VALORANT Agent tier list & best Agents in Patch 8.05 (Episode 8 Act 2)

Becoming a good VALORANT player and rising through the competitive ranks requires a few different things, but mastering the game's mechanics and learning how all the Agents work and fit into the meta is the most important.

I had a lot of trouble figuring out who the best Agents were when I began playing VALORANT during its launch, and for newer players now, it's even harder due to all the new characters and gameplay changes.

To see where all the Agents place in my tier list and how the current meta is shaping up as of Patch 8.05 in Episode 8 Act 2, keep reading.

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At the top of the S-tier list, and my pick for the best Agent in VALORANT is Jett, as she is a key Duelist for both offence and defence, making her a powerful pick.

She's yoyo'd up and down the rankings since release and has been considered the best Agent at multiple times in the game's history.

Currently, her ability to pick up free kills and dip is massive for weakening the enemy team, her mobility is still unmatched, and her ultimate is a great tool for fragging and fighting fully bought enemies on anti-eco rounds.

She just excels in many places, and every time I play her (even when I'm not at my best) I'll still manage to do better than I would with a weaker character.

Kicking off our list of the best Agents, these characters situated in the S-Tier are, as you'd expect, the most optimal to play at the moment. I selected these in particular as they are all at the top of their game and are ideal characters for playing in every possible scenario.

Right now, there's not a single instance where you wouldn’t want one of these Agents on your team, whether as a teammate or the character you're playing yourself.

Fade

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Fade has successfully stolen Sova’s spot as the top information Initiator as of patch 8.01. Her Haunt matches the role of Sova’s Recon Dart, and with the nerfs to Sova’s kit she has taken over as the go-to Initiator.

Her prowlers and ultimate are insanely good initiation tools, which are a great addition to any team composition, while she can also stop 5-man pushes to help her team rotate quickly.

Sova

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Sova is a machine for gathering info, which can make or break a game with a fully communicative team. Even when playing with randoms, I find his skills an easy way to bridge the communication gap and ensure everyone is on the same understanding.

His utility is really powerful in the right hands, letting you put out the same high damage as the various Duelists. Additionally, he's one of the best clutch heroes right now, allowing him to save rounds with his kit. 

Omen

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Omen is a great Controller due to the fact that his smokes are able to regenerate over the round. Alongside this, his smokes have an incredibly high range which allows him to conceal an area regardless of where he is on the map.

His paranoia can be a great tool for himself and his team provided they coordinate utility successfully. Furthermore, his ultimate can have several uses for the team - whether it be for flanking, scouting out a site, or rotating - it gives him the flexibility that other Controllers lack, making him one of the best VALORANT Agents.

Clove

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The newest agent in the game is Clove, who has quickly found a place near the top of the meta. While it's still early days, and they may slip down the rankings once everyone is used to playing against them, right now their abilities can make a strong difference in any match.

They have a lot of cheap damage utility to chip away at enemies and secure kills, and their smoke is powerful for a competent controller. Especially considering it can be used after death, meaning you always have a role to play as this Agent. Finally, the ultimate is a strong tool for clutch rounds and chasing an advantage.

While A-tier Agents aren’t quite at the top in the current meta, they are without a doubt still great picks for your team. They are all able to handle themselves on their own very well - and are still excellent additions to the team overall.

Reyna

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Reyna is a selfish Agent who can infuriate a team due to her ability to evade damage and sustain herself, all while picking off enemies and thinning out sites.

She does lack the utility that will explicitly benefit the team during pushes and site defence - but her ability to kill is just what you need in some games, making her one of the best Duelists and a strong pick overall.

Raze

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Raze used to blast away the other Duelists with her fantastic utility and ability to clear enemies out of their hiding spots, but recent nerfs have seen her abilities lose that spark that made her so vital in a team comp.

She still has the high damage potential and zoning that people love her for, but it's been lessened to the point that she's no longer the top Duelist.

KAY/O

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As an Agent whose kit revolves around cancelling other abilities, KAY/O’s spot in the meta typically relies on the Agents around him.

He has information gathering via knife, his flashes that are incredibly easy to use, and a great ult that makes his kit strong in almost all situations. KAY/O is currently one of the go-to Initiators and is really simple to play.

Killjoy

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Killjoy is one of the Sentinels who was hurt the most via the introduction of Chamber, however with a few buffs since then, she's climbed back up the Agent tier list to stake her claim as one of the strongest characters for locking down sites.

Her turret is one of the most powerful abilities in the game: providing information, chipping away at enemies, and forcing them out so you can get the kill. Plus, her ultimate is one of the strongest still, with clever use allowing you to leave teams with no ways to counter.

Skye

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Skye is a fantastic Initiator that provides a lot of utility to her team. Her guided flashes let her place them in spots that other Initiators can't.

Her dog lets her gather information, clear out corners for her team, and potentially cripple any enemies nearby. She does require some good comms to be 100% effective, but she still shines even without that present. 

Sage

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Sage, unlike other Sentinels, is able to block off choke points completely with her wall and slow orbs. This makes her role unique as one of the few heroes that can put an outright halt to any push.

Her healing and resurrection abilities are also fantastic utility which can easily turn a round just by sheer numbers. She's consistently remained one of the strongest Agents for a long time now.

Brimstone

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Brimstone is super easy to use for almost any player, which makes him a strong pick across the board. While his smokes are less powerful than Omen's, they are powerful for pushing or delaying enemies.

Plus, his ultimate and molly are super powerful post-plant abilities that make him one of the best heroes when the bomb has been deployed. 

B-tier characters sit around the middle, meaning they have a number of strengths, but they can also be countered by stronger characters or don't match up to them. Our list of the best Agents continues below.

Chamber

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Chamber was the go-to Sentinel for a while - and while his kit is still very powerful in a lot of situations, recent nerfs have seen his power level drop a bit.

His ability to make a pick and get out for free rivals Jett, his trip is better than Cypher, and his ultimate is essentially a free overpowered Operator. Simply put, Chamber does the job of multiple Agents.

Neon

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Neon’s sheer speed outpaces other Duelists and allows her to do things only she can do. She’s able to enter a site at blistering speeds and take space for her team. While not quite as lethal as Raze, she still does a great job in getting her team onto a site when paired up with an Initiator.

This does mean that she only performs best with someone who can assist her though, keeping her from the top of the current Duelist picks the list of the best VALORANT Agents.

Viper

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Viper as an Agent has a kit that really limits her to certain maps. However, when she does get her map, she is almost a must-pick. Her smoke wall makes maps like Icebox and Breeze far more playable for her team, as she's able to dominate a far greater space than other Controllers.

Her ultimate basically forces every enemy out of the zone, which makes her great at controlling sites and or certain parts of the map that are key.

Yoru

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Yoru struggles to find value as an Agent due to his gameplay revolving around tricking his enemies, but it's worth noting he's not a bad Agent. 

His kit allows for sick outplays and therefore has an incredibly high skill ceiling. Without intricate knowledge of how to use Yoru effectively, he’s simply outshined by other Duelists who can create space for their team in a much easier fashion. 

Breach

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Breach is a powerful Initiator for pushing out onto a site, but to make the most of this you will need a lot of coordination from teammates.

When done right, you can blind a whole site of enemies and pick them off without losing a blip of HP, but other heroes can get you this without the precise timing and communication needed for Breach.

Cypher

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Cypher isn't what he once was and has dropped off a lot since his days as the king of gaining intel, but in the right hands, he's still very capable.

His abilities allow him to control an entire site on his own, locking it down for teammates to rotate, and because of how cheap they are you can consistently use them. Plus, his ultimate is one of the very best for gaining information and forcing enemies to go all-in or pull out.

Gekko

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One of the newest Agents currently is Gekko, who initially positioned himself as one of the most feared Agents in the game. However, a couple of nerfs from patch 7.03 brought him back in line with the rest of the characters in the game, which sees him currently sit in B-tier as of 8.05. 

His zoning and control abilities can be very powerful in the right hands, but they are no longer as easy to use as they once were.  

Astra

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Astra has benefits that no other character has, such as global map presence and a tonne of varied utility abilities, but to pull this off you need a lot of skill (or experience with RTS/MOBA games).

She can be the best Controller in a game when played right, but her super high skill ceiling does her no favours, especially for the majority of the player base who won't be able to utilise her properly.

Agents in the C-Tier are those which should be avoided from use due to the current meta, putting them at the bottom of our list.

Iso

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Iso is one of the more recent Agents, bringing a new type of Duelist to the game. While he made a promising start, it wasn't long until his lack of synergy with other characters became clear.

He has good site initiation and a potent escape due to his shields, but this only really makes him useful for 1v1 situations, which isn't particularly useful in such a team oriented game most of the time.

Phoenix

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Phoenix recently received a bunch of buffs which enabled his aggressive playstyle, but he still falls short of the mark.

His quicker flashes let him catch enemies off guard and let him grab an easy pick, but better flashes just aren’t enough to make him as effective as the Duelists in S and A-tier which do his job much better.

The rest of his kit just isn't quite as strong as the other Duelists, and he is further dampened by the fact that flashes can always be brought via Initiators, putting him firmly in C-tier for our patch 8.05 VALORANT tier list. 

Deadlock

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Even from her release, Deadlock has not been a particularly strong character in the game, failing to make much impact in the current meta. She's only really viable against specific team comps, as her kit is focused on limiting mobility, but for many duelists with lots of escape potential, she can't do a whole lot.

She's solidly near the bottom of the tier list currently, but I could see potential changes to her kits to make her stronger in the future.

Harbour

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While Harbour began as a strong Controller character, over time he's become much less effective, with buffs to other characters making him the weakest character in the game.

His smoking and zoning abilities are less powerful than the alternatives, meaning in most rounds his kit adds nothing to the team. It doesn't help that using his abilities is more complex than some of similar Agents, so there is a lot of set-up for almost no pay off much of the time.

Harbour should be avoided for the moment, as he really needs more than a buff - a whole new kit would be preferable.

Some Agents are better suited for specific maps compared to others, with most Agents having a particular map they can shine on, but it's worth asking who makes for a good Agent on every map.

While Jett is the obvious choice here, there are a few characters that are strong on all maps.

I've found S-tier characters like Omen and Sova to be great on every map due to their universally applicable kits, while someone like Reyna is good on all maps due to her simple and kill-focused kit.

Finally, Cypher can lock down a site on every map in the game, making him one of the best Agents on every map if you've mastered his difficult kit.

Check out our VALORANT homepage for more guides. Alternatively, take a look at the best crosshair codes, our explainer of Premier Mode, or our weapon tier list.