As we’re nearing the end of yet another Valorant act, a new character or map drop is clearly on its way. Riot has made it very clear over the last bundle of teasers that we’re getting the former for Episode 2 Act 2. Despite that, we haven’t known much beyond that she’s a controller and uses galaxy-related abilities to control the battlefield. Today though, that all changes. Riot Games has officially unveiled the 15th agent arriving in Valorant, known as the galaxy-wielding Ghanan agent Astra. You can check out her first trailer below.
Seeing as the video may be a bit unclear, allow me to explain (information courtesy of this article). Valorant’s next agent features four abilities, similar to all the other agents. Her C ability, titled Gravity Well, will suck enemies into its radius and provide the vulnerable status effect (they take more damage). Meanwhile, her Q is a concussion AoE, nothing too crazy. Her E, Nebula, is a smoke similar to the ones used by Viper, Brimstone, and Omen. The ultimate though is where things begin to get interesting. This ability will create a massive wall along the entire length of the map, blocking vision from those behind it. You also can’t shoot through it, and the audio is heavily dampened.
She does seem to have a few interesting tricks she’s bringing to Valorant, especially with the fact that she can globally place each of these (similar to Omen’s smokes only for all abilities). And while most of her kit seems tame, it will have an adverse effect on team compositions. Ever since launch, we’ve been restricted to two agents who can provide reliable smokes. Starting with the next patch though, this will open the options up extensively.
For those excited to get their hands on Astra, her character drops on March 2. We’ll also get the battle pass one week later, so get ready to get grinding. Are you excited to wield Astra’s astral abilities? Who are you currently playing the most? Let us know in the comments below.
Valorant is available exclusively on PC.
