VALORANT Closed Beta Ends with Success and the Release Date is Announced
The closed beta for VALORANT, which ended on April 28, was a massive hit. The game attracted three million daily users and set records on Twitch during its first week.
But Riot Games isn’t slowing down. The developer has planned to fully release the game on June 2. In a recent teaser, they introduced Reyna, VALORANT’s newest agent, along with a sneak peek of a new map.
Reyna, whose name means “Queen” in Spanish, hails from Mexico. The teaser suggests she has a bloodthirsty personality, as she says phrases like “They will suffer” and “Give me your heart” while collecting purple Soul Orbs dropped by her defeated enemies.
Reyna’s Abilities
Although the teaser only gave a glimpse of Reyna’s abilities, a report by Riot’s Spanish brand manager provides some insight into her kit.
Passive: When Reyna eliminates an enemy, they drop Soul Orbs that she can collect using her Q or E ability.
Q: Reyna’s Q ability allows her to collect Soul Orbs that grant her health regeneration for three seconds.
E: Reyna’s E ability also lets her pick up orbs dropped by enemies and grants her temporary invulnerability. Her Q and E abilities seem to be interconnected, giving her the choice to use the orbs for health regeneration or to become temporarily invulnerable.
C: With this ability, Reyna casts a purple orb that blinds enemies within its range. It’s not a traditional flash bomb because enemies can see the orb and destroy it while blinded. Reyna herself isn’t affected by the orb, making it a powerful tool for rushing bombsites.
Ultimate Ability (Empress): Reyna’s ultimate ability increases her firing rate, decreases reloading speed and recoil, and is refreshed with each elimination. It also reduces the cooldowns of Reyna’s other spells, allowing her to aggressively push objectives.
What Class Does Reyna Belong To?
Reyna’s abilities clearly indicate that she is an aggressive agent. Ryan “Morello” Scott, the lead character designer of VALORANT, confirmed that she is classified as a duelist.
Two of her abilities rely on collecting Soul Orbs from enemies she personally eliminates. The orbs only last for a short time, which makes Reyna vulnerable as she needs to make a play to collect them and activate her abilities.
Reyna’s heal ability can also provide her with up to 50 shields, giving her an advantage in duels as she enters almost every fight at full health.
If Reyna fails to secure kills and activate her abilities, she may have little impact on the game. Her entire kit relies on getting eliminations, and she only has one utility ability that can be easily countered. Picking Reyna appears to be a risky choice unless you have confidence in your aim or a supportive team to enable you.
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