5 VALORANT Agents That Need Buffs
VALORANT’s meta is changing constantly with every patch. An ability-based game should ideally fit each character with even checks and balances – unfortunately, some VALORANT agents slip through the cracks. Here are a few VALORANT agents that deserve a little extra love. Let’s explore what limitations make their kits weak and why Riot Games should consider buffing them in the future.
Omen
Omen is an original VALORANT agent beloved by many. He has cycled in and out of the meta during VALORANT’s growth but remained a relatively consistent pick until his significant one-way nerf in Patch 6.0. The nerf completely changed how Omen places his smokes so they can no longer hang within the edges of walls and eliminated the reliable smoke lineups of countless devoted players.
Omen’s main draw was originally his ability to place smokes precisely – he is no longer as strong as other Controller options like Astra and Brimstone since his limited smokes are smaller and don’t last as long. His Paranoia helps him lurk effectively, but Shadowed Step is challenging to use due to its long cooldown and obvious sound cues. Omen’s current predicament is especially painful because every avid player can remember his glory days, and so many are fans of his endearing lore and appealing character design. Who doesn’t love a grumpy interdimensional being named Fred that knits?
KAY/O
Riot Games
In theory, KAY/O has it all – a customizable flash, damaging grenade and information knife are all part of his varied and flexible kit. However, the sad reality is he is weak in the current meta. KAY/O’s grenade only has a singular charge and deals very little damage with a small radius. In addition, his information knife can find a general location of enemies and suppress their abilities, but is far less precise than other information utilities and extremely easy to shoot.
Everything KAY/O can do, another initiator can do better – Gekko’s molly is far superior, Skye has more flexible flashes and Fade and Sova can pinpoint where enemies are. His one saving grace is his ult – but even then, it simply denies abilities and must be capitalized upon by teammates for a successful push. KAY/O cannot make as much impact with his kit as other agents, regardless of player skill, so he deserves a healthy buff.
Astra
Astra’s smokes are her kit’s main draw. They are precise, easy to place and larger than Omen’s or Brimstone’s. However, while her other utility is ideal for post-plant it provides very little value otherwise. Players can easily bait out her Nova Pulse and hug the edge of her Gravity Well to avoid its inward pull. Astra’s Cosmic Divide ultimate is handy enough on extremely closed sites like Haven’s A site, but these opportunities for use are few and far between. It also does little to deny pushes besides blocking vision and is easy to get through.
Harbor
Harbor’s utility is especially useful in the right hands. His cove is handy for planting, and his High Tide and Cascade can cut off visibility and provide a mild slowing effect to enemies passing through them. Sounds great, right? Wrong – High Tide and Cascade are easy to push through, and his ultimate is arguably the most useless in the entire game. For the cost of seven ult points, Harbor’s Reckoning ability will appear in small circles around enemies in a selected area and maybe scare them a little (if you’re lucky) before concussing anyone it hits for 2 seconds.
These Reckoning geysers are laughably easy to avoid, and unless enemies are in a specific corner they have to swing from, they do very little to aid in retakes and pushes. Harbor’s cove alone makes him a worthwhile pick for competitive play – but the rest of his kit is weak and there is no reason his surrounding abilities should not be just as balanced.
Sova
Riot Games
Sova is not in as bad a spot as other agents on this list but has still fallen out of favor for other initiators such as Skye, Breach and Gekko. His utility is viable in competitive play, but Skye’s Trailblazer and Fade’s Prowler have become preferable to Sova’s drone, especially since they concuss and nearsight the enemies they hit. Sova’s recon provides precise information on enemy locations but has a long cooldown that often lets enemies catch him unaware.
Another reason Sova suffers in the current VALORANT ecosystem is his shock darts as they have weak damage when hitting an enemy with their outer radius and are difficult to aim. A perfectly placed shock dart can deal 75 damage – but only if it strikes within 1.5 meters of an enemy’s position. Otherwise, the dart will deal between 1 and 75. Sova’s ultimate is also extremely easy to dodge and incapacitates him during use due to its long cooldown.
A truly skilled player can use any agent in competitive play successfully, but it will certainly be more difficult to climb using one that doesn’t have an advantage in the current meta. The VALORANT agents are each unique and charming regardless of their power in-game – while agents such as KAY/O, Omen, and Harbor may not be strong currently, they all have devoted fans who choose to main them anyway. With carefully considered buffs and reworks, they can easily join peers such as Reyna, Jett and Skye as faces of the VALORANT brand.
