In VALORANT, there’s a small detail in the shield icon that indicates whether it helped you in the previous round or not. This detail went unnoticed by many, including veterans, until a Reddit post brought it to their attention.
A player named Designer_Tip_6451 raised the question about the tiny arrow in the middle of the shield icon next to player names on the scoreboard. They noticed that the arrow changes direction and sometimes becomes a dot but weren’t sure of its significance.
Curious to find an answer, Designer_Tip_6451 contacted Riot Support and received an explanation from a Riot player support specialist named The Hook Devil.
According to The Hook Devil, the shield icon indicates three situations:
- The downward arrow represents damaged and re-bought shields.
- The dot represents full-bought shields.
- The upward arrow represents shields carried over from the previous round.
Shields are crucial in VALORANT as they provide protection from bullet damage. While you can see your shield’s damage and health in the UI, you can’t see your team’s shield stats. However, the indicator on the shield icon allows you to keep track of how your teammates are managing their shields, which can help in strategizing.
It’s important to note that not all players prefer buying full shields, as some may follow Fnatic’s half-shield approach. Therefore, it’s best not to push your strategies on others.
VALORANT, shield icon, Reddit, Riot Support, shields, bullet damage, teammates, strategy