Riot reveals next Valorant agent will be a Controller

Valorant’s next Act is less than a month away, which means a new Agent is coming soon. In a new Valorant State of Agents article on Friday, Riot revealed that the game’s next agent will be a Controller.

Controller agents are synonymous with “smokes,” the ability to temporarily cut off the opponents’ vision. The design of these abilities allows them to take control of areas across the map and help their teammates push and defend sites.

Some Valorant fans have asked for a new Controller Agent, and Riot acknowledged hearing them in their article. These players are looking for more smoke abilities  like Brimstone or Omen, who are the only agents capable of safely placing smoke from a distance. While Riot hasn’t revealed any new abilities for the next agent, character producer John Goscicki hinted that this Controller will be different from what players have seen.

“Our next Controller is a cosmic shift from the play patterns you’ve grown accustomed to,” Goscicki wrote in the article. “This one is for all you ‘galaxy brain’ players out there that like to study everything that happens on a map.”

Next Agent is a Controller | #VALORANT

~ That said, our next Controller is a cosmic shift from the play patterns you’ve grown accustomed to. This one is for all you “galaxy brain” players out there that like to study everything that happens on a map. pic.twitter.com/6oXlQ8LimN

— Mike – Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) February 12, 2021

Expanding agent role options

There are currently only three Controllers in Valorant. When compared to other agent roles, there are five Duelists, three Sentinels and three Initiators.

Given the importance of smoke to control vision, it’s important for players to play these agents. But in Valorant right now, only two of the game’s Controllers (Omen and Brimstone) see much play, which leaves players with very little diversity in games.  Viper’s lack of ranged smokes limits her viability.

While the next agent will be a controller, the article also implied players can expect something different than what they have seen in the past.

The current act ends on March 1, so fans don’t have that much longer to wait. Be sure to stay tuned with us at Daily Esports for all the latest Valorant coverage.