If you're an adventurer that likes complicated things Astra is your destiny agent in Valorant!
Efia "Astra" Danso a Ghananian Agent is the least picked agent in Valorant and with a fair reason. This Controller Agent has a super high skill ceiling which is one of the main reasons why people don't pick her so often. If you love tactical thinking and have a pretty good game understanding then Astra is the agent for you!
Astra Abilities Explained
Before explaining the abilities one by one we should explain how they work as they are different from the other Agents' abilities. All of your abilities, except for the Ultimate are unlocked and you don't need to buy them. Instead of buying your abilities, you will have to buy Stars which you will later place on the map and use the particular ability on them.
C Ability - Gravity Well
This is her first ability and it works like a Black Hole. To use it, you will first have to place a star on the map using (X), and then while the cursor is on the particular Star use your C ability. Once used it instantly creates a "Gravity Well" that pulls the enemy players towards the center before it explodes.
Once it explodes everyone caught in the well receives the "Vulnerable" debuff. It lasts for 2.75 seconds before exploding, has a 45 Second Cooldown and the Vulnerable debuff lasts for 5 seconds.
Q Ability - Nova Pulse
Nova Pulse is a term widely used in MOBA games and similar to them has the same effect in Valorant. You will have to place a star just like in Gravity Well, then use the Nova Pulse on the star. Once used it charges briefly, for 1.25 seconds to be exact after which it will concuss all the affected players in the area.
It has a 45-second cooldown and the Concussive debuff lasts for 4 seconds. If you aren't aware of this debuff, it's the same one as Breach's Signature Skill "Fault Line". In the description of Breach's ability, it states that it "Dazes" all the opponents which are the same as the "Concussive" debuff.
E Ability - Nebula / Dissipate (2 Charges)
Her Signature ability has 2 uses and is split into two abilities. Nebula is a purple Smoke that can be used on a star. It's a normal smoke just like Brimstone's Signature Ability, it lasts for 14.25 seconds and has a 25 seconds cooldown.
Dissipate is the second ability and it enables you to return an already placed star on the map. Once used it retrieves the star back to you, and until it arrives it creates a fake Nebula on the initial star position. The duration of the fake Nebula is just 1 second.
In case you were wondering which Agents are best for Pearl, and if Astra is on the list, check out our gallery below!
Signature Ability - Astral Form (Cost 150 Credits, Charges 5)
This is the only ability that has the same hotkey for the Signature Ability as the Ultimate Ability. By using Astral Form you open up the Map in a Purple-ish Effect where you can place the stars. The stars are the main element that your Abilities work around.
Each costs 150 Credits and you can have a total of 5. To place the bought stars, you will have to open up the Astral Form and place the stars using your Primary Fire hotkey. The stars can be later activated by opening up Astral Form and using one of the three basic abilities, or more if there's a need.
Ultimate Ability - Cosmic Divide (7 Ult Points)
Cosmic Divide makes Astra scream "You are DIVIDED" which is her signature voice line. Same as the name suggests this ability can "Divide" the map with a very annoying Purple wall. Once Cosmic Divide is charged using your Secondary Fire to begin aiming at, and then the Primary Fire hotkey to select the two locations.
Logically one location is the beginning and the other is the end of the dividing wall. Once initiated this Wall will block bullets and will heavily dampen the Audio for everyone. Its effective total duration is 21 Seconds and is a very map knowledge needy type of Ability.
Don't lie, this is Astra's Astral Form https://t.co/h3K0DJRB5Q
— VALORANT // UK, IE & Nordics (@VALORANTukn) July 12, 2022
How To Attack With Astra
Remember that we mentioned how people love playing with Astra in their squad? The reason why is because she's a super versatile Controller with a very high skill cap and a ton of useful abilities both on Defence and Attack. When attacking your main job is to Smoke off the defenders, concuss, and gravity well the others, or simply said, CONTROL the playground with any means necessary. Having such a rich set of Abilities gives you power on the battlefield, but with power comes great responsibility as this Agent is one of the most difficult ones to play.
Controlling the playground means that you have to take a look at the minimap constantly to know when to use your abilities at the right time and place. If the stars are placed, you won't need to open Astral Form again to use them, which will enable you to have a better observation of what's going on around you while everyone is shooting at each other. Since this Agent is a Team-Leading controller, often times people will be waiting for some clutch calls from your side, so you better be ready!
How To Defend With Astra
Astra's defense game is all about the smokes. If you buy 5-Star charges and decide to use them all on Nebulas in a round it's really important to note that with good management you can smoke a spot on the map for about 75% of the round duration. Smokes slow down attackers a lot since they can't gather the needed info to push, and rushing through smokes exposes them. Defending with Astra's set of abilities is something players enjoy a lot!
When defending Immortal players tend to place the stars before the round starts as that will give them more time and attention during the round. Before learning Astra we will strongly suggest you watch our video below about what is Game Sense and how to improve it, as that skill is vital when playing the Ghananian Controller.
The Best Maps For Astra
Before moving on to the three best maps for Astra it's crucial to note that there is no bad Map for smokers such as Astra. Controllers with smokes are something every lineup needs and it's impossible to say that they have bad Maps.
Haven
Haven is heaven for Astra. As a defender, you are a Raid Boss on any site that you wish to defend, and your global abilities can help your team a lot when dealing with a map that has 3 spike sites. As an Attacker, you will also have great opportunities to smoke the positions on the map defenders feel comfortable defending sites from.
When Attacking you almost always smoke:
- A Tower and Link
- B entrance from Window and B Back
- C Short and the far left corner of the site
When defending its key to:
- Smoke their Entry Point
- Use Gravity Well on the tight choke points
- If their Entry is successful, Daze their entry with your Nova Pulse
Ascent
Smokers love tight entry points as they can control the battlefield with their smokes on them. Ascent is not a map that's very Defense favored so you will need to put effort more into pushing out the attacker's entries.
When Attacking you almost always smoke:
- B Market and Defenders spawn at the B site entrance
- A Haven and Link
When defending its key to:
- Smoke B Main and control it with Gravity Well or Pulse Nova
- Smoke Mid if they have an OP
- Divide them once they enter a site
Split
Statistics say that Astra players enjoy Split with their decent to high win rate on this map. This is mostly due to the fact that it's a little bit defense-favored map, and your unlimited wall has one of the best impacts on this map.
When Attacking you almost always smoke:
- A Ramps/Screen/Haven
- B Tower/Back
When defending its key to:
- Delay the push on the entry sites using your Gravity Well on A or B Main
- Divide them when they enter the site or rotate
- Keep control of Mid & Vent
The only Map Astra might not like to be in is usually Icebox and Breeze as they are maps with fewer choke points and the shooting area is wide and open. If you haven't noticed yet, Valorant has a new Map that's called "Pearl" and Astra is boss on it! We didn't put Pearl in Astra's top three as it's a super new map, and the meta is slowly forming. If don't know much about Pearl check our Valorant Map Guide Pearl: Callouts & Strategies article guide where Callouts and Strategies are explained in detail.