Harbor: The Neglected Agent in VALORANT
Riot Games, the developer of VALORANT, faces a difficult challenge when introducing new agents to the game. They aim to create a balanced agent that doesn’t disrupt the game’s meta but also doesn’t go unnoticed by players. Unfortunately, Harbor, the water-bending controller, has fallen into the latter category.
Harbor has failed to make an impact among the majority of players across different game modes. Even in professional play, he hasn’t received a warm reception.
According to Blitz.gg, Harbor has consistently been the second least-picked agent since the start of VALORANT Episode Six in 2023. Astra, who was initially powerful and popular, has also fallen in popularity due to Riot’s adjustments. However, Harbor started weak and hasn’t received substantial buffs to improve his performance.
This weakness has led to Harbor being the least-picked agent in competitive play during Act One of Episode Seven, across various ranks, including Radiant and all three Immortal ranks.
While Harbor was initially enjoyable to play due to his simplicity and ability to create cover, he lacks the firepower and impactful abilities of other controllers like Omen, Brimstone, and Viper. Even his ultimate ability feels underwhelming.
Pro players also recognized Harbor’s weaknesses when he was first released. ANGE1, the in-game leader of NAVI, noted his lack of stopping power, while Sentinels analyst DrewSpark pointed out that his utility exposes his position.
Despite these drawbacks, Harbor has found some utility in professional play as part of a double-wall controller duo with Viper. However, this strategy has received criticism for being “boring” and dominated by green and blue walls.
Since Harbor’s release, VALORANT has introduced two more agents: Gekko and Deadlock. Deadlock has achieved a decent pick rate, while Gekko sits slightly below average in all game modes. This balance should be the aim for Riot when introducing new agents.
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