So you want to get better at Valorant? Honestly, there are quite a few ways to do that, I think some of the easiest ways to improve in Valorant involve just putting time into the game but what does that mean? You want to be able to maximize the amount of time you spend playing Valorant, that way you improve as much as possible. So that every time you play you’re not doing the same things that get you killed in the first place, you want to avoid building bad habits in the game. Instead, you want to learn to build good ones.
First time in the rodeo?
Let’s say Valorant is your first FPS (first-person) shooter ever like it was in my case. You will probably want to get either an aim trainer like aimlabs, which is free or spend a decent amount of time in the practice range. You’ll want to get well acquainted with what the shooting range has to offer. In Valorant, headshots are almost always the best option. Headshots in virtually every gun equate to more damage, and sometimes one shot is enough.
Here’s a cute little example of headshot power (a new friend clipped it for me in the game!):
Time to start
So if you’re trying to improve, I would start with picking a sense that works right for you. In my opinion, I would pick a sense that lets you do a complete 180 without running out of mousepad space. For me, that is 1 in Valorant sensitivity and 400 dpi. It can be different for everyone so go ahead and give it a try in the range.
What does that crosshair look like?
After that I would take a look into making a crosshair that fits you, Valorant has colourblind options so use those as you see fit. Here’s an example of two crosshairs I really like:
I’ll go ahead and leave the codes here for you in case you want them:
For the heart it is 0;P;c;6;h;0;d;1;z;3;0t;4;0l;1;0o;2;0a;1;0f;0;1t;3;1l;1;1o;2;1a;1;1m;0;1f;0
For the normal one it is: 0;P;c;6;h;0;0l;3;0a;1;0f;0;1b;0
Practice Range Shenanigans
When in the shooting range if you press F3 you’ll get a list that looks like this:
I recommend spending some time messing with the speed bots. Start with easy with a sheriff and keep doing it until you comfortably and easily hit all 30. Then move on to medium, once you hit a number you’re proud of. If you’re feeling really spicy, bump the difficulty too hard and do your best (or worst). Try messing with “eliminate 100” and the bot’s strafing. All of this will provide you with practice, seeing how characters move and how often they move. However, do keep in mind, it’s a game. Get in there and try your best! I know it can be frustrating to perform less than you want but it will be okay and you will improve over time. It’s good to warm up every now and then but make sure you’re having fun with it.
My take on game modes
Swiftplay is a great way to get to know characters and their abilities. Spikerush lets you mess with different guns and see which ones you enjoy playing with, maybe you have a real knack for snipers. That one-shot accuracy can help a lot. Unrateds allow you to do a full game without having to lose RR, the competitive points. Probably the closest way to see how people play in competitive matches without being in one. Deathmatches help get a feel for the head level and how people peak and swing. The head level is important because crosshair placement can really help you win contests against your enemies. Crosshair placement is where you leave your crosshair when you peak, is it where their head would be? Is it on the wall or at an angle, they will peak. Imagine you have to move your crosshair to someone’s head as opposed to already having the crosshair in the general area of their head. It makes a huge difference since reaction time is a decent part of Valorant.
Which agent is right for you?
Use the time you spend in unrated and swift plays trying to get comfortable with agents and see what play style suits you best. There are four classes: Controller, Duelist, Initiator, and Sentinel. They each have their own role to play, and some roles may suit you better than others. In general, Sentinels hold down sites and watch flanks should be close after the duelist and initiator when entering. An Initiator’s whole kit is made for the team, flashes for the team and to be able to gain information about who is on-site, they make the Duelist’s job easier. A Duelist’s role is to enter the site and take up space for the rest of the team, their whole kit is designed to help them get kills. A Controller’s job is to make the site have as few angles to peak as possible, their role is to control the ground the team is entering into. Each agent has their own play style but maybe you’re like me and the Duelist role fits you because your ADHD attention span only allows you to go in, shoot your gun, get a kill and then die. Spend some time with the characters, do research about how people play them, and maybe you’re a Viper lineup, Larry. Find whoever you enjoy playing the most and stick with that, maybe even get good with a few characters in case someone instant locks your favourite.
You’re playing with people, remember that.
Another good piece of advice I have is to be friendly. People on Valorant are super nice sometimes and this can be very good, they can show you things you might not have known about. Also, the more you play with people, and in general, the more exposure you get to different maps. In the end, there are a lot of ways to get better at this game, so I went ahead and asked people in my lobbies what their advice was for someone looking to improve:
A Reyna from my swift play lobby said: Take time with your shots and take your time making decisions while playing. Don’t care about what people say, just mute if you have to.
A group from a spike rush said: to watch youtube, check every angle(yes even that pesky corner you think no one sits in), and communicate with your team.
A yoru in swift play: said to make sure not to crouch all the time, if you see yourself crouching and spraying, unbind the crouch key.
A raze from a swift play: took it quite seriously and offered to add me on Discord and teach me his warm-up, which was super sweet, let me know if you guys would like a video of what he showed me in that Discord call!
Stay Tuned for Next Month where I go over different training methods and potentially record and post videos for you guys to use! Thanks for reading and be sure to Stay Hype!
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