How to use Gekko and plant and defuse with Wingman in VALORANT

The newest agent in VALORANT, Gekko, uses a group of unique creatures for his abilities, with his most unique one his Wingman. Here is a quick Gekko guide on how and when to use Wingman to both plant and defuse the spike in VALORANT. Very high in both risk and reward, if used right, Wingman can be the key to securing a site safely or winning a crucial retake.

Wingman explained

Before we go into Gekko strategies, here is a quick rundown of what the Wingman ability is in VALORANT. One of the multiple creatures that Gekko can summon, Wingman is a scout that can walk in a straight line toward the direction you choose. Much like Raze’s Boom Bot, he bounces off walls, eventually reaching a set distance and stopping, turning into an orb that Geeko can pick up to use him a second time in a round. Be careful though, as Wingman can die if shot at.

Where Raze’s Boom Bot explodes for some damage after finding an enemy, Wingman chases any enemy in its path and explodes in a concussive blast. The comparisons for that effect are Breach’s stun and Skye’s dog, where the player hit fires slower, moves slower and can’t scope in.

However, what makes Wingman truly unique is that he can interact with the spike on both attack and defense. If Gekko is carrying the spike in VALORANT, when you take out Wingman, you can aim at a point on a plant site and use the alternate fire button to have him run over and plant it himself. It has a limited range, so make sure that it shows on screen the potential plant spot.

After planting, he will turn into the same orb as if he hits an enemy or runs his distance. On the defense side, as long as you can see the spike, aim Wingman until it shows the defuse option and set him off with the alternate fire button.

When to use Wingman’s plant and defuse

Having Wingman go plant the spike is a great option if you just cleared the site or if the enemies are smoked off. His little hitbox and range allow you and your team to position for a post-plant earlier than before, usually leading to easier kills. The only takeaway is that he can be spammed and shot down, leaving spike in a much harder-to-retrieve spot than if you died with it.

When you’re in a 1v1 scenario as Gekko, having Wingman plant the spike can win VALORANT fights almost singlehandedly. Enemies won’t be sure if it was you planting or if it was your little buddy.

As for defense, Wingman is better when clearing space like a Boom Bot. However, if you want to go for the defuse, smoking off enemies and using him is yet again a great idea. The small hitbox will constantly make enemies wonder if they hit the Wingman, or if someone just tapped the spike to bait shots. On top of that, you can use enemies’ spam to determine their position and land some shots of your own. Lastly, just like on Attack, you can use the Wingman to force enemies to check the spike in 1v1s.