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 healer of Valorant – Sage.

Valorant has been out for over a month now and the game has already received numerous patches. Sage has had to take a few nerfs in the last few months, but hasn’t been hit too hard by them and thus remains arguably the most important agent in the game. The support agent is usually a must-have in any team, as all of her abilities can be game-changing.

• READ MORE: Valorant Agent Guide: Cypher

Thanks to her abilities, Sage can single-handedly turn a round around. From healing to slowing, from her barrier to reviving, it really feels like the Chinese agent is a little too good.

Sage Ability Guide: Barrier Orb

Sage’s first ability is the Barrier Sphere (Standard C). It allows you to target an area on the ground and summon an impassable ice wall. This ability has already received several nerfs – among other things, the health of the wall’s individual parts has been reduced from 1000 to 800, the duration has been lowered from 40 to 30 seconds, and the range when used has been reduced from 20 to 10 meters. Despite all this, it remains an extremely useful tool for the entire team.

It can be used to completely block passageways to, for example, bomb sites, protect a teammate, or provide them with a platform from which to reach otherwise unreachable places. The only way to pass through the wall as an enemy is to destroy it. However, since each segment still has 800 health, this takes some time.

Sage Ability Guide: Slow Orb

Sage’s second ability is the slowing sphere (standard Q). The sphere can be thrown and forms a sort of large ice puddle on the ground, slowing down anyone who moves over it. Anyone moving through this puddle will also give themselves away by making noises. Additionally, movements in the air in the area of the puddle are also slowed down, so you can’t avoid the slowdown by bunny-hopping, for example.

So thanks to the slowdown sphere, Sage can block yet another entrance. Here, opponents are left with only two options – either try to rush too fast, which will give them away, or try to cross the puddle slowly. Neither is particularly desirable – and if you catch someone in the puddle, they have little chance of escaping.

Sage Ability Guide: Healing Orb.

Sage’s signature ability is the Healing Sphere (Standard E). It does exactly what you’d expect: heal. You can use it on yourself as well as on an ally. Anyone who receives the healing orb will slowly heal to full health. With a cooldown of 45 seconds, it can be used at least twice per round in most cases. It is also worth mentioning that the healing effect is not cancelled when the target takes damage, but only pauses for two seconds.

The range of the ability has not received any nerfs yet, so it is possible to heal almost any ally in sight. At the time of writing, Sage’s healing orb is the only ability in Valorant that can be used to heal players, but we fully expect Riot to introduce more support agents in the future.

Sage Ability Guide: Resurrection

Sage’s Ulti is Resurrection (Standard X). This ability is incredibly powerful, as it revives a dead teammate with full health. Even though the ability can be used at a distance, you have to be pretty close to the person being revived to be able to use it. The channeling of the ability is quite short, but you should still make sure that there is no enemy nearby, as you are vulnerable to attack while reviving.

Resurrection is one of the strongest abilities in the game, as it can bring back a killed player and thus turn a complete round. Also, there is no random element in her Ulti at all and that is something rare. The only uncertainty that exists is whether the resurrected player will then be of any help.

Sage Strategy Guide

As we mentioned earlier, any of Sage’s abilities can be game-changing. Sage is best used in defense, but she can also take control of a bomb site as an attacker. As a Sage, you lack the mobility and grenades of other agents, so the focus should be on keeping your team alive. Depending on the situation, this can happen by healing, using the Ulti, or creating cover with the ice wall.

Sage Tips

• The healing orb is only limited by the cooldown, so use it as often as possible.
• If you are about to revive someone, it might be a good idea to provide cover with the barrier sphere beforehand.
• Switching between abilities and weapons takes a bit of time, so only do it if you actually want to use the abilities.
• Don’t use your barrier sphere too early in the round, especially as a defender. Opponents might play the round slowly, so the wall will be gone before the attackers even get near it.
• Boost yourself or a teammate with the Barrier Sphere to give yourself an advantage.
• Use the barrier sphere to create an unexpected angle through which you can observe and surprise your opponents.
• When reviving, make sure the area is secured. The Ulti will be wasted if you or the revived are killed right back.

That’s it for our guide to Sage. Keep your team alive and create some surprises with your ice wall!

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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