Sentinel agents are really important for team composition in Valorant. One agent present from Iron to Radiant is Killjoy. If you wanted to learn how to play Killjoy, you're at the right place!
Killjoy is a Sentinel agent that can lock down sites all by herself. Her abilities are some of the most useful in Valorant, although sometimes they lack because of their limited range. But if you know how to play around with Killjoy's abilities, then you'll be able to climb even to Radiant. That's why here we'll take a look at a guide on how to play Killjoy!
Killjoy Abilities Explained
Q Ability: Alarmbot (Cost: 200 Credits, Charges: 1)
The first Killjoy ability is Alarmbot. Alarmbot is a placable ability that you can set on the ground at a limited range from yourself. The Alarmbot will be active if you're near its activation range which you can see on the map. Once it detects an enemy, it will explode on them and notify you that the ability was activated. This way, you'll know where the enemies are located. Alarmbot will also alarm you about how much time you spend on Valorant!
When the Alarmbot ability detonates on an enemy, it applies the Vulnerable effect. Once an enemy is Vulnerable, they'll take double damage from any source, be it weapons or other abilities. Note that if the enemies are fast enough, they can destroy the Alarmbot.
C Ability: Nanoswarm (Cost: 200 Credits, Charges: 2)
The second Killjoy ability is Nanoswarm. Nanoswarm is a throwable ability that can be activated from anywhere on the map. The Nanoswarm is often referred to as a molly because once activated it creates a circular area that greatly damages any enemies that are in it. Enemies take a lot of damage while allies take less damage from the Nanoswarm. Don't throw this molly in your city or forests though, it's dangerous!
The Nanoswarm grenades can be seen by the enemies too. Once they are close enough to them, the ability starts to make a noise and it has a sort of reddish transparent look that the enemy can shoot and destroy.
E Ability: Turret (Signature Ability, Recall: 20s, Destroyed: 45s)
The third Killjoy signature ability is her Turret. The Turret is a placable ability that detects and shoots down enemies at a certain range. It shoots 3 bullets per burst with each bullet dealing 8 damage up to 20m, 6 damage from 20m to 35m, and 4 damage from 35m and up. Be careful not to bring this weapon to your home, it's just too dangerous!
The Turret has 125 HP, meaning that enemies won't have an easy time destroying it with you shooting at them too. This ability like the Alarmbot will disable if you move far away from it, and you can see its range on the map.
Ultimate Ability: Lockdown (7 Ult Points)
The last Killjoy ability is her ultimate Lockdown. Lockdown is a placeable ability that once placed starts a 13s cooldown. It creates a big and wide area, and if the enemies are caught in it, they are trapped and Detained. This basically means they won't be able to do anything except move at a really slow pace for 8s.
You'll also know the exact amount of enemies that are Detained from this ultimate ability. Lockdown has 150 HP which means it can be destroyed by enemies' weapons and abilities. So guard it with your life until it fully detonates and disables the enemies completely!
How to Attack with Killjoy?
When you're attacking with Killjoy, your first task should be to watch enemy flanks until you take full control of the site. Don't rush to attack first, just place your Alarmbot behind you for flanks and advance with your team to the site. You can also use your Lockdown ult somewhere close that'll close off the whole site so you can take it easy. Though Killjoy's special magic lies in post-plant situations.
Once the spike's been planted, place Nanoswarms around the spike and set the Turret somewhere close. Then hide and once you hear the enemy defuse the spike, activate a Nanoswarm. This way the enemy will either run away or stick to the spike and die. You have 2 Nanoswarms too, but be aware that the enemies may notice them and destroy them. With Killjoy you won't even have to decide between the Vandal or Phantom since your abilities do the whole job.
How to Defend with Killjoy?
Sentinel agents are literal gods in defending, especially Killjoy. You may have to learn some Killjoy setups, but basically, you'll have to place your Turret somewhere it can detect the enemies anywhere on the site. Then place the Alarmbot on another opening that the enemies may enter and place your Nanoswarms either on openings or usual plant spots.
Move somewhere across your Turret because once it detects an enemy, they'll try to shoot it down and you can surprise them while their crosshair is off-set. When the enemies start to enter the site, activate your openings Nanoswarms. If you had your Nanoswarms on plant spots, activate them once you hear the enemies planting the spike. If you're defending a whole site by yourself though, you may want to practice your aim too.
The Best Maps for Killjoy
Killjoy can dominate some Valorant maps while literally failing to even get a kill on others. Her expertise lies more on close-range maps rather than long-range like Breeze. So you can be an absolute unit with Killjoy on these maps:
Ascent
Killjoy fans may find Ascent one of the most appealing maps ever. There are so many godly setups for Killjoy on Ascent that are supported by the map's smaller sites. And even if the enemies are attacking the other side, it's pretty easy to rotate from the back by Bunny Hopping.
Killjoy's ultimate ability is what's best on Ascent though. From post-plant uses to retake situations, the opportunities are endless once you know your ins and outs.
Bind
Like the previous map, Bind has its own perfect situations where Killjoy can defend really well. There are tons of setups, and your 2 Nanoswarms will do a great job for the 2 openings per site. There is no middle section on Bind, which is even better for defending with Killjoy alongside your Duelists.
Attacking with Killjoy on Bind may be a bit tricky though. There are a lot of angles from which the enemies can pop up from. But if you stay to the general rules of attacking from above and don't peak for trades, you should be safe.
Split
A tough decision between Split and Icebox, but the third map pick for Killjoy goes to Split. Defending on the map Split with Killjoy can be easy since there is only one main entry point into the site. This is helpful in numerous ways such as the Turret only checking one angle to detect enemies. You may argue that enemies can come from the middle with their Phantoms, but one Sage wall and everything's good.
Attacking on Split with Killjoy's the same as always: ult to take site and rule on post-plant situations. The post-plant setups on Split are excellent too, so keeping the site until the spike detonates is easy peasy.
With this guide, you should've gained some great insight into how to play Killjoy. So if you hit some awesome clips with Killjoy, you should come to our TikTok and Instagram accounts to share your experience!