VALORANT: Complete Guide
Agents and roles, the credit economy, the new Warden rifle, the current map pool, settings, aim and positioning fundamentals, and ranked habits — updated for the big Patch 13.06.
Researched September 2026 — current as of Patch 13.06 (September 22, 2026), Season 2026 Act 5. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.
Quick Start
- Headshots decide everything. Keep your crosshair at head height at all times, even while walking.
- Stop before you shoot. Moving while firing wrecks accuracy. Tap A/D, stop, shoot (counter-strafing).
- Learn the economy. Buying every round loses games. Save together, buy together.
- Pick a role, then 1–2 agents in it. Controllers and Sentinels are the easiest to learn and always needed.
- Communicate info, not feelings. "Two B main, one low" wins rounds; complaining doesn't.
- Don't peek the same angle twice after getting a kill — they know where you are.
- Use Deathmatch and the Range before ranked. In 13.06 you can now access the Range while queuing.
- Ranked unlocks at account level 20.
- Performance Score replaced ACS in 13.06 — utility and team play count now, not just damage.
What's New in Patch 13.06
The biggest update of 2026:
- Warden — a new automatic rifle in the Vandal/Phantom tier (details below).
- Performance Score replaces ACS: a 0–500 number that counts a wider range of contributions and decides MVP and scoreboard order in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, and Premier.
- Agent Mastery replaces the old Agent Gear progression. Each agent has Act Levels (reset at the start of each new Act; Portrait Accents unlock at levels 4, 7, and 10) and Lifetime Levels (permanent rewards). Everyone started from zero.
- Gauntlet: Glitched — 16 players in eight duos face off in 2v2 rounds with randomized ability drafting and "Robo Agents" on four new arenas. Team health drops as you lose; eliminated teams watch from a winner's circle or can requeue. It replaced the Retake mode.
- Rank Legacy in the Competitive Hub shows how many times you've reached each rank.
- Home and Lobby merged into a single hub, a new Career page, and a revamped end-of-game screen.
- VALORANT Console launched in Australia and New Zealand.
- No direct agent buffs or nerfs in this patch.
Agents and Roles
29 agents across four roles as of September 2026:
| Role |
Job |
Agents |
| Duelist |
Entry, take space, get first kills |
Phoenix, Jett, Reyna, Raze, Yoru, Neon, Iso, Waylay |
| Initiator |
Gather info, flash, set up entries |
Sova, Breach, Skye, KAY/O, Fade, Gekko, Tejo |
| Controller |
Smokes to cut sightlines |
Brimstone, Viper, Omen, Astra, Harbor, Clove, Miks |
| Sentinel |
Hold sites, watch flanks, slow pushes |
Killjoy, Cypher, Sage, Chamber, Deadlock, Vyse, Veto |
Newest agents: Miks (Controller, Patch 12.05), Veto (Sentinel, 11.07b), Waylay (Duelist, 10.04), Tejo (Initiator, 10.00). No new agent arrived with Act 5.
Beginner Picks
| Role |
Easy starts |
Why |
| Duelist |
Phoenix, Reyna |
Self-sufficient; Phoenix heals and flashes, Reyna snowballs off kills |
| Initiator |
Gekko, Skye |
Gekko's utility can be picked back up after use; Skye can heal |
| Controller |
Brimstone, Omen, Clove |
Simple smokes; Clove can smoke after death |
| Sentinel |
Killjoy, Sage |
Killjoy's turret and alarmbot give info; Sage heals and walls |
Standard Team Composition
One of each role plus one flex (often a second Initiator or Controller). Always have at least one Controller — no smokes means no safe site takes.
Economy
How Credits Work
| Event |
Credits |
| Round win |
3,000 |
| Round loss |
1,900, then 2,400, then 2,900 for consecutive losses |
| Kill |
200 |
| Spike plant |
300 to each attacker |
| Max credits |
9,000 |
| Starting credits (pistol round) |
800 |
If attackers survive without planting, or defenders survive after the spike detonates, they get a flat 1,000 instead of loss credits — so saving costs you. Values have been stable for a long time, but check the buy menu if something feels off.
Key Purchases
| Item |
Cost |
Notes |
| Sheriff |
800 |
High-risk pistol; one-taps heads |
| Spectre |
1,600 |
Best eco/half-buy SMG |
| Vandal |
2,900 |
One-tap head at any range |
| Phantom |
2,900 |
Faster fire, silenced, no tracers; falls off at range |
| Warden (new) |
2,900 |
See below |
| Operator |
4,700 |
One-shot body sniper |
| Light Armor |
400 |
25 armor (absorbs 66% of damage) |
| Regen Shield |
650 |
25 shield that absorbs 100% and regenerates from a 50-point pool (added in 9.10) |
| Heavy Armor |
1,000 |
50 armor (absorbs 66% of damage) |
Buy Rules of Thumb
- Pistol round: Light Armor plus utility, or a Ghost/Sheriff.
- Won pistol: buy SMGs (Stinger/Spectre) with armor on round 2 and keep the snowball.
- Lost pistol: full save (eco) on round 2 so you can full-buy round 3.
- Full buy threshold: about 3,900 for rifle plus Heavy Armor; more with utility.
- Match the team. If three players can't buy, everyone saves. Five half-buys lose to five rifles.
- Drop weapons for teammates when you're rich (request with the buy menu).
The Warden (New in 13.06)
| Stat |
Value |
| Cost |
2,900 |
| Scope |
2x |
| Magazine |
18 |
| Damage (all ranges) |
200 head / 50 body / 42 legs |
| Fire rate |
6.5 shots per second |
| Reload |
2.5 seconds |
| Wall penetration |
Medium |
How to use it: no damage falloff and a 200 headshot make it a strong angle-holding rifle at long range, but the small 18-round magazine and slower fire rate punish spraying. Tap and burst; hold long angles on defense; don't use it for close-range entry where Phantom and Vandal are better. As a brand-new weapon, expect balance tuning in upcoming patches.
Maps
Competitive pool (as of Season 2026 Act 5): Abyss, Ascent, Haven, Lotus, Split, Sunset, Summit.
Out of rotation: Bind, Breeze, Corrode, Fracture, Icebox, Pearl. (Abyss returned in Act 5; there have been reports of Icebox returning later, so check the patch notes.)
| Map |
Key feature |
Tip |
| Abyss |
No outer walls; you can fall off the map |
Watch your footing when jumping or dashing |
| Ascent |
Mid control, closable site doors |
Win mid to split sites |
| Haven |
Three sites (A, B, C) |
Defenders are stretched; rotate on info, not guesses |
| Lotus |
Three sites, rotating doors, destructible wall |
Listen for doors to read rotations |
| Split |
Vertical ropes, tight mid |
Mid control is key; watch high ground |
| Sunset |
Strong mid presence |
Control mid to pressure both sites |
| Summit |
Newest map (Patch 13.00), set in Zhangjiajie, China |
Newest map means most players are still learning it; learn default setups early |
Settings
- Sensitivity: most players use 200–400 eDPI (mouse DPI times in-game sens). Lower sens is easier for precise head-level aim.
- Crosshair: small, static, high-contrast color (cyan or green). Turn off firing error and movement error.
- Graphics: lowest settings for highest FPS, except keep Material/Texture as you like. Turn off Vignette, Bloom, and Distortion.
- Enemy Highlight Color: yellow (deuteranopia) or red variants; pick what pops most.
- Minimap: set to rotate off, zoom to fit, and "Keep Player Centered" off for clearer rotations.
- Audio: use headphones, turn on HRTF if you find it helps with sound direction.
Aim and Positioning
Aim
- Crosshair placement: pre-aim where heads will appear. Most kills come from not moving the crosshair at all.
- Counter-strafe: tap the opposite movement key to stop instantly, then shoot.
- Tap and burst at range. Spray only up close; the Vandal/Phantom spray pulls up and sideways.
- Warm up 10–15 minutes in the Range (bots, strafing mode) or Deathmatch before ranked.
Positioning
- Off-angles: don't stand where everyone pre-aims. But change spots each round.
- Jiggle and wide swings: jiggle peek for info, wide swing with a teammate for trades.
- Trade your teammate. Stay close enough that if they die, you can kill the shooter immediately.
- Play for time on defense. Utility plus retreat beats a hero fight when you're outnumbered.
- Post-plant: play off the spike. Don't hold in site; hold angles on the defuser.
Ranked
Ranks: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Ascendant, Immortal, Radiant. Iron to Immortal have three divisions.
- Requirements: account level 20.
- Winning is what moves RR. Round differential and match wins matter far more than padding your stats.
- Performance Score now reflects utility and support contributions, so good Controller and Sentinel play shows up on the scoreboard.
- Duo with someone consistent — comms improve drastically.
- Dodge less, play more. Consistency beats trying to cherry-pick lobbies.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Running and gunning. You won't hit anything while moving.
- Buying on a bad round when the team is saving.
- Five-stack lurking. Somebody has to go in with the Duelist.
- Wasting utility early. Save smokes and flashes for executes and retakes.
- Peeking the same angle after a kill.
- Not playing the spike. On attack, getting the plant is often more important than one more kill.
- Spraying with the Warden. Its magazine is small; burst it.
Advanced Tips
- Default, then execute. Spread out early to gather info, then collapse on the weak site with full utility.
- Fake with utility. Throw a few smokes and a flash on one site, then rotate — defenders often overcommit.
- Save ultimates for key rounds (e.g. bonus rounds, map point).
- Use sound deliberately. Walk (Shift) near sites; run where you want them to hear you.
- Play the Range while queuing (new in 13.06) to keep your aim warm between matches.
- Learn 2–3 lineups per map for your agent (Sova arrows, Viper molly, Brimstone molly); they win post-plants.
FAQ
What's the current patch?
Patch 13.06, released September 22, 2026, in Season 2026 Act 5.
What is the Warden?
A new 2,900-credit automatic rifle with a 2x scope, 18-round magazine, and 200/50/42 head/body/leg damage at all ranges.
What replaced ACS?
Performance Score, a 0–500 metric that accounts for more than combat and decides MVP.
What's the current map pool?
Abyss, Ascent, Haven, Lotus, Split, Sunset, and Summit.
Who is the newest agent?
Miks, a Controller released in Patch 12.05. No new agent came with Act 5.
What happened to Retake mode?
It was replaced by Gauntlet: Glitched in Patch 13.06.
What level do I need for ranked?
Account level 20.
Sources