In Valorant, each Agent belongs to a specific role that defines their strengths, abilities, and overall approach when engaging in combat.

Knowing the goal behind each role can help you find the Agent that best suits your playstyle and contributes effectively to your team.

This is the main pillar of ranked success as it ensures a high level of consistency which is the key to success in Valorant.

Understanding roles in Valorant

In order to accurately find your Valorant in-game role, you need to gain a solid understanding of the in-game classes by knowing their role and goals in-game.

This will maximize your in-game impact as you’ll have a clearer idea of your in-game responsibilities with every Agent you play.

Why do roles exist in Valorant?

The main purpose of dividing Agents into roles is to create teams that are equipped to deal with a wide variety of in-game scenarios.

Simply put, well-balanced teams have several strategic approaches when it comes to attacking and defending objectives.

Given that each Agent role brings a unique pool of abilities to the table, they enable teams to excel in fragging, rotations, and map control.

On top of that, the class structure makes Agent selection a much easier process given that teams can easily draft well-rounded team compositions.

Usually, team comps in Valorant consist of every Agent role plus one that is best suited for tactical gameplay on that specific map (eg. an additional controller on Split)

What roles are there in Valorant

Duelists

Duelists are Agents who represent the spearhead of combat, engaging with opponents heads-on while allowing the rest of the team to enter sites undisrupted.

Generally flashy, duelists are easily capable of leaving any opponent in the mud when fighting one-on-one, which is why they generally require a high level of mechanical play.

This is because of their ability to outplay and outmaneuver enemies which makes them invaluable in the right hands of a person who understands the optimal Duelist playstyle.

In Valorant, there are currently seven duelists:

Phoenix (Fiery abilities that heal Phoenix and damage enemies)

Jett (Flashy knife-wielder relying on her various mobility abilities to outplay opponents)

Reyna (Unstoppable killing machine that heals and powers up with every kill)

Neon (Uses an electrifying approach with zapping and zooming instead of shooting)

Yoru (Outplays and deceives enemies with his clones and teleportation abilities)

Raze (Overwhelms other Agents due to the raw firepower of her explosives)

Iso (Uses an interdimensional rift to draw out enemies in 1vs1 combat)

Why you should play Duelists

Make risky plays

If you love making cocky plays and being the top fragger, the Duelist class is perfect for you.

This is because the entire class is designed to excel in engaging combat as Duelist kits often contain an ability that is specifically designed for 1vs1 combat.

Take Phoenix’s ultimate for example which lets him cheat death or Iso’s ultimate which teleports him and an opponent to a remote arena.

Abilities like this allow you to be extra aggressive when playing Duelists which will be rewarded if your mechanical play is at a high level.

Create space

Even though Duelists might seem like brainless Agents whose sole purpose is to get as many kills as possible, their strategic importance in Valorant is essential.

This is because you’re responsible for creating space for other Agents when playing this role.

Creating space for your team essentially means causing a massive distraction due to your aggression that takes your opponents’ attention.

Given that their crosshairs will primarily be aimed at you, your team will be able to freely enter sites and push for advantage.

Fight on the frontline

It’s common knowledge that Duelist kits are designed to contain a certain level of self-sufficient abilities that allow them to sustain while maintaining their aggression.

Even though abilities like these might seem selfish on paper as they don’t directly provide your teammates with any strategic benefits, they allow you to stay on the front lines longer, thus creating more space in the process.

Controllers

Controllers are a class of Agents who aim to shape the battlefield by using their abilities to manage the flow of combat.

This primarily revolves around dictating combat by controlling vision and dictating sightlines, which allows the team to rotate around the map safely.

Controllers are pivotal when it comes to overall team strategy as their abilities such as smokes and walls define the strategic approach during both the attack and defense phases.

As of today, there are 6 controllers:

Brimstone (Bulky commander who controls combat with explosive barrages and smokes)

Viper (Toxic mistress that utilizes poisonous gas to control and eliminate opposition)

Astra (Controls the battlefield with the usage of her astral smokes and stars)

Omen (Deceives and outplays opponents with his unique teleportation abilities)

Harbor (Harnesses the power of tidal might to damage opponents and assist allies)

Clove (Engages head-first instead of staying back due to their ability to cheat death)

Why you should play Controllers

Power in versatility

Controllers are Agents who define fights due to their ability to zone teams and Agents out because of their utility.

This makes them invaluable in terms of area control as they’re capable of using abilities such as Viper’s chemical cloud or Harbor’s concussion blows to disrupt enemies.

Consequently, this creates space for other members of the squad to capitalize on the chaos created by a Controller’s abilities by eliminating enemies.

This applies to defending sites and attacking them as well given that Controllers possess an abundance of versatility in both scenarios.

Make strategic outplays

If you’re someone who prefers the strategic side of Valorant such as Agents’ abilities rather than mechanics such as aim and movement, switching to the Controller class might be perfect for you.

Agents in this class can outplay their opponents without being particularly skilled at aiming because of the sheer power of their abilities.

What’s more, understanding the usage of powerful wall abilities will allow you to outplay your opponents and know how to maneuver around your opponents’ walls.

Zone denial

Disrupting your opponents in defending and attacking scenarios is crucial when it comes to securing that clutch headshot and winning the game.

If you want to contribute to your team’s lethality on the battlefield by strategically outplaying your opponents, look no further than Controllers.

These Agents possess zone denial abilities in their arsenal such as Astra’s concussing pulse or Clove’s decaying fragment that prevents enemies from accessing certain areas that are advantageous such as high grounds.

Initiators

If being at the forefront of the combat is your cup of tea but Duelists aren’t, Initiators are a role worth looking at.

Much like their name suggests, your job as an Initiator is to kickstart fights with the usage of offensive abilities that provide your team space to fight your opponents freely.

This naturally makes Duelists and Initiators best friends, as Initiators create space for duelists while Duelists use it to wipe out opponents. 

There are currently six initiators in Valorant, those being:

Breach (Uses seismic powers to disrupt opponents with powerful stuns and blasts)

Sova (Tracks, disrupts, and eliminates targets with his high-tech bow)

Skye (Scout that uses her animal trinkets to reveal and disrupt her opponents)

KAY/O (Uses his high-tech kit to blind and concuss his enemies)

Fade (Chases and terrorizes opponents with nightmares and fear)

Gekko (Outmaneuvers and disrupts opponents by utilizing his companions)

Why you should play Initiators

Dominate through crowd control

If your playstyle is teamwork-oriented while remaining aggressive, Initiators present a unique blend of offensive abilities mixed with hard crowd control.

When attacking, these abilities create openings in enemy defenses, allowing your team to push forward and secure objectives.

On the other hand, they are just as useful at repelling opponents, given that they can delay and disrupt pushes, buying your team the crucial time to regroup or rotate.

This versatility will make you an essential component of every team comp when playing Initiators, ensuring you can control the flow of every round regardless of the circumstances.

Set up plays

Initiators are the perfect role for players who want to make a big impact on the battlefield with effective usage of abilities.

This is because most of the Agents in this role have game-changing abilities such as stunning and displacing enemies which allows your teammates to make plays uninterrupted.

Communication is extremely important in this regard as you constantly need to be on the same page with your teammates, especially your Duelists who are the main culprits of securing kills and capitalizing on openings.

Gather intel

Initiators are unique Agents in the sense that they provide the entire team with invaluable information in the shape of intel on enemies.

Abilities like Sova’s Recon Arrow or Gekko’s Wingman bestow you and your teammates with the knowledge of your opponent’s position, which gains insight into their rotations and intentions.

This allows your team to adapt the positions strategically so you can get the upper hand over your opponents before the gunfight even begins.

Sentinels

For some players, the ideal method of winning in Valorant is by locking down sites and supporting their teammates with utility spells.

If teamwork sounds like dreamwork to you, Sentinels are the ideal Valorant class you should try out.

These Agents utilize a myriad of tools to assist and empower allies such as healing and shielding, acting as the backbone of every potent team.

Sentinel Agents are designed to excel in control-oriented scenarios where they’re holding sites with the usage of spells that fortify defenses and stop opponents from progressing. 

Valorant currently features five Sentinels: 

Killjoy (Deploys robotic gadgets to control and dominate the battlefield)

Cypher (Utilizes surveillance to spy on opponents and set up traps)

Deadlock (Controls the map through heavy-CC abilities that slow and concuss)

Chamber (Represents offensive utility with an impressive arsenal of weapons)

Sage (Heals, shields, and even resurrects allies that have fallen in combat)

Why you should play Sentinels

Defensive play

Sentinels are a perfect Valorant class to pick up if you’re someone who enjoys defending sites and protecting an objective rather than rushing it and chasing frags.

Their abilities are perfect for controlling and locking down specific areas of the map with fortification abilities such as Sage’s Barrier Orb that prevent movement and sightlines.

Moreover, even though abilities such as Killjoy’s turrets require a lot of setup, they’re very rewarding in terms of damage output if they’re set up well.

This is why defending is such a strength of the Sentinel role, given that you have more time to set up your traps since you’re the one holding down a site.

Supporting kits

Winning is not all about flashy plays, precise aim, and taking out opponents, as a Sentinel's support can often make a key difference when it comes to winning matches.

Whether it’s through gathering information on enemies by spying on them like Cypher or directly healing and resurrecting allies like Sage, Sentinels play a crucial role when it comes to ensuring their team’s success.

Furthermore, Sentinel Agents often boast strong defensive abilities or passive traits that further enhance the teammates’ effectiveness in offensive and defensive scenarios, which makes them versatile as well.

Providing security

Your task as a Sentinel is unique because you constantly provide security to your teammates through valuable intel and consistent map control.

Oftentimes, you have to think for several people at once on your team when playing Sentinel as you have to ensure your team doesn’t get flanked or outrotated.

Communication is essential in this process as you want to constantly remind your teammates of the opponent’s position and their potential future rotations.

However, this does have an upside of allowing your teammates to focus on their roles and mechanical play rather than paying that much attention to in-game macro, which can easily elevate their in-game performance