Despite all the difficulties on a global scale, it was a good year for Riot’s tactical shooter Valorant. What’s coming in 2021?
Valorant went into closed beta on April 7 which concluded on May 28. The game itself was released on June 2, 2020 and ever since then, it has been on the rise. We’ve seen numerous tournaments and players leaving their respective titles to start a career and Valorant. Riot Games made their own regional event with First Strike which came to an end in December.
The developers have been supporting the tactical shooter with regular patches, balance updates, new maps, new modes, new agents, and new skins. All in order to keep the title fresh for the players. We're already over six months into 2021 and Valorant fans still have a lot to look forward to. Here’s what you can expect.
More Esports Events
The Valorant esports scene was already booming in 2020 as not even the pandemic managed to slow down the game's growth. 2021 will resume the shooter's competitive aspect with the Valorant Champions Tour. Another series of tournaments spanning across the globe. Players from various regions will have the chance to prove themselves and earn a spot in one of the prestigious LAN events. Only the best will make it to the grand finals in December.
- Read More: Valorant Roster Changes: July 2021
It will come as no surprise if we see more and more players from other titles make the switch to Valorant. League of Legends' competitive structure is one of the best in the world of esports and Riot definitely plans to bring the same level to Valorant without the franchising part.
New Episodes/Acts
Long ago when the game was first released, Riot revealed that Valorant will be split into Episodes. Each episode will last for six months and include a number of Acts. So far we’ve seen three of the latter, two months per act. 2021 marked the start of Episode 2 in Valorant and we're currently in Episode 3 Act 1.
New Agents
The pool of available agents has grown in the past six months. Valorant had 8 agents in its early build. Breach and Raze were added later to increase the number to 10. Over the course of Episode 1, Riot added Reyna, Killjoy, Skye. Episode 2 added Yoru and Astra and Episode 3 started out with KAY/O. Going further into the Episode and 2021, players can expect at least two more agents that were already revealed – Deadeye and Sprinter.
- Read More: Valorant: New Agent Deadeye Teased!
In one of their previous blog posts, Riot mentioned that the number of agents they’re aiming for is rather high. Somewhere between 60 and 100. That’s a lot.
New Game Modes
Initially, Valorant had a training room and the standard plant/defuse. As time went by, Riot added the fast-paced Spike Rush and the highly requested by fans Deathmatch. During the winter holidays, players were also able to enjoy a special version of DM, named Snowball Fight.
Riot made it clear they have some ideas and will probably try to sneak in as many new modes as possible in 2021. Whether the focus will remain on the social aspect remains to be seen. The removal of 5-man stacks was a hard blow to the Valorant ranked system but Riot will be bringing it back in 2021.
- Read More: 5-Stack Tournaments Are Coming to Valorant
New Maps
If there’s one department Valorant is lacking in it’s definitely the maps. Sure they're all different with something that makes them unique but the number is still on the low side. Riot’s shooter was released with four maps – Bind, Haven, Split,and the obligatory Venice map Ascent. Later on, the devs added only one additional map to make them five with Icebox. The maps then became six with the addition of Breeze in Episode 2 Act 3.
- Read More: Top 5 Valorant Agents To Pick on Breeze
Valorant on Other Platforms
League of Legendsis already live on mobile devices thanks to Wild Rift. Riot proved it’s possible, so is Valorant about to follow the same fate? Over halfway through 2021, Riot Games confirmed that Valorant will in fact be coming to mobile. If a mobile version is already in the making, then consoles are probably not too much of a stretch either.
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For more Valorant news and esports check our Valorant section.
