Choosing the best beginner agents to main in Valorant can be a scary process. There are eighteen agents right now in the game, all of which have unique abilities and ultimates. That can make it a bit intimidating for new players who have no experience in the game.
Fortunately, there are agents in every role (Duelist, Sentinel, Controller, Initiator) that are beginner-friendly. These agents have simple kits that can allow the player to focus more on gunplay. Let’s look at the best beginner agents for every role in Valorant.
Duelist – Phoenix
We start off with the flashiest role in the game, the Duelist. Duelists are expecting to enter sites first and take fights head-on. They have kits that allow them to be mobile and self-sufficient, but as a result, they tend to be on the harder side of the skill curve.
Phoenix, the suave British agent, is the perfect agent for someone still learning the game. Unlike other duelists like Jett, Yoru, or Raze, Phoenix doesn’t have a complicated ability set, and his kit feels intuitive to use.
- He has a wall (“Blaze”) that can block off key angles when entering a site, making it easier to focus on one angle.
- He has two flashes (“Curveball”) that are hard to dodge and are pretty easy to use.
- His signature ability, “Hot Hands” is a molly that can be used to clear corners or heal Phoenix if he’s in a pinch.
- His ultimate, “Run it Back”, leaves a marker that Phoenix revives on if he’s killed or the ten-second duration ends.
Phoenix’s abilities allow players to run it headfirst with a greater chance of survival. He has sustained from his wall and molly, two flashes that can set him up for easy kills and an ult that’s basically a rewind button. It’s the perfect kit for teaching beginners how to play aggressively.
A special mention is Reyna, who is popular amongst beginners because of her sustain from her orbs. However, she does require kills to be successful, which can be an issue for newer players.
Sentinel – Sage
If running in headfirst is not your thing, then perhaps you’d want to play a Sentinel. Sentinels are masters of locking down areas, having many methods of keeping enemies off key locations. All three Sentinels in the game right now are average in difficulty at best, but Sage, the OG healer, is the best choice for beginners.
Sage’s kit is built upon slowing the enemies’ approach to a site, as well as supporting her teammates when they’re low health.
- “Barrier Orb” is exactly what it sounds like: Sage forms a wall in front of her to block enemies.
- “Slow Orb” is a long-lasting AOE slow that Sage can throw from far away.
- “Healing Orb” allows Sage to heal herself or her teammates if needed.
- “Resurrection” revives an ally with full health and equipment they had when they died.
Players will often panic when the enemy rushes into their position, but Sage can help with this with her first two abilities. Her wall prevents enemies from getting into the site, forcing them to waste bullets to break it. Her slow can then set herself or her teammates up for easy kills while keeping them safe with a heal and a revive to turn things around.
Another good recommendation here, personally, would be Cypher. His tripwires can catch newer players off-guard, and his camera is an invaluable info-gathering tool. However, it can be harder to find the lineups for these trips and the camera.
Controller – Brimstone
If you’re the type of player that likes to cut off enemies and limit their options, then you might be interested in playing Controllers. Controllers specialize in slicing large areas of the map and gaining control over them by various means.
There are a lot of good Controllers, but Brimstone is the easiest and one of the more impactful agents from them. His kit is very beginner-friendly while still being useful, especially in lower ranks.
- “Stim Beacon” provides a combat stim for teammates, increasing their rate of fire.
- “Incendiary” throws a molly that bounces two times before dealing damage in an area.
- “Sky Smokes” is point-and-click smoke that cuts off angles that bother the team.
- “Orbital Strike” is an AOE damage ring that deals lethal damage.
Brimstone’s biggest appeal to newbies is his Sky Smokes. They’re the simplest smokes in the game, needing to click on a minimap to place them. His Stim Beacon can turn the tides of a gunfight, while his molly and Orbital Strike make him a terror in post-plant scenarios.
Omen is another good controller to learn. His smokes are fairly intuitive and long-reaching, and he has a long-range and short-range teleport to get him out of trouble. You can’t go wrong with either, but Brimstone’s by far the easier choice.
Initiator – KAY/O
The final class we’ll be talking about is one of the more important roles in the game, the Initiators. Initiators are masters of setting up their team or themselves for success, using an array of crowd control abilities to hamper their opponents.
KAY/O, the newest addition to the Valorant roster, is the best one to learn for beginners who want to be the “team player”. His kit screams “Here’s the enemies, go kill them for me.”
- “FRAG/MENT” is a grenade that deals lethal damage to anyone in the area.
- “FLASH/DRIVE” is a flash that works similar to flashes from traditional FPS games like Counter-Strike.
- “ZERO/POINT” is an ability that suppresses (or disallows from using abilities) enemies in the area.
- “NULL/CMD” makes KAY/O emit a pulse that suppresses enemies for a short duration and allows teammates to revive him if he’s downed.
KAY/O excels at getting kills for himself or his team. His ‘nade clears hard-to-reach corners, while his flash can go over the top to blind a big area for his team to enter. His signature, “ZERO/POINT,” suppresses enemies, and coupled with his ult, ensures an advantage for the team.
Picking the best beginner agent is a learning process
These are a few of the best beginner agents for you to have to learn as you get started in Valorant. Let us know if you have an idea for another beginner-friendly agent!