In Riot Games’ VALORANT, reign strategies supreme, but it’s your sharpshooting and tactical prowess that will ensure your survival. While the game’s unique characters bring an array of abilities to the battlefield, victory hinges on marksmanship and strategic insight akin to what players experience in the classic shooter CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), rather than the ability-focused gameplay featured in other titles like Overwatch.
Frequenting the spectator screen in VALORANT can be discouraging, but don’t lose heart. A few Valorant tricks and honing your techniques can elevate your gameplay, allowing you to take down your adversaries with precision.
How can I get better at Val?
#1 Adjust Graphics Settings
Before diving into advanced techniques and strategies, it’s necessary to fine-tune your settings for improved gameplay performance. Proper adjustments can provide a competitive edge in ranking. This involves setting the best sensitivity for you, selecting an effective crosshair, and configuring your video options to achieve high frame rates. Our comprehensive guide, which discusses the optimal VALORANT configurations, is valuable. It’s been inspired by setups used by top-tier professional players and serves as an excellent baseline for beginners. Make sure to give it a read.
#2 Use a VPN
How do you win Val? Take every opportunity to optimize the game, improve your skills, and maximize your resources. VPN for Valorant can offer an improved gaming experience, namely reduced lag. A VPN can also provide switching to other game servers, which are sometimes faster and with lower ping. As for whether you you can play Valorant with a VPN – yes, it is possible and legal. The only difficulty is choosing a good provider. It could be VeePN, especially since it has a free trial period.
#3 Selecting an Agent Must Be Weighted
When you begin your venture into the game, you’re initially equipped with a team of five Agents: Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Sova, and Sage. This diverse lineup includes two duelists, Jett and Phoenix, known for their combative flair. The rest, belonging to distinct tactical categories, are Brimstone as the Controller, Sova as the Initiator, and Sage as the Sentinel.
As part of the welcoming perks, the ‘Play to Unlock’ contract grants you the opportunity to add two more agents to your roster—one upon reaching 7,000 XP and the subsequent one at 12,000 XP. Following this introductory phase, unlocking each additional Agent will require dedicated gameplay, with a steep 200,000 XP needed for each Agent Contract.
#4 Sit Still
If you’re coming into Valorant with a background of high-octane shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield, you’ll need to adapt your approach. In those games, charging across the battlefield and unleashing a barrage of bullets from your hip might serve you well, but Valorant requires a more calculated strategy.
The laws of physics in Valorant paint a different picture for gunplay: moving and shooting simultaneously will cause your bullets to spray haphazardly, even when using the aim-down-sights feature. Precision is key, so pausing and anchoring yourself before taking a shot is vital.
#5 Communicate With Your Team
Success in Valorant hinges greatly on communication, even when focusing on solo play. You can use at least the in-game chat, Discord, or a web service. Of course, anything related to web services may require an Edge lite VPN to secure the channel, but the importance of communication trumps all that. The impact of precise callouts and sharing enemy locations can’t be overstated – these actions alone could tilt the scales in your team’s favor.
If your teammates are often quiet during a match, take the lead. Effective communication fosters teamwork, and even though you’re playing solo, establishing strong coordination can boost your rank.
#6 From the Hip
In most shooter games, shooting from the hip is not typically the best strategy. However, in Valorant, if you’re well-planted with a dependable crosshair, then aiming down your sights (ADS) should be your preferred approach when maneuvering around corners. ADS enhances accuracy but slows your rate of fire. This trade-off is beneficial for long-range engagements, but at close range where a single shot could decide the outcome, staying unscoped provides a wider field of view and a quicker rate of fire, which is crucial if you encounter more than just a Sage lurking around the bend.
#7 Find the Perfect Mouse Sensitivity
Your mouse sensitivity is a pivotal aspect of your Valorant experience. Beginners will find a sensitivity setting of 1600 dpi and 0.35 in-game sensitivity a great starting point.
You can fine-tune this arrangement via your mouse software or directly in the game’s options to suit your personal preference. Enabling the RawInputBuffer feature in Valorant’s settings is also recommended for heightened mouse accuracy and feedback.
Conclusion
Although immediate results may not be evident, perseverance in applying these strategies will gradually assist you in ascending the ranks of Valorant, enabling you to proudly display your progression to peers—provided that you don’t encounter the exasperating matchmaking issues with significantly higher-ranked adversaries. Moreover, as you diligently practice and advance through the Valorant tiers, don’t forget that you could simultaneously be earning complimentary rewards from Buff!
