VALORANT Beginner's Guide: Agent Roles, the Economy and Planting the Spike

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1. Finish the tutorial, then visit the Range The game shows a basic tutorial on first launch. After that, use The Range from the menu: you can try every agent there, shoot targets to learn each gun's recoil and practice planting and defusing the Spike.
2. Pick one of the starter agents According to the wiki, five agents are available on a new account right away: Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Sage and Sova. The rest unlock through in-game progression or currency. For your first days, pick an agent with a clear role and simple kit, and stick with them for a while.
3. Learn the four roles Duelists are the first into a site and start fights. Initiators flush enemies out of corners and gather information. Controllers cut vision with smokes and walls. Sentinels hold ground and catch flankers. A team with one of each role has an easier time.
4. Start with Unrated According to Riot's support site, Competitive requires your account to be at least level 20. Until then, learn the maps, the economy and your agent in Unrated and the shorter Swiftplay matches.
5. Spend wisely in the first round Everyone starts each half's first round with 800 credits. That will not buy a rifle, so players usually take abilities and light armor or a better pistol. Don't panic about not affording much; everyone is in the same position.
6. Learn the maps Each map has A and B sites (some have a C site), a mid area and flank routes. Start a custom game and walk the map alone to learn the callout names and common routes; understanding where your teammate means is essential.
7. Take the Spike seriously On attack, don't leave the Spike behind; someone should pick it up and move with the team. On defense, watch the timer once it is planted: a defuse takes 7 seconds, and once you pass 3.5 seconds, half your progress is saved.
8. Check credits on the scoreboard Hold Tab to see your teammates' credits. If most of the team is broke, save as well; a round where everyone buys strong guns together goes much better.

• Stop before you shootShots fired while running in VALORANT are very inaccurate. Stopping just before you fire, or tapping the opposite direction to kill your momentum, makes the bullet land where your crosshair is.
• Use walkRiot's support site notes that allies and enemies alike can hear you run. If you want to approach an area quietly, walk with Shift; an enemy noticing you late often decides the fight.
• Keep your crosshair at head heightWhen clearing corners, keep your crosshair where an enemy's head would be rather than at the floor. That way you only need to flick sideways, not up and down, when someone appears.
• Manage the economy as a teamAccording to the wiki, loss bonus grows with consecutive losses and a player can hold at most 9,000 credits. Either buy fully with your team or save together; half-buys often weaken two rounds at once.
• Request or drop gunsRight-click a gun in the buy menu to ask your team to buy it for you. If a teammate with spare credits buys it and drops it with G, you enter the round properly equipped.
• Don't die with abilities unusedPurchased abilities carry over even if you die, but an unused ability does nothing that round. Throw your smoke, flash or recon before you step into a site, then move in.
• Ping what you seeOpen the ping wheel with Z and mark where you saw an enemy. Even without voice chat, a team that knows where the enemies are will rotate to the right place.
• Keep helping after you dieOnce you are out, spectate teammates and give short, clear info: "two on B, one is low". Long sentences and criticism distract the player who is still alive.
• Don't re-peek the same angleIf you peek again from the spot where you just got a kill, the next enemy will already be aiming there. Reposition, or wait for a teammate's utility.
• Warm up every dayA few minutes in The Range or Deathmatch before queueing reminds your hands and eyes of the day's sensitivity.

• Shooting while running: bullets spread when you move, so you miss even when you see the enemy first.
• Spending every credit every round: buying a rifle alone while the team saves leaves everyone broke the next round.
• Entering a site alone: the first player in without utility support usually gets caught in a crossfire.
• Forgetting the Spike in spawn: attackers can't win by planting if nobody brought the Spike.
• Jumping into Competitive too early: ranked games without map and economy knowledge wear down both you and your team.

This guide was written for version: This guide reflects the game as of September 2026 (around patch 13.05). Agent counts, prices and ranked rules can change with patches; keys can be rebound in settings.

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