you are only announcing your position.
• Sky Smoke takes 3 seconds to hit after activation. So be sure to wait long enough before showing yourself.

This concludes our short guide to the American agent. We hope you found it useful and wish you many well-placed grenades.

Valorant Beginner’s Guide

Overwhelmed with Valorant? No wonder… Without experience in similar games (such as CS:GO or Overwatch) the start in Valorant is difficult. But don’t worry, we are here to help you with our Valorant Beginner Guide.

Valorant is a special game. Many think that getting into the game is easy, but without shooter experience, you’ll quickly be on the ropes. Even CS:GO veterans can get into trouble… In Counter Strike, there are no flying knife-throwing things-people. But that’s why we are here.

This beginner’s guide is meant to help you get started in Valorant and introduce you to the world of Valorant. After that, the most important features should be clear to you, so that the fun in Valorant is not lost.

Valorant Beginner Guide: Basics

Let’s start with the meaning behind the game. In other words: What is Valorant anyway? Valorant is a first-person shooter in which two teams consisting of five players face off. The first team to win 13 rounds wins. Both teams have a different role – attacker and defender.

The goal of the attackers is to place a spike and protect it until detonation. This must happen on one of the three spots (A/B/C). In turn, the defenders must prevent the attackers from doing so.

Each match consists of two halves. After the first half (12 rounds), the two teams switch roles. The attackers become defenders, the defenders become attackers. Easy.

Agents

Before the start of a match, each player must choose an agent. Agents have unique skills, which in most cases also require a certain playstyle (offensive, defensive, support, etc.). Currently there are 16 agents in total, but new agents have already been leaked and should be added soon.

As a new player, you can initially choose between 5 free agents: Brimstone, Phoenix, Sova, Jett and Sage. To unlock more agents, you will have to sign contracts, which is mostly done via Daily Quests or earning experience points.

Valorant Beginner Guide: The best agent to start with

Phoenix is by far the easiest agent to start with in Valorant. His skills are not too complicated, can be combined well in any situation. But watch out with the flashbangs (aka your Q skill)! You’ll probably flashbang yourself and your mates quite often in the beginning, but practice makes perfect!

Valorant Beginner Guide: The best mode to start with

Stay away from Unrated mode for the beginning. This may sound strange, but especially the beginning of Valorant might be hard for you. Frustration will lead to quick quits, which in turn will get you involved in penalties and XP loss. That’s why you should start with Spike Rush first. An average game here lasts 8 minutes, while other modes can easily go over 50 minutes. In Spike Rush, you’ll be quickly released from suffering without having to take any penalties.

In addition, you don’t have to do any eco rounds in Spike Rush. This means that you’ll be able to try out your agents’ abilities, as well as the most varied weapons. Spike Rush is a great mode to learn the basics of Valorant. When you feel like you’re firmly in the saddle, you can try your luck in Unrated mode. After 20 matches in Unrated mode, you’ll gain access to Competitive mode, where you can earn ranks.

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