This weekend, all players with access to the PBE server could test the new Valorant Agent, Chamber. Was it really worth waiting almost half a year for this famous "Deadeye"?
Let's be honest, the last Agents we got changed virtually nothing in the metagame. Yoru and KAY/O are some of the least played characters in Valorant (although that may change), and Astra has her enthusiasts, but we wouldn't call her a top-tier Agent. So, will this trend continue? Is Chamber another useless Agent with cool-looking abilities and a nice trailer?Well, not necessarily.
After PBE testing this weekend, our opinion of Chamber has changed from the one we had when we saw its official announcement. So, what's our opinion on him now? Are we going to experience a meta game shift, or will things stay the same? Let's analyze everything we've learned about him in these 2 weeks and see how good Chamber really is.
Why Is Chamber Good?
Chamber has no weak abilities. For real, every single ability sounds like some kind of cheat; they all are pretty annoying to play against. And that's the main reason why people expect Chamber to be the king of the meta game and see him in absolutely every game until he gets nerfed. Come on, every Operator player would love to have access to at least one of them.
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Chamber's Abilities In A Nutshell
Okay, but why are all these abilities so strong? Let us explain.
- Trademark (C) — A trap that slows down an opponent who enters its field of view. Something like a combination of Killjoy's Turret and Sage's Slow Orb. And of course, you can hear if the trap has triggered (just like any other trap in the game).
- Headhunter (Q) — Pretty much a better Sheriff. Brilliant wall penetration, headshot always kills, and you have instant access to it (you draw it in 0.3 seconds). Note that it can also be your extra gun on a pistol round.
- Rendezvous (E) — Signature ability, which is a simple teleport that works almost instantly. It allows a sniper to quickly change position after scoring a frag or getting rushed by a few enemies.
- Tour de Force (X) — A better Operator that always kills on a single hit (even in feet). Whenever you kill an opponent with this ability, it will create a slowing field under their body (same as a Trademark trap).
So, everything a sniper player needs. Slow orb to make it easier to hit the target, instant access to Sheriff, good teleport and a strong sniper rifle. How can it not be OP?
Why Is Chamber Bad?
You may ask — how can an Agent with such strong abilities be bad? He has the best abilities for sniper players in the game! You'd be right, but they're all defensive. And yes, you want this from a Sentinel Agent, but as with any Agent, it's essential to have that flexibility (which we have with Killjoy, for example). Even as a Sentinel agent, you won't always want to be playing defensive, and in case of Chamber, no ability helps your offensive game.
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So, Will Chamber Be Playable?
Will Chamber be a meta breaker and a "must have" in every lineup? Not likely; he's just not flexible enough, and you'll notice how easy it is to counter some of his lineups. However, we still expect him to be more of a tournament counterpick or a call for slightly slower meta games. After all, he's still probably the best pick for snipers specifically.
All in all, Chamber is a decent Agent, but he's probably not flexible enough to be more popular than Killjoy, Cypher or Sage. He should still be more popular than Astra, Yoru, and KAY/O, and that's something.