Published on: 29/08/2021

VALORANT Classes Explained

VALORANT Classes Overview

What makes VALORANT different from other shooters is its unique agents and engaging gameplay. Riot Games never seems to disappoint when it comes to developing a game to appease a specific audience. The game continues to attract the interest of players and streamers and now has over 14 million monthly players. With a massive growth in its competitive scene, VALORANT now stands among the top esports tournaments.

VALORANT is an intense tactical FPS. In a constant rush between attack and defense, victory heavily depends on team compositions. A good team comp must consist of agents from different classes to give an advantage on offense and defense. Due to this, there is a need to have the VALORANT classes explained.

There are currently 16 agents in VALORANT, and each agent belongs to a class. The four existing classes are Duelists, Controllers, Initiators and Sentinels. Duelists are the fighters on the team. Controllers have a significant impact on the map by providing utility. Initiators help set up their team by gathering information or infiltrating. Sentinels are defensive experts who prevent flanks and help lockdown areas.

Compared to titles like Overwatch and Paladins, VALORANT ensures that you take advantage of each class. Victory is mainly dependent on how stylishly you can combine agents in different classes.

Although Overwatch and Paladins are also team-based, they are more hero focused. A hero in the hands of a very skilled player can significantly impact the outcome of matches. VALORANT requires multiple classes to work together, and it is much harder for one player to win alone.

New players don’t need to worry as below you will find the VALORANT classes explained further with a breakdown of the agents that belong to them.

Duelists Class Overview

Duelists are the agents that create most of the impact. They have damaging skills, high mobility and self-sustainability to keep them in the fight. Duelists are described as “self-sufficient fraggers.” Agents in the duelist class should be able to seek out engagements and make aggressive plays. Here is a list of the VALORANT Duelists:

• Jett
• Phoenix
• Raze
• Reyna
• Yoru

Controllers Class Overview

Controllers are agents that can change the state of the round by providing setups for their teammates. They can deploy slow fields, smoke screens, stuns and other vision-impairing abilities. These skills can be used defensively or offensively to give the team the needed advantage. Here is a list of the available Controllers:

• Astra
• Brimstone
• Omen
• Viper

Initiators Class Overview

Initiators help disrupt the enemy team. As the name suggests, they also find the perfect situations to initiate fights. They have the ability to disorientate the enemy and disrupt their positioning to give the team an upper hand. These are the available VALORANT Initiators:

• Breach
• KAY/O
• Skye
• Sova

Sentinels Class Overview

The Sentinel agents are the support and defensive experts. They help their team lock down areas while protecting them from enemy advances. These agents are crucial when it comes to securing locations. Sentinels rarely have offensive skills and therefore rely on gunplay to get kills. Sentinels in VALORANT include:

• Cypher
• Killjoy
• Sage