Valorant
Valorant has evolved significantly since its launch, with its roster of Agents continually expanding and changing the gameplay dynamic. This article explores the most popular Valorant Agents 2024 based on picking rates. This guide reveals the top Agents dominating the game and offers strategic insights to enhance your play style.
Highlights
- Current tiers to pick the best Agent
- Review of each listed Agent
- Our opinion of named Agent's Pros and Cons
This tier list showcases the most popular Valorant Agents 2024, focusing on how each Agent performs across different maps and team compositions.
Valorant Agent Tier List
Viper - S-Tier
Killjoy - S-Tier
Cypher - S-Tier
Skye - A-Tier
Jett - A-Tier
Sova - A-Tier
Omen - A-Tier
Fade - A-Tier
Sage - B-Tier
Gekko - B-Tier
Chamber - B-Tier
Brimstone - B-Tier
Harbor - C-Tier
KAY/O - C-Tier
Yoru - C-Tier
Iso - C-Tier
Neon - C-Tier
Agents Reviews
S-Tier Agents
S-tier Agents are considered the top Valorant Agents. The most powerful and versatile in the current meta. They excel in almost any team composition and are highly effective on virtually every map.
Viper
Viper is the strongest Controller, with abilities that can significantly deny or control space, making her invaluable for team play.
Strengths: Excellent at area denial and control; strong in post-plant situations.
Weaknesses: High learning curve; effectiveness highly dependent on strategic placement of abilities.
In our opinion, Viper excels at area denial and control, with her toxic screen and poison cloud being particularly effective in post-plant situations. Her ultimate can single-handedly secure rounds by denying Spike refusals. However, Viper's effectiveness could be more map-dependent, requiring strategic planning to maximize her utility.
Killjoy continues to be a top Sentinel, with her utility allowing her to control multiple areas effectively. However, recent nerfs have slightly impacted her versatility.
Strengths: Strong site control with gadgets; suitable for holding multiple angles.
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to coordinated attacks; Nerfs have reduced turret's versatility.
As a top Sentinel, Killjoy can hold down sites and control areas with her turrets, alarm bots, and nano swarms. She shines in defensive setups but relies heavily on good positioning. Recent nerfs to her turret have somewhat diminished her versatility.
Cypher has seen a resurgence as a formidable Sentinel, especially after buffs that have enhanced his ability to gather intel and control space.
Strengths: Best for intelligence gathering; robust site anchoring capabilities.
Weaknesses: High skill ceiling for optimal use of utilities; less effective in aggressive play.
We may conclude that Cypher is a master of intelligence gathering, capable of locking down sites with his tripwires and spy camera. His recent buffs have solidified his place in the meta. The main downside is his high skill ceiling, requiring a deep understanding of his utility for optimal placement and use.
A-Tier Agents
According to Valorant Meta Agents 2024, A-tier Agents are excellent choices but might not be as universally applicable as those in the S-tier. They still perform well in most situations and team compositions.
Skye
Skye is valued for her ability to gather intel and support her team with healing. However, recent nerfs have somewhat limited her utility.
Strengths: Provides valuable intel and team healing; versatile initiator.
Weaknesses: Requires coordination with the team; nerfs have limited utility effectiveness.
We'd say that Skye's kit is excellent for gathering intel and healing teammates, making her a strong team player. However, her abilities require precise timing and coordination with teammates, and recent nerfs have limited her flash and healing capabilities.
Despite nerfs to her mobility, Jett remains a highly picked Duelist for her aggressive play potential.
She is known for her mobility and aggressive play potential.
Strengths: High mobility and aggressive play potential; can quickly take or retake control of areas.
Weaknesses: Reduced effectiveness due to nerfs; high skill required for optimal play.
We've noticed Jett allows for dynamic positioning and entry. Her smokes can provide temporary cover, but her recent nerfs, especially to her dash, mean she requires high skill to play effectively.
Sova
Sova is a consistent pick across all levels of play for his ability to gather information and provide utility with his arrows.
Strengths: Superior information gathering; versatile across all maps.
Weaknesses: Requires significant practice for practical ability usage; lineup knowledge essential.
Simple for us, With a kit designed for information gathering and area denial, Sova is invaluable for pre-attack intelligence and post-plant defense. However, mastering his ability lineups requires significant practice, making him a less ideal pick for casual players.
Omen and Fade
Both Agents offer significant utility in controlling vision and providing intel, making them solid picks in many team compositions.
Strengths: Versatile smokes and teleportation abilities; can provide global pressure.
Weaknesses: Smokes require careful placement; ultimately, they can be risky if misused.
Fade
Strengths: Excellent at revealing enemy locations; debuffs can disrupt enemy plays.
Weaknesses: Indirect abilities require teamwork to capitalize on; they are less effective in solo engagements.
However, as we encountered, Omen's smoke and teleportation abilities make him a versatile Controller capable of surprising enemies and supporting his team from afar. His ultimate can be game-changing if used cleverly. Nonetheless, his smoke requires a strategic placement to be effective, ultimately putting him at risk if not used wisely. Simulationasely, Fade's abilities for scouting and debuffing enemies make her a strong Initiator. Her ultimate can turn the tide of a round by revealing and weakening opponents. However, her reliance on indirect abilities means she might need support in confrontations.
B-Tier Agents
B-tier Agents are considered underpowered compared to their peers or rely heavily on specific maps or team compositions to succeed.
Sage
Sage is known for her supportive capabilities, offering heals and the ability to control choke points with her wall.
Strengths: Only Agents with a heal and resurrection can significantly delay enemy pushes.
Weaknesses: Lacks offensive capabilities; wall can be used against her team.
We like Sage's healing and resurrection abilities, which make her a key support player, and her barrier can change the course of an attack or defense. However, she lacks offensive capabilities, and her wall can sometimes be used against her team by savvy opponents.
Gekko
Gekko has unique skills that allow for plant/defuse assistance and blinding enemies, making him a viable but not top-tier pick.
Strengths: Unique abilities for plant/defuse scenarios; can blind enemies.
Weaknesses: Lacks direct intel gathering compared to other Initiators.
Once more, Gekko's abilities make him fun to play and offer various tactics for attacking and defending. His recent buffs have made him more viable. However, he still needs to gain the information-gathering capabilities of other Initiators like Sova and Skye.
Chamber
Chamber retains some popularity as a Sentinel, focusing on dealing damage and controlling space. However, he has been nerfed since his release.
Strengths: Good at holding angles with teleportation and traps; strong in defensive play.
Weaknesses: Recent nerfs have limited his damage-dealing potential; he requires strategic foresight.
In our opinion, Chamber's teleportation and trap abilities make him a strong pick for holding angles and surprising enemies. His nerfs have reduced his dominance, but he remains a solid choice for defensive play. However, his utility requires foresight and can be less effective against coordinated rushes.
Brimstone provides strong smoke coverage and area denial, though he lacks the versatility of other Controllers in specific scenarios.
Strengths: Strong area denial with smokes and orbital strikes; stim beacon boosts team fights.
Weaknesses: Smokes do not recharge, limiting his utility in prolonged rounds.
We know how Brimstone's smokes and orbital strikes provide firm area control, and his stim beacon can boost team fights. However, his smokes don't recharge, limiting his utility in long rounds, and he requires good strategic knowledge to be used effectively.
C-Tier Agents
C-tier Agents are considered weak picks in the current meta, lacking distinct advantages over others.
Harbor
Harbor offers robust vision-blocking utility, but his effectiveness is significantly reduced in less coordinated play.
Strengths: Effective in pro play with coordinated teams; vision-blocking solid utility.
Weaknesses: Less effective in the solo queue; requires team coordination for full potential.
We valued Harbor's vision-blocking utility, which is vital in coordinated play. However, his effectiveness drops in solo queues where coordination could be more reliable. His ultimate is robust but requires strategic use to maximize its potential.
KAY/O has a strong kit for individual plays but doesn't excel in a solo queue environment due to recent nerfs.
Strengths: Can suppress enemy abilities; grenades and ultimate provide playmaking potential.
Weaknesses: Recent Nerfs have made him less effective; he relies on team setups for full utility.
However, KAY/O's ability to suppress enemy abilities can change the game's flow, and his grenades and ultimate are potent tools. However, his recent nerfs have made him less effective in solo play, and he requires teamwork to utilize his kit.
Yoru
Despite having a versatile kit, Yoru often finds himself outclassed by other Duelists who offer more reliable movement and utility.
Strengths: Can create high-impact plays with teleportation and decoys; potential for misdirection.
Weaknesses: It requires precise setup and coordination; other duelists offer more reliable utility.
In our view, Yoru has the potential for high-impact plays with his teleportation and decoys. Still, he requires precise timing and support from teammates. His playstyle can be predictable, and other Duelists often offer more reliable utility.
Iso and Neon
Both Agents offer unique advantages but need help to stand out in the Duelist role. Iso's team-based utility needs to compensate for his weaknesses compared to Reyna. At the same time, Neon's speed and electric abilities require specific map knowledge and teamwork to be effective.
Strengths: Iso offers more team-based utility; Neon excels in speed and map mobility.
Weaknesses: Struggle to stand out among Duelists; specific map knowledge and teamwork required.
However, in our experience, Iso aims to be team-oriented but is often overshadowed by Reyna's more effective solo playstyle. He needs to offer unique utility to stand out among Duelists.
Neon's speed and abilities are unique, but she struggles on many maps against Duelists with more straightforward skills. Her effectiveness heavily relies on team coordination.
How Picking Rates Influence the Valorant Meta
Valorant Agent Picking Rates significantly influence the game's meta, shaping how teams are composed and strategies are formed. Agents with high picking rates often indicate a strong fit within the current meta, demonstrating effectiveness across various maps and scenarios. These Agents typically offer versatility, robust utility, or the ability to swing rounds in their team's favor. Conversely, Agents with lower picking rates might need help finding their place in the meta, possibly due to niche abilities, higher skill requirements, or recent nerfs affecting their effectiveness. For example, the best solo queue Agents can be found in this article.
The meta evolves as Riot Games releases patches that tweak Agent abilities or even how many Valorant Agents exist, aiming to balance gameplay. Changes in picking rates can lead to shifts in the meta as players and teams adapt to the new strengths and weaknesses of the Agent roster. High pick rates can also lead to counter-strategies, as teams anticipate facing these popular Agents and prepare specific tactics to mitigate their impact. Thus, picking rates reflect the current state of the Valorant meta and drive its evolution, encouraging a dynamic competitive environment where adaptability and strategic planning are essential.
Summary
The dynamics of Agent tiers in Valorant are highly influenced by the game's frequent updates, which include buffs, nerfs, and the introduction of new Agents. These changes aim to maintain game balance and freshness, ensuring that every Agent remains dominant for a short time.
For example, Agents like Killjoy and Cypher have seen utility and pick rate fluctuations due to adjustments in their abilities, impacting their placement in tier lists. Similarly, the introduction of Agents such as Fade brought new strategies into play, shifting the meta and influencing the rankings of existing Agents.
The constant evolution of Agents through patches highlights Riot Games' commitment to a balanced competitive environment, where strategic diversity and player skill determine success. This ongoing adjustment process encourages players to adapt and explore different Agents, keeping the game dynamic and engaging.
