What is the current Valorant tier list? Valorant is certainly one of the best FPS games around. With so many new agents to pick from, finding the right character for you – and the right one for your team – is important for finding success in Riot Games’ tactical shooter. Thankfully, we’ve done a lot of the ground work and put together a Valorant tier list for you below.
Our Valorant tier list – which we update with every big Valorant patch – takes a whole host of factors into consideration. Alongside the current meta, the overall effectiveness of each agent at different ranks, as well as their efficacy in ranked play – which this tier list will predominantly focus on – all play a part in our ratings. That being said, you’ll find that the meta changes ever so slightly as you progress through the Valorant ranks, so be prepared for a C-Tier pick in Gold to be an A-Tier pick in Diamond+.
If you’re deciding which agent you should main – or who you should start grinding with a little more – then let us help you. We have spent countless hours crunching numbers and dying a lot so you don’t have to. It’s also worth noting that Riot has done a stellar job at balancing its agents, so the difference between each tier is minimal.
Valorant tier list
Here’s the current Valorant tier list for patch 6.08:
- S-Tier – Killjoy, Viper, Sova
- A-Tier – Jett, Fade, Sage, Raze, Omen, Reyna, Gekko
- B-Tier – Phoenix, KAY/O, Skye, Breach, Neon, Brimstone, Cypher, Chamber
- C-Tier – Yoru, Astra, Harbor
S-Tier
S-Tier agents are either stronger than their peers by a clear margin, flexible across multiple maps, or a mixture of both. These agents represent the very best the game has to offer.
Killjoy
Killjoy’s utility makes her a solid agent when both attacking and defending a site – especially the latter. Her mini turret is able to cause plenty of disruption, particularly on eco rounds, while her alarm bot is a great tool for covering flanks or points of entry onto a site.
Her greatest asset, however, is her (X) Lockdown, which is phenomenal for clearing enemies off of a site, making space for your team to either plant or defuse the spike.
Viper
Sporting powerful poisons that decay enemies who pass through them, and make them vulnerable to taking increased damage for a short time, Viper is a Controller who can not only slow down an enemy site take, but can actually lock down a site pretty much single-handedly with her ultimate, (X) Viper’s Pit.
She’s also incredibly versatile depending on your playstyle. If you prefer to sit back and play with the team (and you know your lineups), then you can remain grouped. However, the more adventurous Viper – as with other agents which don’t need to be on-site to get value out of their utility – can simply set her utility down early and go lurking for rotating enemies.
Sova
Sova is a great agent for team plays. With recon abilities and the ability to do a little bit of damage, playing Sova is an art. So if you’re looking to play him, you’re going to need to know your angles. Sova’s recon arrows are great for gathering information but only if you know where to put them.
The archer also has his drone, which again, is great for reconnaissance, but it’ll give away your position pretty quickly. Like Cypher’s camera, it has a dart to mark opponents, but it can be easily destroyed and it’s hard to hide.
A-Tier
A-Tier picks are still very good, though they will generally make up the remainder of a composition on maps where some of the S-Tier picks aren’t quite as viable.
Jett
Jett was once the go-to agent for farming clips, and in many ways she still is. Despite having her wings clipped so she needs to pre-activate (E) Tailwind before being able to dash away, Jett remains as agile as ever, and is the go-to entry fragger for most.
Fade
With a varied kit that can tether enemies to a position, introduce decay effects, and highlight their locations, Fade is a multi-purpose Initiator that can pick up a lot of kills in the right hands.
Her (C) Prowlers can chase down and blind opponents, giving you or a teammate a window to either take space or snag a free kill. Additionally, learning a few (E) Haunt lineups on each map will go a long way, as enemies marked by it leave a trail leading to their location. Spooky.
Meanwhile, Fade’s (Q) Seize is commonly thrown into chokes, often in-tandem with Raze’s (E) Paint Shells, tethering and subsequently killing off opponents trapped in the snare. So if you and a pal are looking to form a strong double-act, then there’s some combo inspiration for you both.
Fade may have received nerfs on patch 5.10, but she is still a top-tier Initiator.
Sage
Sage is the closest thing Riot Games’ shooter has to a support character. She can heal herself or others during a round, effectively giving everyone a little bit more longevity in the thick of the battle. Her ultimate ability also allows her to resurrect a teammate, traditionally making her an important agent in a number of Valorant compositions – especially in ranked play.
Sage isn’t just your run-of-the-mill support though, as she has some of the best environmental abilities. She can wall off areas and take her enemies by surprise or force them to give away their position by shooting it down. Her slow orbs are fantastic for slowing down fast executes when defending, and can completely stop enemies from quickly swinging you or your teammates.
Raze
Valorant fans have complained about Raze’s abilities being too focused on damage in the past, which is a step away from the game’s philosophy that abilities are second to guns. Riot Games has since balanced her a little since launch, so she’s not as powerful as she used to be.
That being said, Raze has a tall skill ceiling, and taking the time to master her (Q) Blast Pack will ensure you not only have enormous destructive capacity with (E) Paint Shells and (X) Showstopper, but amazing mobility as well.
Omen
If you like your Overwatch, then you probably already know Omen’s abilities quite well. The agent, which is suspiciously like Blizzard’s Reaper, has teleportation abilities. He can be everywhere and anywhere and if played right, can be a deadly agent against a well organised team.
Omen has powerful abilities, but being unpredictable is key. Well versed players will know standard Omen plays – such as ulting into spawns – so if you want to get the edge on enemy teams you’re going to want to get creative. His smokes are helpful and his (Q) Paranoia is great for blinding enemies hiding just around the corner. If you’re new to the game, Omen is a really fun agent to try out.
Reyna
Reyna is everyone’s favourite most-hated agent – you’ll love to play as her, but you’ll often hate to play with her.
With the ability to self-heal or safely reposition after scoring a takedown, Reyna is an incredibly self-sufficient agent. This is only augmented by her (C) Leer, which allows her to blind enemies and set up her own plays.
If you are playing solo or without comms, then Reyna is arguably an S-Tier pick for ranked play due to the fact that she doesn’t need to rely on others to perform well. However, when it comes to more coordinated play, Reyna doesn’t provide nearly as much value as an agent that can quickly take space like Jett or Raze.
Gekko
While Gekko has only recently joined the Valorant roster, we believe he has immense potential. As we’ve seen more and more of him in recent weeks, it’s become increasingly clear that Gekko and the gang are not to be messed with.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Valorant maps
B-Tier
B-Tier agents are still decent, but are either incredibly situational, or have been hamstrung by the current meta – at least in ranked play.
Phoenix
Phoenix is one of the most self-sufficient agents on the roster. He’s a fiery (literally) Londoner who controls various flame abilities.
Like Viper, he can put up a wall which obscures enemies’ sight lines, and like Brimstone he can launch a ball of flame with (E) Hot Hands. Although these abilities hurt other players, they also heal Phoenix.
His ultimate (X) Run It Back means the agent can run in, and hopefully take down an agent or two before being teleported back to the start of the ultimate with all his health restored. This makes it a great ability for aggressive players with little risk involved. Unless, of course, there’s someone behind your point of origin, knife out…
KAY/O
KAY/O is incredibly powerful in the right situations. A mixture of flashes and suppression give KAY/O more than enough tools to initiate one-man pushes, especially when he activates (X) NULL/CMD.
Although KAY/O is a strong agent, and could very well place higher on our Valorant agent tier list, his flashes were recently changed to work better in a team environment, rather than be used for setting up solo plays. If you’re a well-oiled five-stack, this is great news, of course, but if you’re running comp in limited numbers then we can’t recommend him over other agents.
Skye
Skye’s build is good for information gathering, but only when you have a team who will act on that information. Skye used to sit at the bottom of our Valorant tier list, but since she’s been buffed – and proved to be viable in Valorant ranked – she’s become decently strong.
As with KAY/O, Skye’s flashes aren’t as strong for solo play as they once were, making it difficult to play her effectively without comms.
Breach
Breach is possibly one of the most complex agents in the game, so bear that in mind when playing as him. His abilities can often take their toll on teammates and prompt arguments if used incorrectly. Without proper coordination, there’s a whole host of things that can happen as a direct result of Breach’s abilities.
However, the trade-off for these negatives are oftentimes worth it, as Breach’s kit is packed with powerful, disruptive tools.
Read more: All the Valorant skins you could ever ask for
Neon
Neon can be an absolute menace in the right hands. Boasting some serious mobility, the squelching of Neon’s shoes often means a quick death is en route.
However, while Neon can quickly enter and get round the back of a site before you know it, she lacks the disengage tools to get her back out again. As such, Neon requires more resources from the team than the likes of Reyna or Jett, and can quickly stumble to a halt if she is snagged by enemy utility.
As for her own utility, Neon’s (Q) Relay Bolt are potent concussion bolts which can be devastating in certain situations. Meanwhile, (C) Fast Lane is fantastic for setting up an avenue for entry, or isolating 1v1s.
While Neon isn’t quite a top-tier agent, we still feel she is a solid pick.
Brimstone
Brimstone’s smokes are some of the longest-lasting in the game, making him great for newer players as they will have more time to either take space when attacking, or allow their team to rotate when being threatened on defence. Brim’s smokes also allow players to spend more time focusing on their gunplay.
But that’s not all, as (Q) Incendiary and (X) Orbital Strike are powerful tools that can be used in a variety of ways, such as delaying a defuse or clearing angles (or in the latter’s case whole areas of the map).
Cypher
Playing as a Sentinel can be a thankless role, and with Cypher it is especially hard to get value out of his kit when queuing solo. However, he still remains one of the best intel gatherers in the game, and creative Cyphers can be a nightmare for the enemy team to deal with.
The patch 5.10 buffs may have given Cypher a well-needed boost, but we don’t feel that it’s enough to get him into the upper-echelons of our tier list.
Chamber
Sartorial style and sheer drip factor does not make for an S-Tier agent, and unfortunately after heavy nerfs the suave Frenchman no longer has the substance to back up his style.
Thanks to his ability to take fights, get picks, and instantly teleport away, Chamber can take up more aggressive angles, and get away with it. Chamber is also an eco monster, thanks to (Q) Headhunter and (X) Tour de Force saving him extra credits, while providing immense firepower on eco rounds.
C-Tier
C-Tier agents aren’t necessarily bad, but they tend to be the very last picks you’d find in most ranked compositions. Generally sporting low pick and win rates at most levels of play, it’s easy to dismiss these agents as weak.
However, in most cases it’s simply due to the fact that they require more coordination than other agents, and can’t get nearly as much value as other picks when you’re flying solo, or don’t have comms.
Yoru
Oh, Yoru. As a duelist, Yoru doesn’t offer much in comparison to someone like Phoenix, and as such, has a relatively low pick rate.
Yes, while he can be incredibly effective when his abilities are used right, his kit can be confusing and cause more problems than solutions. Although Yoru recently received a much-needed rework, many have been slow to pick him up.
Astra
Astra can be an absolute menace in coordinated play, due to her ability to make plays all over the map with her stars.
Her (C) Gravity Well pulls in enemies, her (Q) Nova Pulse concusses them, and she has smokes too. Her ultimate, (X) Cosmic Divide, literally divides the entire map into two with a giant wall which dampens sound and blocks incoming fire. This makes pushing a site – be it as an Attacker or on a retake – seriously risky business if there isn’t any utility left to launch through and clear the other side of the wall.
However, to get Astra right, you need to nail the cooldown of her abilities, which inexperienced players will struggle with, so definitely spend some time in Unrated mode with her before heading into ranked.
Harbor
Harbor is a flexible Controller who can freeform walls that flow like, well, water. Enemies who pass through his (C) Cascade and (E) High Tide are slowed, making it much easier for you to land your shots.
So far, Harbor has yet to really find his place among his peers, and is outshone by other agents in pretty much every capacity. As such, there’s really little reason to play him for now.
And that’s the Valorant agent tier list for patch 6.01. If you’re planning on making your way all the way to Radiant in Valorant ranked, then you’re definitely going to need to get to grips with different agents. Obviously the meta will change with each and every update, so make sure you check back here to see where the game’s agents place in the future.
