Valorant Agent tier list: Best characters to play on patch 8.0

Titas Khan
Valorant Agent Tier 2.00

If you’re on the hunt for an up-to-date Valorant tier list to gain a strategic advantage in matches, search no more. Our list meticulously ranks each character based on the current meta in patch 8.0, from the cream of the crop to the bottom rung.

Valorant melds an eclectic mix of Agents into its high-quality tactical shooter gameplay. Although many players hone their skills with specific Agents, understanding which Agents reign supreme in the current meta is paramount.

Picking the most relevant Agents according to the meta will definitely give you an edge in Riot’s tactical shooter. With the release of Valorant’s newest Duelist, Iso, in patch 7.09, the performance of each Agent on every map has become even more essential in determining the outcome of a match.

However, for that, you need to stay on top of all the new patches to know what’s happening with each Agent. Given that doing so can be a bit difficult, we have compiled this tier list for you to check out the in-meta Agents of the game.


Contents


Valorant Agent Tier List

In case you were wondering which Agent to pick after the massive changes in patch 8.0, don’t worry, we have got you covered with this table:

Tier Agent
S Jett, Skye, Raze
A Brimstone, Killjoy, Omen, Yoru, Sova, Cypher, Viper, Reyna, Harbor
B Chamber, Breach, Neon, Sage, Gekko, Iso, Fade
C Astra, Kay/O
D Phoenix, Deadlock

Valorant’s S-tier Agents

Skye

Throughout Episode 7 and much of 2023, it’s obvious why Skye would be the most picked Initiator, but also possibly the best out of the bunch. 

For one, she can heal teammates, an ability no other Initiator has. Her Trailblazer is undoubtedly the best scouting ability out of all the Initiators, being able to get info and even stun and damage when it hits an enemy, making it an essential ability to enter sites with. 

Her signature ability, Guiding Light, is not only a great flashing ability that can easily round corners and get into hard-to-reach places, but it also alerts you if an enemy has been blinded by it, making it a great info-gathering tool that regenerates.

And her ult, Seekers, is a great tool to get info on where enemies are, being able to clear out spaces fast and allowing you to take control easily by scaling up with it. And the fact it also stuns when it hits enemies is a bonus for when enemies are taking a site. 

Overall, Skye does everything every other Initiator does, and more. She can heal, stun, flash, and gather info effectively, and that makes her S-tier.

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Jett

Valorant's Jett.

Despite the many nerfs done to Jett over many patches, most recently getting a significant nerf in patch 7.04, she still remains the game’s best Agent to play the Operator with, which easily puts her up in S-tier. 

Her signature ability, Tailwind, is possibly one of the best movement abilities in the game, allowing Jett to take up aggressive positions with the Op and easily dash away. 

Not only is it a great ability to take aggressive positions with, Tailwind is also a great ability to enter sites with, and combined with her Cloudburst and Updraft, both receiving nerfs, it still gives a great amount of mobility and ability to enter sites effectively. 

Despite having one of the highest skill ceilings in the game, if you get proficient enough with Jett, you only need to see clips of pros like Demon1, Something, and Aspas on Jett to understand what makes her so good. 

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Raze

Valorant's Raze.

Raze may have received minor nerfs in patch 7.09, however, she still remains one of the best entry Duelist Valorant has to offer, especially if you can master her satchels. 

Her Paint Shells are possibly Valorant’s best grenade, being able to kill enemies with its CC damage. And even if you aren’t using it to damage enemies, it’s able to clear out corners and tough-to-reach places easily. 

Her Boom Bot is also a great info-gathering tool, allowing you to check areas and corners from safety, and even allow you to take space with it. 

Her Blast Packs offer some of Valorant’s best mobility, giving great upward and forward mobility, although not the fastest as Jett takes that title. Get good enough with it, and you can enter a site or take space faster than your enemy can react. 

Combine the satchels with her Showstopper, and you instantly get an Agent that can fly extremely fast at enemies with a rocket launcher that can insta-kill grouped-up enemies or take space effectively. 

Raze is essentially the best Agent to be aggressive with, and her kit fully rewards such a risky playstyle. Some of the world’s best players like Jinggg utilize every single one of her abilities to its fullest, and it’s easy to understand why she’s S-tier.

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Valorant’s A-tier Agents

Brimstone

Valorant's Brimstone.

It appears that we were maybe a bit too trigger-happy with Brimstone’s place in the Valorant tier list. He glided up thanks to a handy amount of buffs early in Episode 2 and has continued to skyrocket in popularity ever since.

After recent buffs and changes leading up to Episode 4 Act 3, he is a lot better than he was. With longer Sky Smokes, a further deploy range, and cheaper Incendiary Molotov, he is arguably the best Agent to have by your side for a quick site hit. Plus, his Orbital Strike ultimate can block off entire areas like U-Hall on Bind, giving you tons of control.

There’s also now a real reason to question which smoke Agent you bring. On some maps, like Bind, you might want to take Brimstone instead. However, with competition heating up between Omen, Astra, and Viper, Brimstone often finds himself overlooked in the current meta.

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Killjoy

Valorant's Killjoy.

Killjoy can operate far outside the bounds of her Sentinel status. While her abilities make her one of the most powerful Agents on Defense, she can also be extremely beneficial on Attack, too. Her Nanoswarm grenade can be incredibly impactful during the early stages of the round — even if not triggered, it offers valuable area denial. The same goes for post-plants.

However, Killjoy is nowhere as impactful as she was on release. She can’t roam across the entire map and expect her robots to do their job. She needs to stick close to each Reactor Site to make sure all of her utility is online. Not only that but if she has to rotate now, her bots now have 20-second cooldowns.

Those changes really hurt her when it comes down to it. She has a purpose still – her Lockdown Ultimate is one of the best in the game – but she’s not as flexible as other Agents in this tier list.

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Omen

Valorant's Omen.

Once a must-pick Agent, Omen had been bumped down to the B-tier after his pretty substantial nerfs. However, he did maintain his spot at the top of the tier list for Controllers and, following recent buffs and balances, Omen returned right back to the top. Nevertheless, the recent nerfs to the Agent in Episode 6 Act 1 has knocked him down to the A tier.

The Agent is an excellent Controller and can be an absolute game-changer in crunch situations. Be it defending or taking over a post-plant site, or denying the enemy from controlling an area, Omen’s toolkit allows him to perfectly set up advantageous scenarios for his team.

Omen has slowly but surely made his way back to being as dominant now as he once was, and it’s probably for the best. Considering how good the Agent can be in most situations, you should be looking to grab him in every game as long as you understand his abilities and role.

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Yoru

Valorant Agent Yoru

Yoru initially entered our list at A-Tier, but he ended up sliding down the list for a long time after that. Why? Despite his kit filling a niche in the lurker role, Yoru wasn’t able to dislodge any in-meta Duelist.

Although he was not massively underpowered – his kit was just strictly worse than anyone else’s. His flashes were easy to dodge, his teleport was too loud, and his footsteps didn’t bait anyone. The only useful thing used to be his Ultimate to get behind enemy lines and gather intel.

However, since his recent rework, Yoru has turned into an exceptional choice for many players. Given his capability to crowd-control enemy Agents, Yoru once again finds himself sitting comfortably in the A-tier of this list.

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Sova

Valorant's Sova.

Since the Cypher nerfs, Sova has become one of Valorant’s best intel-gathering Agent. Sure, he is a very complex character, however, if you put the time into mastering him, it’ll be well worth it.

By mastering some lineups with Sova’s bolts, the Agent offers a diverse approach in their quest for intel that no other can match. His Owl Drone isn’t to be forgotten though, as it makes for the perfect entry into a site when coupled with an ally right behind it.

While, like most Agents, he was nerfed in Episode 3, he is still a must-have in any game. His ability to scout ahead is unparalleled, and it’s like having a sixth man when you have an Owl Drone or Recon Dart by your side.

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Cypher

Valorant's Cypher.

Cypher was once the king of intel in Valorant. However, he was forced to relinquish the throne to Sova after Patch 1.11. He’s still effective but losing his Trapwires after death really hurt his place in the power rankings.

He can still be the one-man army he once was, locking down sites with cameras and cages, telling his team what he sees – or doesn’t see. His Neural Theft is also incredibly handy to help read enemy plays and force their hand, and its reduced cost in Episode 3 certainly helps even now.

Nevertheless, the recent buffs in patch 5.10 have pushed Cypher up from the C tier and directly into the A tier. Despite the buffs, the Moroccan information broker still remains behind Chamber in the list of Sentinels. However, it remains to be seen whether the Agent can slowly claw their way into the A tier of this list or not.

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Viper

Valorant's Viper.

Viper finally got herself out of the gutter in Episode 3 and quickly climbed to the top of the tier-list rankings. However, in Episode 4, the American controller has fallen to the A-tier.

Don’t let her fall in the power rankings fool you though. The Agent got a lot of love on Valorant patch 2.06, and despite a quick follow-up nerf on patch 2.09, she’s still one of the most viable Controllers in the game.

While she was once incredibly inflexible, her reworked kit fixed most of her problems. From being able to retrieve her Poison Cloud smokes, to the initial tick of Decay when enemies walk through her Toxins, she can quickly shred enemies.

If you need to lock down sites by yourself, there’s hardly a smoke Agent better equipped than Viper.

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Reyna

Valorant's Reyna.

While Reyna is nothing like what she used to be after being hit with huge nerfs in recent patches, the Duelist is still an incredible pick for those hungry for action.

Having fewer charges of her Devour and Dismiss means she can’t be as aggressive, as the damage will stick now. At least now the souls drop even on assist, rather than only kill.

She’s still very good for the selfish-at-heart – there’s no doubt – however, she won’t be as 1v9 as she used to be during her glory days.

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Harbor

cover art for Harbor in Valorant

Despite not being the most popular Agent in Valorant, Harbor’s strength’s cannot be diminished. Ever since his entry in patch 5.08, he was instantly in the meta, depending on the map and team comp. 

Filling in the niche of a wall smoke like Viper, Harbor has the added advantage of being able to curve his walls, allowing for creative usage of taking space. 

And his Cove’s shield makes it easy for teams to plant bombs to protect you from spamming enemies, or even just to hold on to space by playing around the Cove. 

His Cascade inversely helps you take space, allowing you to scale up with the moving wall and taking enemies off-guard. And combine it with this Reckoning, which is a great ult to entry sites with or to slow down enemies from taking sites. 

Despite being very strong, his skill ceiling is extremely high, as the Agent is one of the highest APM characters in the game, and knowing how to get creative with your walls and taking space with his abilities will take some practice. 

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Valorant’s B-tier Agents

Chamber

It has been quite a while since Chamber was released in Valorant and after several balancing changes, the Agent secured himself as one of the strongest choices in the game. The French Sentinel is the fourth in the category, with his kit featuring a mixture of other Agents like Yoru with his teleport and Killjoy with his alarm bot.

Previously many Agents have started at the top of the list but quickly fallen down to the bottom like KAY/O and Yoru. However, Chamber had quite a good run until being hit by a series of nerfs in update 5.12. Owing to these nerfs, Chamber, who was a constant presence in the S or A tier before this point, finds himself perched in the B tier of our rankings.

Nevertheless, the Chamber continues to dominate with his abilities in Valorant when in the right hands and can be quite threatening despite the recent nerfs.

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Breach

Valorant's Breach.

Breach is one of Valorant’s most well-rounded Agents, who can go into combat all guns blazing, but lacks the flair of the likes of Jett and Phoenix. Both Aftershock and Flashpoint are designed to allow you to burst through enemy lines; a great tool for when your team is taking a site.

Breach’s Signature and Ultimate abilities can completely disrupt the battlefield in the blink of an eye. Providing you have the necessary intel on the enemy’s whereabouts, both Fault Line and Rolling Thunder make gaining map control a relatively easy process.

He’s a great Agent to have on your side, and you can’t really go wrong with picking him up. Despite being one of the most stable Agents in the game, you can still find better options in most situations.

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Neon

Neon Valorant

While many Agents make their way to the top of the power rankings right off the bat of their release, Neon didn’t exactly hit the mark – putting her debut in this list at the B-tier.

The fast-paced Filipina Duelist wasn’t exactly a disappointing addition to Valorant when released in Episode 4, but she simply doesn’t perform as well as other Agents on this list.

However, the Duelist’s rocket-like speed and electrical energy tear down all those who stand in her squad’s way – making Neon extremely fun to play. Hopefully, we’ll see a buff to the speedy Agent in the near future to land her a higher rank in our Valorant Agent tier list.

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Sage

Valorant's Sage.

Valorant’s resident medic was once an essential Agent on any team. She was pushed down pretty hard with some big nerfs, however, her kit of abilities continuously keeps her from falling down to the bottom of the tier list.

Despite the nerfs, both her Slow and Barrier Orbs are handy for temporarily cornering off specific sections of a map — the latter can also be used to boost on top of stacked boxes (or such alike) to give you a height advantage when peeking for information or an early kill.

Sage’s Orbs aside, the Agent’s Resurrection Ability can turn the tide of a round in your favor, especially when in a clutch situation where the man-advantage can be pivotal. It’s still the best ability in the game bar none, even though it now costs eight points, and it’s why she’s worthy of B-Tier.

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Gekko

an image of Gekko from Valorant

Upon release in patch 6.04, Gekko looked like he was primed to take Valorant by storm with abilities that could be used forever, however, months after release, many have realized that he’s an okay Initiator.

On paper, the ability to reuse his Wingman, Dizzy and his ult Thrash is amazing, however, just because you can reuse doesn’t mean you can always pick it up again, especially if the enemy is controlling the space in which your abilities are. 

Despite that, Wingman has a great ability for clearing space, and Dizzy if used right, is a great flashing and info-gathering ability. And Thrash is essentially a beefed-up Skye Trailblazer that stuns an area.

However, the main problem with Gekko is needing to use his abilities correctly, as the only way you can get value out of his kit is by reusing it multiple times during a round. And if the enemy is smart, they’ll always be controlling the spaces in which you can collect your abilities, easily countering him. 

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Iso

Iso Valorant

The newest Duelist in Valorant, Iso came out in patch 7.09 to much skepticism around his place in the meta. 

Iso, as the dev has said, is extremely dependent on your mechanical skill as a player. To play him effectively, you need to play aggressively, and with a lot of confidence that you will get kills.

His wall, Contingency, is a great tool to take space, allowing you to scale up with it as it moves and letting you play around it.

His ult, Kill Contract, is a toss-up. Depending on how confident you are in your 1v1 abilities, it forces the enemy to a fight. If you are confident, it might as well be a guaranteed pick-off the enemy team. But if you aren’t confident, you will allow the enemy a free kill. 

But it’s his signature, Double Tap, that is dependent on how effective he can be. If you can kill enemies and shoot the orb quickly and accurately enough, Iso becomes a killing machine. But if you can’t land your shots… well, Iso might as well be one of the worst agents in the game. 

But even as a Duelist, his place in the meta is questionable, as his abilities aren’t suited to take space fast like Raze and Jett, and unlike the two who can play selflessly, Iso is dependent on your personal performance, making it a toss-up for most players. 

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Fade

cover art for Fade in Valorant

Upon release, Fade was a very strong Agent, seeing a lot of use in pro play and casual. However, after several balance changes, it squarely puts her in the middle of the pack. 

Despite having great info-gathering abilities like Haunt, Prowler, Seize, and her ult Nightfall, it’s also dependent on your team’s ability to act on the info. 

You’ll find that Fade is a team player, as her abilities are selfless, needing a great deal of coordination and comms to act on the info of enemy positions, decays and deafens from her abilities. 

Fade is great in the pro scene, as it’s in the top level of play where teams are drilled and know what to do instinctively. But, for most players, it can be very hard to act on her abilities. 

Valorant’s C-tier Agents

Astra

Valorant Agent Astra

Astra is… a bit too galaxy-brained for Valorant. She has the potential to be amazing in the right hands – and the pros certainly made use of her at Masters – but for the average Joe, she’s a hard nut to crack.

Her kit is loaded with utility that makes her practically an all-in-one controller. Smokes, stuns, gravity wells, and a huge screen that blocks damage and sound; it’s more a case of what she can’t do.

The big drawback, that used to be, was Astra’s complexity and vulnerability. However, despite players getting over those drawbacks, the recent nerfs to the Agent have really hurt her position in our Valorant Agent tier list.

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KAY/O

Valorant KAY/O guide

KAY/O released Episode 3 Act 1, and he easily made his way into the S-tier upon release. However, after a few months, KAY/O had quickly fallen to the bottom end of the tier list and then made his way back up.

Despite how strong KAY/O’s flash is, the Agent can be quite difficult to execute optimally, leaving many players opting out of picking KAY/O. Nevertheless, recent nerfs in patch 5.07 have dropped KAY/O back into the C-tier, making him a fairly weaker Agent in Valorant.

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Valorant’s D-tier Agents

Phoenix

Phoenix is the prime example of the “most average” Agent in Valorant. He’s nothing to write home about, but he’s not too bad either. The British Duelist does his job, and that’s that.

Of all the Duelists, he’s one of the bigger team players, giving himself up for the entry frag with his Run It Back ultimate. His flashes are also quite effective, and he can heal himself if he takes damage.

Despite the buffs in patch 5.01, Phoenix is still the weakest Duelist in comparison to others on the roster. However, good Phoenix players look great no matter the situation.

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Deadlock

Valorant Deadlock

Deadlock is in a dismal state in Valorant right now. Despite receiving buffs in patch 7.10, she is still a horrible pick for any player. Despite significant buffs to her GravNet, she is still the weakest Sentinel out of the entire Agent pool. 

Her Sonic Sensor can easily be passed through by just walking and being aware of your surroundings, which defeats the purpose of a trap. Barrier Mesh is an okay ability, except it’s a cumbersome wall to play around with because you can still be killed through it. 

Her ult, Annihilation, is an interesting ult to get clips from, but, it’s not the most helpful ult when your team is either entering a site or retaking one, and can be easily countered if a trapped enemy’s teammate shoots the cocoon.

If you would like a good idea of how bad Deadlock is, ever since her arrival in late June 2023, she still hasn’t been picked in a pro game once. Deadlock is so unviable that not even in show matches where pros are having fun has she been picked. Because why pick Deadlock when you can pick Killjoy or Cypher who does her job better?

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So there you have it, our own Valorant Agent tier list, ranking every character from best to worst. Since Riot is keen on introducing changes to Valorant in a bid to balance the roster, don’t be surprised to see this list swapped and changed to reflect that.

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About The Author

Titas is a Dexerto gaming and guides writer. An avid follower of esports titles such as Valorant and Dota 2 and also has a special interest in Roblox, and mobile games such as Clash Royale and Wild Rift. He has previously worked at Sportskeeda Esports and Gfinity Esports before joining the team at Dexerto as a Games Writer.