As a seasoned VALORANT player with years of experience under my belt, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement upon hearing about the arrival of Agent 26, Vyse. After watching duelists like Jett dominate the scene only to be brought down by the cold hand of nerfs, it’s refreshing to see a character designed with a clear focus on punishing aggression.
More recently, duellists in the game VALORANT have emerged from the ruins, having previously thrived under Jett’s powerful rule only to be significantly weakened by nerfs.
In nearly every Ranked game, characters such as Raze, Omen, Neon, Reyna, and even Yoru (for more skilled players) tend to dominate, consistently racking up kills while teammates are struggling to maintain Sentinel control and counter the enemy.
Ascends Vyse, the VALORANT character known as Agent 26, who is primarily built to “retaliate against aggressive one-on-one combatants“.
VALORANT devs reveal Vyse is designed to meet aggression with aggression
At the VCT Champions Seoul event, much like how Sunset was revealed during Los Angeles 2023, Agent 25 makes his entrance into VALORANT.
The first ability to be designed for abuse was Shear, which came before the agent itself, and is intended to cut off the entry duellist by placing a hidden wall that will erect when a player walks through the trap; think Cypher trip wires combined with a Sage wall.
According to Riot Games’ Game Designer Kevin Meier, the aim was to design a Sentinel character, Vyse, who could effectively counter space-hogging duelists without relying heavily on stalling tactics. Essentially, we wanted a character who could retaliate against overly aggressive players who charged in recklessly.
Instead of the usual, Sentinel Vyse doesn’t behave like a standard guardian; instead, she matches aggression with aggression when it comes to defense, using fire to fight fire.
As a gamer, I’d often describe the intricate Vyse setups as a complex spider trap. You’d think you could easily navigate these traps, but once ensnared, they’d deliver a lethal strike without warning.
“We expect her to be great at anchoring space and holding out versus multiple enemies.”
Meier suggested that the best application of Vyse’s gear lies in utilizing its flash function, which operates similar to an Alarmbot. This flash can be positioned on walls, becoming invisible, and setting a trap (symbolized by spider web). Subsequently, Vyse will surprise overzealous opponents by triggering the hidden flash and launching an ambush.
Concerning her ultimate ability, it pays off significantly during aggressive plays as the Steel Garden sprays molten metal across the ground (similar to Fade’s Nightfall). The metal then rises up, momentarily disabling enemy weapons. In essence, this means they can’t shoot you while charging forward without weapons!
Don’t think this is an instant fix to aggressive duellists though, Vyse already sounds like a very “risk-and-reward” Agent, where you can be equally over-aggressive on defence and get punished where a space-holding Sentinel like Cypher and Deadlock might have survived longer.
VALORANT devs hopeful the first flash-Sentinel will balance the agent pool
With Vyse, it may require a sharp intellect to fully utilize its potential, but the creators embrace this challenge and are optimistic that its flash ability will provide the necessary equilibrium, making it effective across various team configurations.
According to Meier, recent modifications in the duelist environment have encouraged players to try out dual Sentinels, leading to the creation of fresh team compositions and strategies for solving VALORANT’s map challenges.
As a gamer, I’m excited about the idea of incorporating a flash into the Sentinel role. I believe this update will keep fostering versatile team setups across different maps, as we ponder and debate what gear we should take along or leave behind to suit each unique playfield.
Vyse will be released on August 28.
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2024-08-23 10:42