Valorant: Beginners guide – Gameplay mechanics you need to know

The Valorant tutorial does a good job of helping you understand the basics of the game. It also helps you to alter your mouse sensitivity, and get a feel for the basic controls. But it doesn’t give you some essential information you need to know to get better at the game. This Valorant beginner’s guide will introduce you to some important gameplay mechanics, as well as provide some more tips to help you win matches.

Knives out

If you’re a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player, you’ll be familiar with this first tip. You run faster with a knife in your hand. So, try to always pull your knife out when you’re moving or rotating in a safe area. Even if you’re walking silently as you approach an angle, get your knife out while you’re hidden from view. It’ll save you precious seconds.

This is why knife cosmetics are so expensive in CS:GO. Players have them out more than any other weapon. The more you get to show it off, the more you must pay for it. The same will probably be true in Valorant.

Another good thing to know is that various weapons also have different movement speeds. SMGs and Sidearms, except for the Shorty and Sheriff, are the next fastest after the knife. The Shorty and Sheriff come next, along with the Rifles and Shotguns. Finally, the Heavies and Snipers are the slowest. You should always have a knife out while rotating with these powerful, but cumbersome guns. Or you might want to walk around with a pistol if you feel threatened. As a basic guide in Valorant, the heavier or more awkward a gun looks, the slower you will run while carrying it.

Stormtrooper accuracy

Speaking of running around, in Valorant, you are less accurate while running and walking. But the time it takes for you to reach 100% accuracy once you stop moving is quick. So, practice waiting that fraction of a second it takes to stop before firing. The practice range is your best friend when it comes to learning this mechanic.

Shhhhhh

Still dealing with movement mechanics, while running you make a lot of noise. Enemies can hear you coming from a long way off. When you’re trying to hide information about your movement, you need to walk. To see exactly how far the audio from your footstep’s travels, you can look the minimap for guidance. There’s a giant grey ring around your player when you run. So, as you’re attacking a bomb site or rotating, be mindful of where players might be and what it will mean for you if they hear you.

Shoot the walls

Valorant has bullet penetration, so your shots can kill enemies through some materials. And some weapons are better and penetrating walls than others. Low-penetration weapons can only shoot through wooden objects. Medium-penetration weapons can shoot through wood and stone objects. And only high-penetration weapons can shoot through metal objects. Some objects in the game are just impenetrable. Check out the image below to see how to tell when your bullets are penetrating.

Spider webs mean bullets aren’t going through. Holes mean bullets are penetrating.

You can also keep an eye out for the spark that indicates your bullet ricocheted off the wall and didn’t penetrate. There’s also a different audio cue for a bullet going through an object or ricocheting.

Do the math

You need to get used to managing your economy throughout a Valorant match. You can’t buy everything you want each round. And you definitely should not be buying expensive gear if your team can’t afford to do the same. Valorant is a team game, and you need to all be on the same page.

Here are the numbers you need to know to help manage your economy. You start a match with 800 Creds. Winning a round will earn you 3,000 Creds, while losing will earn you 1,900. Losing two rounds in a row will earn you an additional 500 Creds. If your losing streak goes over two rounds, you will get a bonus 1,000 Creds at the start of the round. You also get 200 Creds for a kill and 300 Creds for a Spike plant.

Arguably the best two weapons in the game are the Vandal and the Phantom. So, purchasing either of these two weapons and Heavy armor would be considered a full buy. You need 3,900 Creds to do this, because the Vandal and Phantom cost 2,900 Creds, and Heavy armor costs 1,000. Here’s a simple rule to follow: if your team wants to save, do not buy gear that will cause you to have less than 3,900 Creds in your bank for the next round.

Fortunately, Valorant tells you the minimum number of Creds you will have in the following round.

The right agent for the job

The agents in Valorant excel at different tasks — some are better on offense, while others shine on defense. Some can hide your allies from enemies, others can brute force their way onto sites. The remaining few can provide you with all the information you need to win.

With the launch of Valorant, Riot divided the agents into four different roles: Duelists, Initiators, Sentinels, and Controllers. Take a look at which agent does what in the Valorant beginners guide infographic below, then decide who suits your playstyle and take them for a spin:

If you haven’t seen our first Valorant beginners guide, be sure to check it out. It’s got loads of tips and tricks to help you improve your gameplay, aim, and movement.