Our Valorant Agent Guide will help you catch up to all the beta players who’ve been playing the game since April. We’re going to give you an overview of each agent’s abilities and how to use them. You’ll get easily digestible guides, one agent at a time. Today we present to you the newest addition to the roster: Reyna.
Reyna is the latest addition to the Valorant agent roster. As is the case with almost every new character that was ever added to any game, Reyna was immediately met with chants of being OP. Is she OP or is this simply a case of people having to get used to her? Well, Reyna is definitely very, very strong once she gets going but you won’t get there without mechanical skill. Reyna gets stronger with every kill but if you don’t get any kills, you’ll be in trouble.
Reyna abilities guide: Leer
Leer is Reyna’s signature ability. Leer is a projectile in the form of an eye that travels through walls and nearsights any enemy that looks at it. Unlike a flash, Leer doesn’t detonate: It stays put in one place for three seconds and then needs to be avoided like Medusa’s gaze. The eye can be shot down by enemies, but, naturally shooting the eye requires the enemy to look at it - thus robbing them of any vision of the immediate surroundings. This is what gives Leer its power: It can not be left up unattended as it will nearsight everyone, yet eliminating the threat puts your opponent at danger and gives you the chance to strike. The key thing here to remember is to place the eye in a way that the enemy has to expose themselves to you in order to shoot it down. You don’t want them to have a safe angle at the eye.
Leer is the only ability that Reyna can use without getting kills first. Thus, it is needed to secure your first kill in order to get Reyna going. But more on that below in the tips & tricks.
Reyna abilities guide: Dismiss & Devour
Reyna’s Devour and Dismiss abilities actually share four charges.
They can only be used under the same specific circumstance: Reyna needs to kill an enemy first. Any opponent that Reyna kills leaves behind a soul orb for 3 seconds. Devour lets Reyna consume a nearby soul orb to heal for a short duration. Health gained this way that exceeds 100 will decay over time. This soul orb can be absorbed from distance, as long as you maintain a clear line of sight.
Dismiss feeds off the same soul orbs: It lets her instantly consume a nearby soul orb to become intangible for a short duration. So any time Reyna wishes to use one of these abilities, she first has to kill an enemy. Naturally, this requires Reyna to play quite aggressively or at least kill oriented. In a scenario where a kill is up for grabs, it will thus be preferable for the team to let Reyna get that kill because with either Dismiss or Devour, it will give her an advantage in the next fire-fight. On the other hand, without kills, Reyna is pretty much useless.
Keep in mind that when you use Devour, there is a clearly visible line from the orb to you. This will give away your position to a possible enemy in the area. More important than that - if you break the line of sight (the health transfer line) the ability will stop healing you. Thus, Devour bears a natural risk of having to peek in order to use it. Make sure that the surrounding area is safe before committing to Devour.
Reyna abilities guide: Empress
Reynas ultimate, Empress, costs six points. It allows Reyna to enter a frenzy, increasing firing, equip and reload speed dramatically. She also gains infinite charges of Devour and Dismiss and the duration of the frenzy is renewed for every kill.
Seeing as Empress turns Reyna into an all-out slaughter machine, it naturally lends itself well to Reyna’s other abilities. While Empress is active, Devour & Dismiss gain additional features. Devour will automatically cast when an enemy is killed without the player having to consume the soul orb manually. Thus, you heal automatically and can still use the soul orb for Dismiss, which will now not just turn you intangible, but also invisible.
Basically: Empress boosts every fighting stat, drops a soul orb on every kill, which can be used for Dismiss to turn you invisible. Additionally, you automatically heal on every kill. You can technically still use the Devour ability while Empress is active, but it would be a waste - you heal on kill anyway and you’d be wasting that soul orb. Use Dismiss and your invisibility to reposition yourself, gain the advantage and keep the pressure up and maybe the kills going.
Don’t use Empress on save rounds - you want to have the best weapon possible at your disposal. Unlike Jett’s knives, Empress doesn’t provide a new weapon., so use it when you are fully kitted out. Also, try to use Empress while there are still more enemies alive as it feeds on every kill. Rule of thumb: If there are the same number of enemies or more alive as there are players on your team: Use it.
Reyna guide: Tips & tricks
- Reyna's playstyle revolves around getting kills to power up - Dismiss, Devour and Empress all depend on it. Without any kills, Reyna is arguably the worst champion in the game - so keep that in mind.
- In order to get Reyna fed, you will rely on Leer first. Try to find a good spot to position the eye to blind an enemy that then runs into you for an easy 1v1 kill. Also, make sure it is you who gets that kill. Don’t waste any opportunity to get a kill - this is not stat-padding: in Reyna’s case, it’s a matter of feeding her and helping the entire team.
- After your first kill comes an important decision - use Devour or Dismiss. Dismiss is instant and offers immediate protection but doesn’t last long. Use it when there are other enemies nearby, you are in a 1v2 or a dangerous position you want to escape. Devour is slow and better long-term - use it when you’re safe or to heal back up.
- Don’t be scared to aggressively pursue that first kill because either way, you can heal back up or get into a safe position afterward. More than just eliminating an enemy, that one kill counts towards your ultimate and is thus very valuable.
- Another way Dismiss is used is to check angles safely and retreat before the timer runs out. Be mindful of enemies that might rush you on your retreat.
- Reyna best helps the team by securing kills. Due to a lack of utility, she is not the most useful in team fights. Reyna will not get an orb when a teammate gets the kill. Thus lurking for kills can be a viable strategy. Sticking close to your team is still recommended - just make sure you get those kills at the end of fights.
- The other duelists, Phoenix and Raze offer more team utility and are less punishing when you are not getting kills. When things go your way though, Reyna is arguably the most powerful duelist. Also, consider Jett as an alternative with a similar approach but a different playstyle.
- Reyna is best paired with agents like Breach, Brimstone and Viper. She needs a team that forces the enemy out of position. At best, Reyna can get in from behind or otherwise unexpected angles and spots. In any case, Reyna needs someone to provide cover, for her to get past enemies’ defenses
More Valorant Agent Guides
Alright, that’s it for Reyna. For more guides on Valorant, we got just what you’re looking for:
Stick around for more Valorant Agent Guides and, in general, keep it at EarlyGame for all things Valorant.