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 is unique because of its agents’ roster with their own skill sets.
The agents are divided into four types: Duelist, Sentinel, Initiator, and Controller. Mastering the agents is one of the keys to fully mastering and enjoying the game. This will prove difficult because unlocking agents in Valorant is not easy — or cheap. We have you covered if you want to learn more about Sentinels.
Sentinels are agents who play defense and are often in the back lines to utilize their abilities fully. The description in the game reads :
“Sentinels are defensive experts who can lock down areas and watch flanks, both on the attacker and defender rounds.”
This is how Riot describes Sentinels. They are the backbone of any team fight and heavily rely on healing and tactical zone defense. They have slow-paced abilities that often decide between victory and defeat. The game has three Sentinels, each with game-changing abilities: Sage, Cypher, and Killjoy. They have very different skills and, therefore, their specialty and playstyle.
Let’s check one of these Sentinels out and help you figure out if she will suit your playstyle.
Killjoy
Killjoy is an agent that boasts German efficiency. She was introduced at the beginning of Valorant’s Act 2 and is now one of the most favorite agents in the game. She is the perfect combination of beautiful, nerdy, and awesome.
Gaining countless female fans cosplaying as her, Killjoy has made a name for herself by being one of the currently only three Sentinels in Valorant. With her gadgets and gizmos, this German babe can hold down sites and deter enemies from mindlessly rushing through.
She does not have smoke or sealing abilities like her fellow Sentinels Cypher and Sage, but she has many traps and one powerful turret. Her skills guarantee a kill or assist even when she is ways off. When played with great game sense, she is easily one of the best site-defending agents currently available in the game. She is a little tricky to use, but if you are willing to work hard to master her skills and lineup, Killjoy might be the agent you are looking for.
Skills
Nanoswarm – 200 credits
When you press C, Killjoy throws a Nanoswarm grenade forward. The grenade goes invisible to enemies upon hitting the floor unless they are close to it. When activated, the grenade releases a swarm of bots in the area damaging 45 hitpoints every second for 4 seconds.
Read: Sentinel Killjoy Setups on Lotus (Defending)
Keeping an enemy agent within the AOE can grant you a sure kill in three seconds, similar to Brimstone’s molly. Although it may not always guarantee a kill, this powerful ability can keep enemies from planting or diffusing a bomb. Nanoswarm is great for both offense and defense in any situation.
Enemy agents can destroy this grenade, so deploy them in different places every round. A player may be fooled and fall victim once or twice in a certain spot, but people learn, and eventually, your grenade will be an expensive one-second distraction. Study every nook and cranny of each map to have multiple placement options for your Nanoswarm.
Alarmbot – 200 credits
When you press Q, Killjoy deploys an Alarmbot to the ground. This small robot becomes invisible and waits for unsuspecting victims to get in range. Once triggered, it immediately closes in on the enemy that triggered it and explodes, dealing the Vulnerable status to anyone caught in the blast radius.
Read: Sentinel Killjoy Setups on Pearl (Defending)
The Vulnerable status lets you briefly inflict double damage on an affected enemy agent. Once an Alarmbot is triggered, Killjoy is notified, informing you where the enemy is. If recalled early, this skill gets a 20-second cooldown. You can carry a maximum of two Alarmbots per round for 200 credits each.
You can use this skill effectively both in offense and defense. Placing it in expected enemy routes can slow them down or quell their attack. Combining this skill with your Nanoswarm can kill the enemy faster than they can figure out what is happening.
You can also combo this skill with other agents’ damage over time skills like Brimstone’s Molly or Phoenix’s Fireball. You can think of this skill as an area debuff where all enemy agents affected get hurt twice for every bullet. Since the bot notifies Killjoy if triggered, it is also a good practice to deploy the Alarmbot to defend your flanks.
Turret – Free
This is the signature skill of Killjoy. Pressing E deploys a Turret that attacks enemies in a 360-degree area. Its damage varies per distance from the target:
- 20 meters below — three-round bursts for eight damage each
- 20m to 35m — three-round bursts for six damage each
- 35m above — three-round bursts for four damage each
Your turret is packed with 120 hitpoints so that it will not be taken down quickly by pistols or one-taps. Enemies hit with the turret are slowed, leaving them open to pursuing allies or staying in position long enough for a takedown. But you should not rely on your turret to get the kills for you. You still need to do the heavy lifting, but popping enemies would be easy and procedural when her skills are placed effectively.
Valorant relies heavily on information so players can get the upper hand, making skills like the Turret indispensable. It can tell your team if enemies are within their range and where they are coming from. When attacking, you can use the turret to cover your six and tell you if you are about to be flanked.
Read: Best Sentinel Killjoy Turret Spots on Fracture (Defending)
On defense, your turret can alert you of the enemies’ rough positions and cause a diversion. Enemies will choose whether to shoot the turret or you; use this chance to pick off the confused enemies or flee the scene for repositioning. The turret can be recalled with a 20-second cooldown.
Lockdown – 7 Ultimate Orbs
This is the Ultimate Skill of Killjoy. Pressing X will deploy a device on the ground that sends out a dome-shaped area of effect. This skill takes a 13-second windup, and once activated, all enemies caught in the area will be disabled for 8 seconds. Enemies cannot walk, use weapons or skills, and be practically frozen.
Although the windup time is long enough to escape, enemies caught in an exchange of blows will find themselves cornered and have to accept their inevitable fate. The Lockdown device has 150 hit points and can be destroyed by enemies, so deploy this device in an easy-to-defend spot rather than plain sight.
Coordinate with your team to get the most out of this skill. Once enemies are caught in the blast, send your teammates out to seek the disabled enemies. You can also use Lockdown to flush enemies out of hiding where your allies are, preferably lying in wait.
Most players will tend to go outside the scope of Killjoy’s ultimate deterring their attacks. This makes them rethink their strategy and might rotate altogether. This skill can allow you to stay uninterrupted when diffusing the bomb. The key to maximizing the value of Lockdown is good communication and coordination with your team.
Killjoy Bonus Tips
- Coordinate with your team. Killjoy’s information gathered from her bots and turrets can be used to turn the tide of battle even in the direst situations.
- You need time to prepare and line up your skills. So practice figuring out the sweet spots for your abilities to deploy them fast and efficiently. Prepare for contingencies and redeploy your skills somewhere else.
- Deploy your Turret in an elevated platform. This gives your turret a bigger view of the surrounding place and makes it harder for enemies to avoid. You can also place your Turret in conspicuous corridors to catch sneaky enemies by surprise.
- Combine Alarmbot with your teammates’ skills. It can help inflict more damage on enemy agents for a more lethal kill, so make sure to place your bots properly, and you can be guaranteed a kill or two.
Do you think Killjoy is for you? Do you think she is up your alley? She works best holding down the fort and making sure a dedicated attack is stopped in its tracks. A Killjoy player needs to know when and how to reconfigure her abilities to maximize her value.
Read: Best Sentinel Killjoy Lockdown Spots For Ascent, Haven, and Bind
While Killjoy is borderline impenetrable for defense, don’t dismiss her attack potential. It depends on how you use her abilities and coordinate with your team. Killjoy is yours if you want to play a technical and calculated agent.
