Valorant Guide: How to play Duelists

Let’s take a look at how you can become the best duelist in !

Duelist agents are the most represented among the players in Valorant. This is because they have the highest chances of scoring kills. Duelists’ utility is designed to attack opponents head-on. But if you don’t know how to best use a duelist’s abilities, you won’t realize the agent’s true potential. So let’s take a look at how to play duelists in Valorant!

Valorant Duelist Agent Overview

There are 6 duelist agents in Valorant. Their skills may be different, but all Duelists have the same tactics and strategies for attack and defense. If you want to read about each duelist and their abilities, you can do so here:

  • Jett | Phoenix | Raze | Reyna | Yoru | Neon

How to attack with duelists in Valorant

When it comes to attacking, duelists are simply best. The Duelist’s role in the attack is to act as an entry fragger, taking the place easily and quickly until the enemies reposition themselves. This requires a really aggressive play style, so be prepared to have to pull out your most blatant Aim. Some of the duelist agents require great team strategies, though.

For example, if you play with Jett on Bind and attack Site A there, you can Smoke out the U-Hall, run to the column, and take control of all the enemies positioned there. Once the Smoke wears off, you can easily take out enemy players who are camped there. However, while doing so, your team must also be prepared to rush the site and take out all the enemies there.

Be aggro! | ©

Similar strategies can apply to other duelist agents. With Raze, you can send the Boom-Bot into the U-Hall, and while it’s looking for enemies, you can go to the column. Note, however, that you shouldn’t just walk straight ahead, but look for enemies on the right. Or you can rush in with your explosive packs. These strategies apply to other maps as well, for example, if you’re attacking Site A on Split, you could smoke out the corridor leading to that location, send out a bot, or flash while you’re rushing to secure Heaven so the team can take control and plan.

Here’s how to defend with Duelists in Valorant.

Defending just isn’t right for Duelists. They are more focused on offense than defense. But that doesn’t mean you should just give up on the game, because there are still ways you can help your team. Your job as a duelist on defense is to keep the enemies away with your abilities until your team rotates for a fair fight.

You can use Reyna’s or Yoru’s Blinds and Flashes to make the enemies back off, or throw Raze’s Grenade into closed corridors, openings and angles, which is quite useful for a short time. If you manage to buy enough time with your abilities until your entire team is on the scene, you should wait for the enemies to enter and kill every single one of them.

Keep your enemies at bay! | © Riot Games, Screencapture

Valorant Duelist’s and Tricks

Even if you’ve read the , there are still some duelist tips and tricks you should know:

  • Practice your Aim: A duelist is nothing without Aim. Playing aggressively requires good aim and reflexes, so you should hit the practice range.
  • Use your skills: Some duelists hold back out of fear and wait for their team to make the first move. You are the one who should push first, so don’t be afraid to use your skills and aim for a kill.
  • Play and communicate with your team: if you want to push with a duelist, your team needs to be on the same level as you to have your back and push forward together with you.
  • Strategies with tacticians and initiators: Before taking control of the bomb site, you should wait until the initiators have received information about the enemies and the tacticians have placed their Smokes to seal off potential off-angles.

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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