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 ever since. What makes Valorant unique is the roster of their Agents with their own set of skills.
Mastering the agents is one of the keys to fully mastering and enjoying the game. This will prove difficult because unlocking agents in Valorant isn’t easy — or cheap. The agents are divided into four types: Duelist, Sentinel, Initiator, and Controller. We’ve got you covered if you want to learn more about Initiators.
Initiators are agents that help flush enemies out of cover. Their skills are tweaked to give combat advantage to their teams when charging into a push. Sentinels are agents that play defense and are often in the back lines to utilize their abilities fully. The description in the game reads :
“Initiators challenge angles by setting up their team to enter contested ground and push defenders away.”
This is how Riot describes Initiators. They make tactically sound strategies and help their team initiate attackers and push the defenders back. Initiators apply immense pressure through their abilities to make the enemies flee or regroup.
This role works in any scenario and is a great help in carrying out counterattacks. Each Initiator is unique, and they have skills that vary in function from healing to reconnaissance. Being an effective Initiator requires you to know the agents well.
Let’s check out one of these Initiators and help you determine if he will suit your playstyle.
KAY/O
KAY/O is built to efficiently and effectively eliminate radiants. His skills render enemy agents unable to use their skills and abilities, opening opportunities for allies to take down helpless enemies. This machine agent was introduced to the game in Episode Three, Act One.
KAY/O’s skillset makes great use of the role of Initiator and can be played aggressively., Even newcomers to Valorant can find KAY/O easy to use, especially coming from games like CS: GO, since his skills resemble similar mechanics to utilities in other FPS games.
This radiant killer has easily become a fan favorite despite being the newest agent in Valorant. KAY/O specializes in reducing his enemies’ offensive capacity and can detect enemies without the need to peek.
With a very Terminator look, he (it?) brings fear to his enemies when his skills shake an entire area. Learning to time his skills will greatly aid your allies, whether you’re aggressively pushing or defending a bomb site.
Skills
FRAG/MENT – 200 credits
When you press C, KAY/O equips an explosive grenade, and pressing the Fire Button throws it to the ground. The FRAG/MENT sticks to the ground and does 26-60 damage per second for 4 seconds. When this skill is combined with your peek shots or other agents’ skills, FRAG/MENT can be very lethal.
Read: Valorant Duelist – Jett
If an enemy doesn’t leave the AOE immediately, they are guaranteed to die early in that round. You only have one charge per round, so use this skill efficiently to get your value out of the 200 credits it costs.
The area of FRAG/MENT is wide enough to block entire passageways and corridors — effectively deterring enemy advances. This is similar to the area-denial skills of Viper and Killjoy, making it great to defend bombsites and kill multiple enemies at once. To make the most of this skill, coordinate with your team so they can pick off any agents caught in the area or wait for the skill out.
FLASH/DRIVE – 250 credits
When you press Q, KAY/O equips a flash bomb projectile. FLASH/DRIVE blinds indiscriminately and lasts for 2.1 seconds, long enough to catch enemies off-guard and pick them off. This skill is what a flash-pop grenade is in CS: GO, so this wouldn’t be new if you play other FPS games.
Throwing it with the Fire Button lets you throw it far with a 1.6-second fuse, while throwing it with the Alternate Fire Button — an overhead throw — has a one-second fuse. You can bounce this grenade off walls to blind enemies without having to peek.
FLASH/DRIVE is an easy-to-learn ability, and with two charges, it can be an effective tool even in the hands of a new player. To mitigate the flash effect, look away from the ignition point — preferably behind. This will only slightly brighten your screen compared to a full blind when looked at directly. Like all indiscriminate blinds, this skill works best when you coordinate with your team and give them a heads-up.
ZERO/POINT – Free
This is the signature skill of KAY/O. Pressing E equips KAY/O with a suppression blade he can throw with the Fire Button. The blade sticks to the surface it hits and, after a one-second windup, suppresses any agents’ abilities caught in the radius of the blast.
Read: Valorant Duelist – Yoru
ZERO/POINT suppresses enemies for 8 seconds, enough time to keep skill-dependent agents like Reyna at bay. This skill has a large area of effect, and anyone caught by the blast will be displayed onscreen.
What makes ZERO/POINT a potent weapon is that it can be thrown across the map, like Viper’s lineup. You can use this skill to dampen the enemy team’s assault. You can research the famous lineups for this or estimate on the fly, as most players do.
With an unused Showstopper, ZERO/POINT can disable active skills like Killjoy’s turret and Raze. They can trade shots or wait for the skill effect to end and reposition. Either way, ZERO/POINT causes enemies to reconsider their next actions and often makes them hesitate. This skill’s potential is limitless in the right hands.
NULL/CMD – 7 Ultimate Orbs
This is the Ultimate Skill of KAY/O. Pressing X will explode with radianite energy suppressing enemies in a large area. NULL/CMD will pulsate for 12 seconds, with each pulse suppressing enemies caught in the blast for 4 seconds.
If they don’t leave the skill’s area of effect, their 4-second suppression timer will continue to reset until the skill timer ends. In addition to the suppression, KAY/O gets a combat stim status (15% increased fire rate) and can be rebooted if killed by an enemy.
While KAY/O’s ultimate is active, aggressive gameplay is highly recommended. NULL/CMD staves off enemies during an assault or a defense, disabling any ability they will need for a clash. Like ZERO/POINT, any active skills will be canceled regarding the effect of KAY/O’s ultimate.
So you might see many Raze and Sova complaining they never get to use their ultimate. So it’s smart to wait for audio cues of your enemies’ ultimate abilities before activating NULL/CMD.
Most players are surprised about how tough a downed KAY/O is, so they often leave him in a downed state since there’s still more stuff to do. On the other hand, enemy agents distracted by the lust for a kill will waste time trying to kill KAY/O, giving your teammates a chance to jump on them.
KAY/O Bonus Tips
- Know your abilities’ range. Knowing how your abilities will fly or where they are best used can mean the world of difference. Especially in competitive play, activating KAY/O’s skills is crucial in ensuring your team’s victory. Spending time practicing your lineups on all maps might be a good idea.
- Use your FLASH/DRIVE effectively. Utilizing this pop flash well can give your team a chance for an assault with little to no returned aggression.
- Feel free to play aggressively. KAY/O’s skills are great for aggressive play, in addition to his skill to disable enemies. Don’t be shy about using his skills; once you’ve used up all your skills (or don’t use them), KAY/O doesn’t have much to offer. So when KAY/O pushes through a site, your team should commit to seeing it through.
- Understand your Suppression skills. When enemies are suppressed, they’re free to move around and shoot. Remember that your suppression is limited in its effects and timer, so don’t get too comfortable just because you managed to disable a few enemy agents.
Do you think KAY/O is for you? He is a great agent for support and entry fragging. The enemy team must rely on pure gunplay when they fall victim to this robot’s wide-area suppression skills. KAY/O has already become one of the best agents in Valorant despite being the newest agent in the mix to date. He is preferred by new and pro players alike.
After spending time with him, winning your matches won’t be an unusual experience anymore. If you like making your enemies feel helpless and giving your team a great headstart, KAY/O is probably worth your time on your next match-up.
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