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Picking Your First Agent

In most situations in Valorant the agent that you choose to play is not necessarily a big deal. It will matter at the higher tiers of the games ranking but generally as long as the player is flexible the agent you choose is unlikely to change the course of the game. There is no "one true agent".

However, the very first agent that you choose to unlock and play with will create an initial impression of the game and there are certain agents that are better for newcomers.

Top 5 Best First Agents#

Omen#

KAY/O#

KAY/O receives abilities that are almost identical copies of the utility in Counter Strike (CS). In addition, KAY/O's knife ability and ultimate disable the abilities of the enemy team. This makes KAY/O excellent for players who are transitioning over from CS.

Reyna#

Reyna is a very impactful agent with very powerful abilities when playing against new players. In addition, Reyna has a very simple order of operations in order to get kills.

  1. Throw a leer near the edge of a corner
  2. Kill an enemy
  3. Press Q to heal or press E to dismiss
  4. Go back to step 1

No other agent has as simple as a playstyle while having as much impact. While Reyna may not be as viable in higher ranks, for new players she can be a force of nature in the right hands.

Phoenix#

Jett#

Jett is difficult to recommend as a first agent because you need to know how to play Jett effectively in order to do well. It becomes a bit of a chicken and egg problem. However because Jett can be so impactful and forgiving, Jett deserves a spot on the best first agents list. However only for those with previous FPS experience.

Top 5 Worst First Agents

Raze#

Raze is a difficult first agent and a difficult agent to use overall. Raze's satchel should be used a specific way in order for it to be effective and this satcheling technique is not something easily tranfered over from other games.

Yoru#

Viper#

Viper is the only controller with a molly. However in exchange for this damage dealing ability, Viper's wall ability can only be put down once and cannot be redone/undone. In addition, her mollies are best used as lineups with pre-existing knowledge of the map and game. There are other controllers who are more forgiving and more flexible (e.g. Omen).

Cypher#

Cypher's abilities often make use of knowledge of the map and tactical plays revolving around his camera. Because Cypher isn't much of a pick up and play agent, he is difficult to recommend as a first agent.

Sage#

Teams often like to have new players play Sage because the new player can heal the more experienced players. This is generally a bad idea because Sage's abilities can have a lot of value beyond healing. In addition, Sage abilities should be well timed or well placed making it more difficult for newcomers to play correctly.