Valorant Episode 2, Act 3 marked the first time since the tactical FPS game’s release that Riot had opted not to release a new agent. As such, players were especially eager to know more about what Episode 3, Act 1 would have in store. As it turned out, this was KAY/O, Valorant’s sixteenth agent.
Prior to the announcement, dataminers had been hard at work analysing strings of code in each and every new patch. Shortly after patch 2.09 dropped, they believed they had found the code name of the new Valorant agent – ‘Grenadier’. With flash grenades forming part of KAY/O’s kit, it seems that ‘Grenadier’ was a bit more on the nose than some first thought it would be. After all, Riot had led us astray with its codenaming conventions before.
Well, here’s everything you should know about Valorant’s KAY/O to make the most of them on the battlefield. Just be sure to also have the best Valorant crosshairs at the ready too, otherwise, you’re shooting yourself in the foot before you’ve even begun.
Valorant KAY/O abilities
As an Initiator, KAY/O’s kit is chock-full of nasty surprises for enemy agents. From exploding blades that can suppress multiple players, to flash grenades that can be pre-cooked with a right click, players need to tread carefully with this war machine around.
- (Q) FLASH/drive – Equip a flash grenade. Fire to throw. The flash grenade explodes after a 1.6-second fuse, blinding anyone in the line of sight. Right-clicking the flashbang throws a charged flash which only has to cook for 1 second.
- (E) ZERO/point – Equip a suppression blade. Fire to throw. The blade sticks to the first surface it hits, winds up, and suppresses anyone in the radius of the explosion.
- (C) FRAG/ment – Equip an explosive fragment. Fire to throw. The fragment sticks to the floor and explodes multiple times, dealing near-lethal damage at the centre with each explosion.
- (X) NULL/cmd – Instantly overload with polarized radianite energy that empowers KAY/O and causes large energy pulses to emit from his location. Enemies hit with these pulses are suppressed for a short duration.
On top of NULL/cmd’s main mechanic, KAY/O also gains Combat Stim while overloaded. Additionally, if KAY/O is killed while overloaded, he is instead downed, entering a destabilized state until his allies can stabilize his core and revive him.
Valorant KAY/O role
KAY/O is an Initiator. At the time, he was the latest Initiator to enter the game since Skye’s release all the way back in patch 1.11.
As an initiator, KAY/O is great for pushing forward and kicking off fights by flushing enemies out. This is supported by his crowd-controlling kit that enables him to get stuck right in with an advantage over his opponent.
Valorant KAY/O release date
KAY/O was released with Valorant Episode 3, Act 1 on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. All these years later, this means there are some pretty ferocious KAY/O mains to be on the lookout for as they can completely ruin your day when played well.
Prior to KAY/O’s release, at Summer Games Fest 2021, Riot showcased a brief teaser for the agent.
Additionally, after the teaser aired, the official Valorant Twitter accounts were ‘hacked’ by Killjoy, heavily indicating the new agent could very well be one of her creations and adding more excitement to the release of KAY/O.
Well, now you’re fully equipped to dominate your next Valorant lobby as KAY/O, a badass robot that’s carved out a strong role for itself over the years.