Riot Games explain abilities for new Valorant Agent Reyna

Riot Games devs have delved into the specifics of Valorant’s brand new Agent, Reyna, revealing exactly what the Duelist can do and why she could be “near-useless.”

Fans have received a first glimpse at Valorant’s brand new Agent coming at launch. Yet while we got to see Reyna in action for the first time, there is very little we can deduce from the 33-second trailer alone.

So, naturally, we turn to the developers and tap into their knowledge. Luckily, Valorant’s Character Design Lead, Ryan ‘Morello’ Scott, has all the answers.

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Reyna’s abilities in Valorant

Below is a summary of each of Reyna’s abilities, which we go into more detail throughout. The name for each ability is purely for description purposes and not the official name used in Valorant, which is yet to be confirmed.

• Ability 1 (C) — Blinding: Cast an Orb that blinds enemies within the vicinity. Enemies can see and destroy the orb while blinding.
• Ability 2  (Q) — Soul Catcher: Reyna’s health can regenerate to fill by absorbing life from Soul Orbs. Collect Soul Orbs from corpses that you kill.
• Signature Ability (E) — Invulnerability: Reyna can temporarily become invulnerable to incoming damage, by using power from Soul Orbs. Collect Soul Orbs from corpses that you kill.
• Ultimate Ability (X) — Sleight of Hand: Temporarily increases rate of fire, decreases reload time and speeds up your skill usage.

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Right off the bat, we know that Reyna is a Duelist — so yes, that’s right, we have a fourth Duelist to add to the party. According to Morello, two of Reyna’s abilities rely on ‘Soul Orbs,’ which only appear after you get a kill with her.

One of those abilities allows Reyna to regenerate her health to full (including Shields) by absorbing the life from Soul Orbs. The second ability which relies on these Orbs is her what appears to be her Signature — Reyna can use Soul Orbs to become invulnerable.

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Although, don’t worry, as a trade off for being unable to sustain damage, Reyna can no longer shoot her weapon — ideal for getting out of a spot of bother, but can’t be used to go into a Reactor Site all guns blazing!

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While Reyna will rely heavily on Soul Orbs, she will require support from her fellow Agents to ensure she can bag those all-important kills. It’s also worth noting that the Orbs only last for a few seconds and cannot be banked/taken into the next round.

• Read more: Valorant reveals new Agent and Season One Battle Pass

And it appears Reyna will be Valorant’s answer to Rambo, as her Ultimate Ability will enhance her combat skills in the field. “Her [Ultimate] gives her faster firing/reload/recoil mod and resets on kill,” as Morello pointed out.

Reyna’s final ability (one of her buyable, core abilities) will blind enemies. Essentially, Reyna casts a giant sphere/orb (in a similar way to Omen) that blinds enemies within the area of effect. Unless the enemy destroys the sphere, they will continue to be blinded, allowing Reyna to swoop in for an easy kill.

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As Morello concluded, Reyna will be a ‘high-risk, high-reward’ Agent who will be reliant on bagging kills to ensure she can reach her full potential. “ If she doesn’t get kills, though, she’s bad. Like, near-useless. You’re making a big bet picking Reyna.”

So while Reyna’s abilities look great on paper, she will require a ton of teamwork to make full use out of utility on the battlefield!