Opinion: Hopes for VALORANT's Launch

I had an absolute ton of fun playing the beta for VALORANT. I got it during the first week that drops were available, and I have found the game immensely enjoyable. That being said, there are certainly still things that can be improved on. Here are some hopes that I have for VALORANT’s launch and the month or so afterwards.

Reyna not to be overpowered

Coming from League of Legends, Riot is notorious for releasing overtuned characters, and I really hope this isn’t the case with VALORANT’s newest agent, Reyna. On Twitter, VALORANT’s character design lead Morello shared some of her abilities, and she does sound like a relatively balanced character. Ultimately, however, we need to see numbers and real gameplay to get a sense of her power level.

A Better Replay/Spectator System

The bane of many tournaments during VALORANT’s beta was the poor spectator system. It was riddled with bugs, lacked a free camera, and was overall very clunky. Hopefully, we can get an improved version on launch, as well as a replay system to allow us to rewatch games. This will be a big help as larger tournaments begin to crop up in the scene, and especially so since VALORANT is partnering with Twitch to host a 200,000$ global tournament on launch day.

More Maps

3 maps worked relatively well for a beta, but I personally found them getting old quick. There is a new map coming with VALORANT’s launch, but I hope we get even more added to the game in the month or so afterwards. This may be a longer shot, but I really do think it would improve the game a lot. For instance, a multi-storey map would be cool, or perhaps a map with more intricate capture points. No matter what they add, I’d really like to see this sort of thing added to the game soon.

More High-Level Tournaments

Lastly, I’d like to see more high-level tournaments. The kind that inspires thus-far reluctant teams to pick up a roster to compete. The kind that dole out big prize money. The 200,000$ launch day tournament is a step in the right direction, but it will mostly feature influencers, not professionals. I want to see Gen.G vs Cloud9, I want to see Fish123 competing for an established organization. I’m quite confident that we will be getting this sort of tournament in the month or so after launch, and I cannot wait for that day.

What has your experience with VALORANT’s beta been like? What are you hoping to see as the game launches? Let us know!