Some details have emerged about the roster of agents we can expect from Riot’s upcoming tactical shooter Valorant. According to the developers, there will be five agents freely available at launch, with around another five that are unlockable.
In an interview with IGN, Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon explained players will have access to 10 or so agents all in all, though only half will be freely available from the get go. “Five will be fully unlocked out of the gate,” she said. “From there, players can unlock additional characters.”
Using an “engagement-incentivized model”, players can obtain unlockables through gameplay, or pay to save themselves the time. There will be a battle pass system with two tiers, free and premium, and although there was no comment on specific content differences between the two, Donlon did promise there’d be no gameplay advantages in anything offered. Essentially, it’s the same process others such as Apex Legends and Fortnite have been using, letting players who have the money invest in their profile cosmetically without having any other kind of advantage over non-paying opponents.
So far, two of Valorant’s agents and their abilities have been officially showcased by Riot. Last week we got a look at Phoenix, and today, March 12, we got a glimpse of Viper.
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“Welcome to my world!”#VALORANT pic.twitter.com/oDo8jEEDfK— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) March 12, 2020
Earlier this month, another Valorant developer confirmed Riot is open to exploring more modes but will launch with just one.