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 fully mastering and enjoying the game. This will prove difficult because unlocking agents in Valorant is not easy — or cheap. We have got you covered if you want to learn more about Duelists.
Duelists are agents that have the greatest firepower in the game. The description in the game reads :
“Duelists are self-sufficient fraggers who their team expects, through abilities and skills, to get high frags and seek out engagements first.”
This is how Riot describes Duelists. Duelists are the cornerstone of damaging and cleaning the enemies’ ranks in the game. It is fair to say that all agents have the same level of importance in the game, but Duelists are critical in a straight-up gunfight.
The game has five Duelists with unique personalities: Raze, Jett, Yoru, Phoenix, and Reyna. Therefore, they have very different skills, specialties, and play styles. They are the true carriers in the game and should have the most kills at any time.
Let’s check out one of these Duelists and help you determine if he will suit your playstyle.
Valorant Duelist – Yoru
Yoru is a duelist that hails from Japan — something made evident by his accent in English settings. He’s a duelist, but his skills are very much that of an infiltrator. He uses his radianite abilities to distort space and reality. Riot‘s official website describes him as “Yoru players will be lurking around the map, causing chaos, and getting frags.”
His unique skill set gives him a lot of room for creativity and tactics in the game, making him a fan favorite worldwide. He is an experienced agent, and pro players can maximize getting frags. At first, new players may find his skills confusing and lackluster.
Riot wanted to keep players on their feet with this agent they introduced in Valorant’s Episode 2. Yoru constantly moves, plan, prepare for distractions, and set up contingencies. He can move around the map end-to-end in a blink of an eye, opening opportunities for Yoru players to attack or defend.
Stealthy and sneak attacks are the cup of tea of this agent; using him for a frontal assault will just put his beneficial skills to waste. He is perfect for surveillance and creating distractions making him one of the busiest agents in a match.
This blue-haired, comb-carrying dude is perfect for players with a fast-paced, energetic, and stealthy playstyle. If you want to try your hand with an unpredictable Duelist, keep reading; we might help you affirm your choice.
Valorant Duelist Yoru’s Skills
Fakeout- 100 credits
Yoru thrives on confusing his enemies one way or the other. Pressing C will equip Yoru with a footstep-mimicking blob of light. Valorant relies on the footstep mechanic to create a realistic battlefield feels for players. Listening to every sound in the game is integral to getting that perfect kill or escaping your demise. The developers over at Riot are well aware of this and decided to capitalize on players’ dependence on the footstep sounds.
Fakeout can be placed in a certain spot on the ground and will move forward in the direction Yoru is facing. You can activate the skill by facing the direction of the Fakeout skill and pressing F. Even if you are far away, you can always see where the Fakeout skill is to make it easily deployable. Using the Fire Button will immediately deploy the skill to create fake footsteps, while using the Alternate Fire Button will let you place a Fakeout on the ground and stay put.
This creates a great sense of confusion for enemies. When they hear footsteps, they normally position themselves to ambush the agent walking closer. However, with Yoru’s distraction, enemies can fall victim to an empty sound and expose themselves to Yoru or his allies. You must be smart in using this skill; carelessly placing it can give away your allies’ positions, and their deaths will be on your hands.
Blindside- 250 credits
Yoru creates an unstable dimensional fragment in his hands when you press Q. Think CS: GO flash grenades, and you are already up to speed with this skill. This skill, however, requires it to touch the world before activating. You should bounce this skill off walls to activate it and blind agents at certain chosen angles. The blind effect of this skill lasts for a maximum of 1.5 seconds — enough time to take down confused and scattering enemies.
Blindside can also blind allies and yourself, so throw this accurately. You can bounce it off the ground or ceilings, making for an even more difficult skill to avoid. Like most blinding skills, this can help you remove multiple enemies, even in a one-versus-five situation. The common mistake newer players make is throwing the skill at a weird angle, blinding them and the enemies. In this case, you will be just as confused as them when the bright light waters down.
Gatecrash – Free
This is the signature skill of the Valorant duelist Yoru. Pressing E will equip Yoru with a rift tether that he can teleport to later. Pressing the Fire Button will send the Gatecrash skill towards the direction Yoru is facing, while pressing Alternate Fire will keep the rift tether in place.
This skill lasts for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 40 seconds. If you fail to teleport to the tether in the time window, you must wait another 10 seconds to send another Gatecrash orb for your play. Enemies can see and destroy this tether, so try to place it in less obvious places, preferably not in the middle of the battlefield.
Read: How To See Dead Bodies in Valorant
Gatecrash is easily one of the best abilities in the game, as it lets Yoru dart from one place to another in a blink. This opens more opportunities to outplay and outsmart foes in battle. How you use it will greatly impact the number of options at your disposal and the success rate of your assaults. When Yoru was revealed, this skill’s potential was first seen in the trailer for Episode 2, where he faced off with the enemy Jett.
The Gatecrash orb emits a sound cue that all players can hear nearby. Enemies, however, need to be very close to the orb before it can be heard — and even closer to be seen. You can send this skill moving forward through the ground; it will not climb walls or obstacles, nor can it phase through them. If you deploy the orb from a high position, it will fall to the ground after it reaches the ledge.
You have a good 1 to 2 seconds of vulnerability upon teleporting, enough for ready players to frag you. Remember this when making plays in cluttered areas and against Sage’s wall. If enemies see your orb, they can wait for you to return to this spot and take you down. Always use this skill with that in mind.
Dimensional Drift – 6 Ultimate Orbs
This is the Ultimate Skill of the Valorant duelist Yoru. When you press X, he rifts open a rupture in space and enters a dimension only accessible to Yoru. While Dimensional Drift is active, Yoru will be invisible and invulnerable to any damage.
Opposing agents can hear and see you briefly when you pass too close to them. This skill aims to get Yoru behind enemy lines, conduct surveillance, and appear unexpectedly in places like the enemy respawn point or right behind a waiting ambush.
Gatecrash lasts up to 10 seconds but can be canceled by using the skill again. You will have a slightly limited and darkened view while the skill is active, so the moment you activate it, focus and pay attention to your surroundings.
You do not accidentally hit obstacles and walls since 10 seconds can only go far. In addition to being invisible, Yoru will also have increased movement speed during the skill’s duration, which makes sneaking and escaping easier.
While in Dimensional Drift mode, Yoru can not shoot his weapons or activate any skill other than Gatecrash. So it is good to prepare a Gatecrash orb before using your ultimate. While running in the other dimension and the timer will run out in the middle of an undesired situation, you can press E to teleport back to your orb while remaining in Dimensional Drift until the timer runs out.
This means you can go in, look around, and immediately return to a safe spot to carry out a plan of attack with the information you have gathered. This insane skill makes Yoru a great Infiltrator despite being a Duelist.
Valorant Duelist Yoru Bonus Tips
- Fakeout can trigger certain enemy skills aside from creating fake footsteps. Skills like Cypher’s Tripwire, Killjoy’s Turret, and even Raze’s Boombot can all be triggered by this skill. Be creative when using this skill. Having your enemy waste their abilities before a gunfight can greatly benefit your team.
- Use Gatecrash to cross the enemies’ line of fire. Make use of this strategy to get behind unsuspecting enemies. They can not see or hear unless they are at a nearsighted distance from the orb.
- Utilize the Dimensional Drift to distract enemies. Intentionally rub off against enemies so they can momentarily see and hear you, taking their attention away from your teammates. They will not know if you will pop up behind them or teleport back to your orb. This is a top-tier mind game at its best.
- Create opportunities for your team through your scouting abilities. Remember that Yoru relies heavily on surprise, so always be on the move. Do not stay in one place too long; always pick off enemies leaving the group. Use your abilities to their maximum, and you will be an unstoppable ghost on the battlefield.
Do you think Yoru is for you? He is a sneak and surprise specialist pro players use to confuse the enemy team and break their flank. Valorant’s 14th agent’s potential is limitless in the right hands. Using Yoru as your main agent will require you to put a lot of hours into the game since you must memorize the maps by heart to position your skills well.
After the long and tedious climb of trying to master Yoru, you can become one of the most intimidating agents on the battlefield, wreaking confusion and fear in the hearts of your unsuspecting foes. If you want ninja-like stealth gameplay with explosive firepower — the Valorant Duelist Yoru is the one for you.
