RiotgamesValorant can be a challenging game to master, especially if you’re new to tactical shooters, so choosing the best Agent for your playstyle is crucial.
Unlike typical Valorant tier lists that rank Agents purely based on high-level play, we’re taking a more practical approach here. We’ve selected the top three Agents for each role and assigned them a difficulty rating, so you’ll know exactly what to expect — whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro.
Plus, we’ve ensured that every role includes at least one free-to-play Agent available from the moment you start Valorant. And if you have PC Game Pass, you’ll unlock all Agents right away, giving you even more options to dominate the competition.
Note: With Season 2025 Act 4 launching on June 25, 2025, devs have rolled out balance changes to tweak several Agents, with some of them now even stronger than ever. We’ve updated this tier list to reflect the current meta following patch 11.00.
Best Agents in Valorant
| Role | Agent |
|---|---|
| Controller | Brimstone, Clove, Omen |
| Duelists | Reyna, Raze, Jett |
| Initiators | Sova, Gekko, Breach |
| Sentinels | Sage, Cypher, Vyse |
As of Season 2025, Act 4, the best agents to play in Valorant still include some established favorites, such as Jett, Clove, and Omen. The latter just received a minor buff to give him more consistency.
Previously, an audio cue would play within a small area when throwing a smoke as Omen. However, that has been removed now for enemies, making it trickier to detect the Controller as only allies can hear it. Still audio-related, Brimstone also received a minor tweak to his Sky Smoke, given that it now plays a sound cue to allies within 12.5 meters.
Meanwhile, Reyna received a nerf on her Leer, as Riot decreased its HP. Though, for now, this change isn’t enough to knock her off as being the best beginner Duelist just yet.
A similar case applies to Sova in terms of Initiator, who, despite recent balance changes making him easier for enemies to track, still occupies the slot of being an excellent beginner-friendly pick.
It’s worth pointing out that this patch also gave the newest Agent, Waylay, some significant buffs to improve her flow and overall gameplay. However, given that it’s still in the early days of Act 4, we’d have to wait and see if these changes will truly shake up the meta and possibly lead her to earn a spot on the list as the season progresses.
Controllers
Brimstone (Easy)
Riot GamesBrimstone is the Agent to pick if you’re coming from another tac shooter like Counter-Strike and are looking for a lot of the same basic tools you’d have in one of those games. He’s got 3 smokes, a molly to deny space with fire, an AoE fire rate buff, and a massive orbital laser for an ultimate.
He’s simple, straightforward, and good at pretty much every team composition. Don’t mistake that simplicity for a lack of strength, though. Good Brimstone players dictate the pace of the game. More than that, he’s also great if you’re still grappling with Valorant’s mechanics and want to focus more on gunplay than abilities.
Clove (Medium)
Riot GamesClove is one of Valorant’s newer Agents, with a well-rounded kit that offers the unique benefit of being useful even after death.
With the ability to self-revive and deploy smokes from the grave, Clove has a lot of utility whether alive or dead, making them perfect for players looking to be more aggressive. However, in Patch 10.04, their self-revive ultimate and smoke duration were nerfed, slightly reducing their impact in critical moments.
To fully utilize their kit, though, you’ll need to take the fight to the enemy—one of Clove’s abilities relies on sapping energy from foes you’ve downed. Still, you can’t ever really go wrong with Clove, since their overall kit makes them a great pick either when playing with premades or solo queue.
Omen (Hard)
Riot GamesOmen is one of the most versatile Controllers in Valorant, using his smokes and teleportation to disrupt enemies and create unpredictable plays. His ability to reposition quickly and obscure vision makes him a constant threat, but mastering him requires a deep understanding of timing and map control.
To get the most out of Omen’s kit, you’ll need to learn optimal smoke placements, sneaky teleport angles, and how to manipulate enemy rotations. His potential is nearly limitless in the right hands, but he’s not an Agent you can just pick up and dominate with instantly.
If you’re willing to put in the effort to refine your strategy, Omen can be an absolute game-changer—but he demands patience and practice to reach his full potential.
Duelists
Reyna (Easy)
Riot GamesReyna is one of the strongest Duelists even after several nerfs, excelling in aggressive, aim-heavy playstyles. Her kit is simple yet deadly and perfect for beginners—win fights, heal instantly, or escape danger. Unlike Jett or Raze, she doesn’t rely on movement mechanics or complex utility, making her the easiest Duelist to pick up.
Her self-sufficiency makes her a top-tier pick in ranked, allowing skilled players to dominate without relying on teammates. While she thrives in 1v1 duels, smart positioning and steady aim are key to maximizing her potential.
Raze (Medium)
Riot GamesIf the idea of shooting doesn’t appeal to you – well, you may have picked the wrong game to play. But Raze is the Valorant agent who has the most ways to do damage outside of just shooting.
Every single one of her abilities does damage, making her a major threat. Her grenade especially does great damage and is a zoning tool that can chunk people down, if not outright kill them. The same goes for her Boom Bot. And, while her satchels do damage, they’re better used to propel yourself forward and right into the face of the enemy.
Aggressive, damage-focused, and pretty easy to pick up, Raze is exactly what you’d want out of a damage carry. She doesn’t offer a whole lot of utility, but that doesn’t matter much if you just take out every other player yourself.
Jett (Hard)
Riot GamesJett is arguably Valorant’s best all-rounder. With her having high mobility and smokes, she’s got everything you need to showcase raw gun skill. In other words, she’s kind of the polar opposite of Raze.
This Agent is much harder to play than she was at launch. Her smokes now disappear quickly, and her dash requires activation rather than being instant, meaning you need better timing and game sense to use her effectively.
Unlike Raze, Jett’s kit isn’t just about damage. Her ability to take high-ground positions gives her unique off-angles, making her just as dangerous on defense as she is on attack. Mastering her movement is key, but if you put in the time, she remains one of the most rewarding Agents in the game.
Initiators
Sova (Easy)
Riot GamesSova is relatively easy to use, making him a great choice for players transitioning from other tactical shooters.
His Recon Bolt and Owl Drone are straightforward tools for gathering intel, but they require good positioning and timing to be truly effective, especially now that they’re easier for enemies to spot. His Shock Darts also need precise aim to deal significant damage.
While Sova doesn’t have complex mechanics like other agents (e.g., Jett’s dashes or Omen’s teleport), mastering his abilities takes game sense and map awareness. For beginners, his kit is easy to pick up, but to excel, you’ll need to focus on timing, positioning, and team coordination.
Gekko (Medium)
Riot GamesThis spot was previously for Tejo, but with the new changes to his kit as well as an increase to his ultimate cost, Gekko is the best character to fill the spot as of now. While Gekko’s abilities are all relatively straightforward and forgiving to new players, he does require a lot of game sense and awareness to truly shine.
Dizzy, Mosh Pit, as well as Wingman are all very useful when it comes to zoning and disrupting enemies, as they allow you to give them pressure when you’re defending a site.
Not to mention, with his abilities able to be reused multiple times in the same round, he can be a solid and flexible pick in many situations.
Breach (Hard)
Riot GamesBreach is a powerhouse when it comes to breaking enemy lines. His abilities can blind, stun, and blast through walls, making him the ultimate disruptor. His Flashpoint and Aftershock can clear chokepoints, while his Fault Line can cripple enemies in a wide radius, leaving them vulnerable to a quick team push.
But here’s the catch—Breach is hard to use. His abilities require spot-on timing and perfect positioning to really shine. Once you nail it, though, Breach becomes a force to be reckoned with, dominating with his ability to completely control enemy movement and create chaos for the team.
Sentinels
Sage (Easy)
Riot GamesSage is about as close to a support character as you can get in Valorant. If you’re just getting into the game, you should try and play some Agents who rely on gun skill at some point to try and improve. But, if you’re feeling a bit intimidated, Sage will let you feel useful even if you aren’t able to get many kills.
The ability to heal allies, block off areas with her wall, and create a huge slow field make her both easy to use and effective. Not to mention that her ultimate allows her to bring an ally back from the dead to give them another chance at taking the round.
Sage is a great character to learn on, but it’s not like she falls off super hard in high MMR, either. She’s one of the best Agents in Valorant for a reason.
Cypher (Medium)
Riot GamesInformation is one of the most valuable things you can have in Valorant, and Cypher’s great at gathering it. He can place tripwires that stop you from getting flanked, put up a camera that’s easy to conceal and has a tracking dart you can fire at enemies, and a sort of “smoke” that creates a deployable screen that can be toggled at will.
He’s one of the only Agents in Valorant whose ultimate is arguably the weakest part of his kit. But, considering it instantly gives you the location of every enemy on the map, it’s certainly not a bad ability.
However, none of Cypher’s abilities do damage or CC the opponent outside of his tripwire. And, even then, those are visible. They’re often more useful because you can track the enemy by keeping tabs on when they get shot out rather than anyone getting caught in them.
Vyse (Hard)
Riot GamesStrong yet unwieldy, Vyse has a ton of great tools and one of the most well-rounded kits in the game. She’s also an absolute pain to learn.
Everything she does outside of her ult has multiple steps. She can’t just use her flash, she has to place it, let it deploy, and then use it. She can throw a huge tangle of barbs that deny an area, but you have to toss it and activate it to make it actually work. Her wall doesn’t immediately deny areas. Rather, it goes up after someone walks by, locking them in.
She’s one of the best Agents in Valorant, but also one of the hardest, taking some getting used to and really requiring strong teamplay to shine.
Now you’re up to date with our Agent tier list for Season 2025 Act 3, check out the best crosshair codes in Valorant used by pro players and streamers to take gameplay to the next level. If you’re looking ahead for the next Night Market, our guide has all the latest details, and we’ve also got a breakdown of every Valorant skin and bundle to help you dominate your matches in style.
