Valorant is the first-person shooter game from the Creators of League of Legends — Riot. It took the world by storm when it was released in 2020 and has been one of the most-played FPS games since. Valorant unique is their agents’ roster with their own set of skills.
The agents are divided into four types: Duelist, Sentinel, Initiator, and Controller. Mastering the agents is one of the keys to thoroughly learning and enjoying the game. This will prove difficult because unlocking agents in Valorant is neither easy nor cheap. If you wish to learn more about Controllers, we have you covered.
Controllers are agents who play defense and are often in the back lines to utilize their abilities fully. The description in the game reads:
“Controllers are experts in slicing up dangerous territory to set their team up for success.”
This is how Riot describes Controllers. They obscure enemy vision and make them hesitant to commit to an area. They can hold down defenses well when their skills are used efficiently, especially when partnered with good Sentinels.
As with other agent classes, each Controller is unique, and their skills vary from function to effect. Using Controller agents allows you to determine and dictate the flow of the fight. From halting an assault to preventing escapes, Controllers must have a deep understanding of the map and good game sense to be indispensable agents on the field. If you are considering using any of the controllers, read on, and we shall tell you why you should start playing as a controller today.
Let’s check out one of these Controllers and help you determine if he will suit your playstyle.
Controller Brimstone
Brimstone is a commander that joined the growing number of Valorant agents. He is the commander Viper directly reports to and has an appearance of discipline and procedural ferocity. This commander is a controller through and through.
Read: Controller Brimstone Post-plant Molly Lineups on Lotus
He can send down smoke clouds and even an orbital laser to any location on the map. Brimstone is not the easiest agent for beginners, but with enough practice and game sense, he is one of the most fearsome agents in the game. He can block the enemy’s view and damage corners and areas far away, making him troublesome for those receiving his wrath.
This American soldier is an asset you would want to keep alive as long as possible. His smokes are indispensable, especially when defending a site. The thing about Valorant is that smokes are second to intel in value. Smokes win matches, not just give you kills.
The ability to place smokes and bring a wide-area laser anywhere on the map is amazing. Effectively using his skills to deter enemy pushes and support his teammates’ strategies is key to winning every match.
If you consider Brimstone for your next Controller main but are held back by intimidation of his skills and responsibility for his team, read on. We might be able to convince you to use Brimstone to get to that Platinum rank you have been hoping for.
Controller Brimstone’s Skills
Stim Beacon – 100 credits
When you press C, Brimstone instantly tosses a Stim Beacon to the ground before him. This beacon has an AOE that lasts for 12 seconds. Any agent who passes within the beacon area will be granted Rapid Fire — increasing their fire rate by 15%.
The Rapid Fire buff lasts four seconds upon leaving the stim beacon AOE. There is no limit to how many agents can be buffed from this skill, so it is best to use this when you know most or all of your teammates will benefit.
Stim Beacon is best used when approaching an area to attack while beefing up all your teammates with a Rapid Fire buff. You can have a maximum of two Stim Beacons per round, making it a real value for your money.
You may not damage enemies or gather intel with it, but this skill can give your team the push they need to overcome an assault. The beacon on the ground is invulnerable, so shooting it will waste time. But be careful where and when you place it. You would not want to buff your enemies with Rapid Fire as well.
Incendiary – 250 credits
When you press Q, Brimstone equips an Incendiary Grenade Launcher. Pressing the Fire Button will fire the grenade along with Brimstone yelling his famous one-word line, “Molly!”.
The Molly lasts 7 seconds, guaranteeing you a sure kill if an enemy is cornered with this ability beneath them. When the incendiary grenade lands on the floor, it creates a small pool of fire that damages anyone who steps in it for 60 damage per second.
Read: Controller Brimstone Molly Lineups on Fracture (Post-plant)
Incendiary or Molly is a very specific skill. You aim, shoot, and get a puddle of fire where it lands. It will take several tries and practice to familiarize yourself with this ability’s projectile motion, trajectory, and limitations.
But with some creativity and curiosity, you can find different lineups to use this skill and protect the spike from diffusers. In the right hands, Incendiary can deter enemy attacks, kill enemies stuck in a corner, and flush out enemies hiding behind covers. Combining Incendiary with Sky Smoke can even guarantee a kill or two from careless enemies.
Sky Smoke – Free (100 credits for each extra charge)
This is controller Brimstone’s Signature skill. Pressing E equips Brimstone with his tactical map attached to his arm. You will see a simple radar-type blueprint of the map to choose which areas to send Sky Smoke using the Fire Button.
There is a distance limit from Brimstone’s location in sending out smoke, so you may need to walk a little further to reach the far ends of the map. Brimstone gets one free charge of Sky Smoke for every round. This can be increased to three charges by purchasing 100 credits each.
After choosing which parts of the map you want to smoke, pressing E again will send these smoke balls down from the sky. Each smoke will take three seconds to arrive and last 19.25 seconds, making it the most extended smoke skill in Valorant.
Brimstone can launch this skill from far away, so there is little to no risk when using it. Just make sure not to use this ability during a crossfire since Brimstone will be left vulnerable to attacks with a limited view on the console. Enemies can pass through the smoke but will be blinded while inside, unlike Omen’s Shadow Orb, which is hollow inside.
When Brimstone uses this ability, it is a great way to announce that you have already started to execute your plans to the enemy. Smoking one bomb site, for example, will initiate the mind games? “Will they attack the smoked site? Is this a diversion? What lies beyond the smoke?“.
Read: Controller Brimstone Smoke on Pearl (Attacking)
Enemies will be wary of everything when smoke falls all around them. Enemies will either wait out the skill or charge through the smoke, hoping you are caught off-guard. Use the benefits of Sky Bombs to set a trap, reposition, and even flee to safety. Coordination with your team is key to ensuring this skill’s value is not put to waste.
Orbital Strike – 7 Ultimate Orbs
This is the Ultimate Skill of Brimstone. Pressing X will equip Brimstone with a tactical map, this time to send down a wide-area laser-powered Orbital Strike that clears enemies off the face of the earth. The laser can deal significant damage to enemies with every tick. There are roughly 6.67 ticks per second that deal 20 damage per tick for 3 seconds. Do the math, and you can see why this skill is a fearsome weapon that can flip the tide of battle instantly.
After you choose which area to send down a rain of doom, there will be a big red circle indicator in the minimap for all agents to see, in addition to a large red circle on the screen of anyone within the blast radius. Agents can escape the area of damage as it takes a few seconds for the laser to wind up.
This ability attacks anyone indiscriminately as a real laser would coordinate with your team before using it to avoid unnecessary casualties. Enemies caught in the middle of the laser can easily escape by equipping a knife and making a run.
Sure, kills can be guaranteed for cornered or distracted enemies that would respond too late to the imminent danger. Despite its devastating potential, this skill clears sites and flushes out enemies. Combine this ability with teammates in a position to pick off fleeing enemies for the least risk possible.
Orbital Strike will pass through ceilings and overhangs, evaporating anyone in heaven or indoors. This ability is also commonly used when defending the Spike site for canceling plants and diffuses. Once the spike cue is sounded, send the laser to the site.
There are no guaranteed kills every time you use this, but there is a guaranteed delay in diffusing, plants, and even pushes. The laser will completely blind anyone caught inside once Orbital Strike has begun, decreasing any chance of escape. No matter the situation, Orbital Strike will stop everyone in the vicinity and run for dear life. This ability’s power makes it a game-changer under the right usage and circumstances.
Controller Brimstone Bonus Tips
- Refresh Rapid Fire by coming back to the Stim Beacon. If you have run out of Rapid Fire, you can run back to the Stim Beacon AOE to refresh your 4-second buff and get back to shooting enemies down.
- Incendiary bounces off the floor. Unlike Phoenix’s Hot Hands, the molly does not immediately go off when it hits the ground. It bounces over surfaces and walls for more creative throws. If you want to send out a molly directly in front of you, throw the grenade towards your foot so it would bounce forward a few meters.
- Use Sky Smoke to misdirect enemies. Scattering your Sky SMoke around the map can send enemies running toward the possible goal near the smoke. For example, sending it all to one site will likely make the enemy team defensive and gather in that area. Coordinate with your team to clarify whether the smoke is used as a diversion or to commit to the site.
- The tactical map of Orbital Strike is larger than the one for Sky Smoke. Do not worry about having to move towards an area to set the laser down from heaven; the map on your arm covers almost the entirety of any map.
Brimstone Conclusion
Do you think Brimstone is for you? He is a great agent for beginners and pros alike. His abilities make him best suited for deterring attacks and flushing out enemies. Brimstone’s teammates will work around his smokes and tactics, so communication is key — as is for anything else in this game.
Keep tabs on your teammates so you can assist or save them using your smokes and even send down the Orbital laser to end a seemingly prolonged crossfire. With practice, game sense, and map familiarization, Brimstone is easily any team’s cornerstone for strategy and survival.
If you think you can handle a long-ranged specialist and map-controlling agent like Brimstone, we suggest you waste no time using him on your next match-up. It is time to teach people what good strategy and devastating firepower can do.
