Want to know the best Duelist? Or Sentinel? Our Valorant Agent Tier List will show you the way.
There are few things more important for success in Valorant than picking the right Agent. Sure, having good mechanical skills and a good understanding of the fundamentals of the game is a factor too, but ultimately the relative power of agents and your team's composition will play a huge part in deciding the outcome of a match.
That is why it is important to know and stay up-to-date with the Valorant meta and the power rankings of the Agents, and to help you do that, we have compiled a Valorant Agent tier list. However, this tier list isn't ranking each Agent against one another but against those in their same class i.e Duelists, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel.
Note: These tier lists are up-to-date as of the Valorant patch 6.08.
How This Valorant Tier List Works
Ranking Valorant's Agents - which total 21 since the introduction of Gekko- isn't easy as there are a number of factors to consider when deciding who is 'best'. There is a player's skill, team composition, and the chosen map can all play a part in determining which Agent is best for you in a particular match.
To help make this process simpler, this guide will take into consideration 'standard' team compositions and explain the roles each player should take up in a team. We will then rank the Agents based on their class, giving you a more complete idea of the Agent's strength in the game.
Valorant Agent Tier List: Duelists
Duelists make up a minor majority of the game's Agents with six in total (now tied with Initiators thanks to Gekko). They are Phoenix, Jett, Reyna, Raze, Yoru, and the most recent addition, Neon.
Duelists are all about the frags; about entering sites, engaging their opponent, and winning 1v1s. Aggression is key but don't confuse that with not being a team player. If you are playing as Reyna, Yoru, or Phoenix; your flashes should be used to enter sites with your team in tow. If you are Jett, your Tailwind dash gives you the opportunity to open up new angles of attack.
Duelist Tier List
- Jett, Neon - S-Tier
- Reyna - A-Tier
- Yoru - B-Tier
- Raze - C-Tier
- Phoenix - F-Tier
Many will know Jett to be one of the best Agent's in the game which means it is pretty much a certainty that she has Updrafted her way to the top of our Duelist tier list. Get an Operator in her hands and there is no more deadly an Agent, besides maybe Chamber, but that's a topic for another time. Her skill set is unrivaled allowing her to take dangerous angles and break defenses using her Tailwind and Updraft abilities. This is also viable on every map making her the closest thing to a must-pick you can find.
In recent times, Neon has also climbed her way to the top spot of this list, with her impressive toolkit overwhelming more methodical playstyles due to how fast she can disrupt sites.
Coming in at A-Tier now is Reyna, who received some significant buffs in patch 5.07, but who is still far from an ideal duelist in a proper team composition. She's very much her own character, playing more selfishly than others in this tier, and despite changes to her Leer, they're still one of the most underwhelming flashes in the entire game.
Yoru may have got his long-awaited rework but there is no doubt that players still don't feel confident picking him, even with extra buffs back on patch 5.07. His skill set is truly unique but his real issue is in how difficult he is to use. His abilities also tend towards more solo plays and he can too often feel like he is on the outside looking in. However, if you do master him, he could easily be considered A-Tier.
Coming into the C-Tier is Raze. While the Brazilian Duelist is the most explosive (literally) of all the Agents and is great for clearing out opponents with her Paint Shell grenades and Boom Bot - the fact that she excels in tight spaces and small maps like Split are a detriment, since it's still out of rotation in favor of Pearl.
Phoenix is largely known for being one of the easiest Agents to get to grips with but his power has diminished as other Duelists do all that he does but better. The only redeemable aspect is his ultimate which effectively gives him an extra life but even this is too easily countered given how readily identifiable its use is known due to the sound it makes when activated. Best avoided.
Valorant Agent Tier List: Initiator
Initiators are information gatherers and fight instigators. Their abilities are usually the opening salvo of an attack and some are equipped with flashes. A crucial part of any team and every composition should have at least one of them.
Initiator Tier List
- Sova, Gekko - S-Tier
- Fade, Breach, Skye - A-Tier
- KAY/O- B-Tier
As you can see from the tier list, there are no really poor Initiators in Valorant with Sova, despite a recent nerf, still S-Tier with his unparalleled recon abilities. Those nerfs have hurt though and depending on your skill level and familiarity with other Agents, you may find that there is someone else here you can elevate to the S-Tier.
Gekko, to the surprise of no one, has been a busted yet fun Agent to play around with. His abilities allow Gekko players to main him without needing much teamwork, especially if they're solo queueing or aren't to eager to jump into voice chat. Even with some adjustments Mosh Pit's damage to objects and the fact that Wingman won't outlive Gekko anymore, he's still a strong and fun Agent to main.
Fade slowly became a secondary pick, even outshining Sova in certain situations due to how a team can capitalize on her toolkit for more aggressive entries or to hold a site while your team rotates. There is some real power here, her flashes last the longest out of any (3 seconds), and she has the ability to recon, with signature Haunt and her Nightfall is like an improved Rolling Thunder, Breach's Ultimate, which deafens, trails, and decays opponents. Her abilities require a degree of mechanical skill and, as people master them, she may rise up this tier list.
Having said that, her place as a solitary Initiator has come under jeopardy thanks to Gekko's toolkit.
Breach's kit is similarly powerful, capable of clearing out large sections of the map in preparation for entering the site. His three area clear abilities are not matched by anyone else and his flashes add yet more utility. A great Agent to synergize with a duelist such as Jett, Reyna, or Raze.
Skye is a Swiss army knife of an Agent, with the best healing ability, two flashes (one of which regens), a recon scout wolf, and an Ultimate that is great for learning exactly where the opposing team is. Versatile, reliable, and a great pick for any composition.
KAY/O may have started slowly but time has been kind to this robotic warrior with players learning that his ability to negate others' abilities is a hugely powerful tool. His Signature ability, ZERO/point, is a great recon/suppression weapon with utility on both defense and attack. His NULL/cmd is also a more powerful version of Pheonix's Ultimate, giving KAY/O a potential second-life while also nullifying the opposing team's abilities. Perfect for circumventing the defensive abilities of Killjoy, Cypher, and Viper.
Valorant Agent Tier List: Sentinel
Sentinels are the game's de facto defenders, with abilities that help shut down entry points and flanks. They can slow down and reveal attacks, buying your team time as they rotate to defensive positions. On attack, they can use their abilities to detect flankers, saving squads from getting pinned.
Sentinel Tier List
- Sage- S-Tier
- Chamber- A-Tier
- Killjoy - B-Tier
- Cypher - C-Tier
Sage was once the healer extraordinaire but for a while, nerfs seriously dampened her abilities. Her wall is still very effective on the likes of Split or Icebox and her slow orbs still produce the right effects but it is hard to pick her over other Agent's that can do these things but better. Her Ultimate, which allows you to revive a teammate, is her saving grace, lifting her from the C to B-Tier.
Now, thanks to changes made with patch 5.12, Sage can heal allies more effectively at the cost of her self heal being reduced. Plus her slowing orbs are effective longer. Overall, a net positive and considering Chamber's nerfs, she's back on top as the go-to Sentinel.
Chamber's strength was apparent when he was first introduced shortly after Episode 3 Act 3 and thanks to nerfs to Jett, he was considered the best defensive Operator in the game. Luckily, he's been impacted with some rather major nerfs as of patch 5.12. Despite this, a certain other Sentinel has been constantly nerfed as well, making him go back to A-Tier by virtue of maintaining certain consistency in his toolkit.
His unique kit, which includes two guns, one of which is an improved Operator, makes him a dream when short on money - always capable of playing his role no matter the round. However, he's now forced to play more defensively due to his Rendezvous changes, Trademark being a proximity ability, and Tour De Force firing 57% slower.
Few can hold down a site quite like Killjoy, and Riot took notice with huge nerfs on patches 6.03 and 6.08. Her Nanoswarm mollies are vicious when caught in them, however, players can now spot them from bigger distances. Her Alarmbot and Turret (which also got nerfed) are great for signaling the arrival of an attacking team. When attacking, her role is to set up her abilities to watch the flank, before locking down the site in post-plant situations. Extremely capable Agent in the right hands.
Cypher is not a bad Agent but others simply fulfill his role better. His Spycam is obviously still good but is too easily countered. Trapwires and Cyber Cage are effective but again turn up better in other Agents.
How to Play Cypher? | Valorant Agent Guide
Valorant Agent Tier List: Controller
Controllers are all equipped with smokes, crucial utility when on attack or defense, capable of blocking off sightlines and entryways, reducing the possible angles of attack. A Controller is absolutely essential for any team as a team without smokes is hamstrung in their ability to attack.
Controller Tier List
- Viper - S-Tier
- Brimstone - A-Tier
- Astra, Harbor- B-Tier
- Omen - C-Tier
Viper is one of the most frustrating Agents to play against and that is because she is so powerful. Not only does she have her Toxic Screen which is great for cutting a site for entry, but her Snake Bite and Poison Cloud are also powerful denial-of-area abilities great for defense and attack. Her Ultimate, Viper's Pit, gives a huge upper hand to the Agent in post-plant situations and is the most clutch ability in the game. Even with nerfs, her sheer versatility is simply too much for other Controllers to keep up, especially with some, like Omen, that were completely gutted with 6.0.
Brimstone is one of the easiest Agents to use and that is why he gets into the A-Tier. Simplicity doesn't equal weak though, his three smokes are launched via a touchpad on his arm, allowing you to perfectly place them. His molly is great for clearing opponents out of corners or in post-plant situations - similar qualities are seen in his Orbital Strike Ultimate. His recently buffed Stim Beacon, which now speeds up nearby players as well as increasing their fire rate, is great when rotating.
The Agent you've all been waiting for, Harbor. The truth is, while he's still good, our initial impressions regarding how broken his toolkit looked were a bit exaggerated, what a surprise! As it stands, as a solo Controller, Harbor just doesn't cut it against the likes of Viper, although, being a more flexible Agent, he can be an excellent support Controller to a more stationary one.
Omen is an Agent that grows in power as players master their abilities. His Shroud Step teleport, when used in conjunction with his Dark Cover smokes, can have opponents spinning. His Paranoia is also a unique flash that can be used through walls and covers a large area. Using his smokes can be cumbersome though, and as his primary role, affects his ranking in this tier list. Sadly, 6.0 removed all one-way lineup potentials, putting a deadly wound in the character's aspirations to reach the top of the meta, at least on high level play.
At one point, Astra was the best controller in the game with her ability to launch smokes at any point in the match giving her a unique skill set. However, Astra was hit with a series of nerfs in the V4.04 update with greater cooldowns added to her Nova Pulse, Nebula, and Gravity Well abilities. It makes her a much more static Agent and not particularly feasible in the game. She will likely see a rework but until then don't bother.
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