VALORANT reveals Killjoy, new Agent with interesting abilities
By Ty Brody
Riot Games’ first-person tactical shooter VALORANT is set to release their next Agent ‘Killjoy’ alongside the game’s sophomore season on August 4th.
VALORANT hasn’t wasted any time when it comes to inserting new Agents into an already even-handed character pool. Following the release of Reyna in late-May, Killjoy will be the game’s second Agent introduced to the original ten-character roster that debuted during the Closed Beta. Killjoy is equipped with a variety of game-changing abilities that will unquestionably signal a shift in the current competitive meta when the new Agent drops alongside Act II on August 4th.
The design and presentation of VALORANT’s newest Agent is an emphatic one. The brief video reveal made me even more eager to explore the character and what Act II has to offer on August 4th. Riot Games has quickly created another unique and interesting character that players will learn more about as they continue to expand on the lore surrounding VALORANT. As with many of the game’s Agents, an important aspect of the character’s personality comes from their nationality, and Killjoy is no exception. Nicknamed the “genius of Germany”, Killjoy uses a collection of inventions and devices to take down her enemies.
Nonetheless, the most important piece of introducing a new character is the gameplay, and some players are already having a tough time determining if Killjoy’s abilities are a bit too overpowered.
Nanoswarm
– EQUIP a Nanoswarm grenade. FIRE to throw the grenade. Upon landing, the Nanoswarm goes covert. ACTIVATE the Nanoswarm to deploy a damaging swarm of nanobots.
The abilities of a new character are never perfect upon their initial release, so I’m sure we’ll see some kind of adjustment to either the damage or range of these abilities in a future patch. That said, we’ve yet to try them for ourselves, so hopefully, they’ve been balanced prior to release.