Valorant: All Initiator Agents, Ranked

Valorant is one of the most popular games in the world right now. It has taken the tactical shooter genre by storm since its release and continues to do so thanks to its stellar gameplay. Each playable character, known as an agent, has their own unique set of abilities that can completely change the game.

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Valorant has some awesome characters that can play many different roles, but the initiator role is severely underrated. Initiator agents are typically the first agents to enter contested ground and have kits designed to push defenders or attackers away. These are all of the initiator agents in Valorant, ranked from least effective to most effective.

Updated November 25, 2024 by Maria Antiporda: This list has been updated to include the newly released Initiators and to take into account recent nerfs, buffs, and other changes to the game.

6 KAY/0: The Machine Of War

KAY/O is a sentient robot and was introduced in Act 3 of Episode 2 as the 16th agent in Valorant. He comes from an alternate universe with a kit focused on suppression and empowerment.

• His basic abilities are FRAG/ment and FLASH/drive. FRAG/ment is a deterrent ability where KAY/O throws an explosive fragment. The fragment sticks to the ground and explodes several times. FLASH/drive is a blinding ability where KAY/O throws a flash grenade that explodes after a short fuse, blinding enemies that see it.
• KAY/O’s signature ability is ZERO/point. It doubles as both an intel and a suppressant ability. KAY/O throws a blade that sticks to the first surface it hits. It then winds up for a second before suppressing everyone in its blast radius. A suppressed agent is unable to cast or equip abilities.
• KAY/O’s ultimate ability is NULL/cmd. It’s one of the best ultimates in Valorant because it’s not only a suppressant ability, but an empowerment ability as well. KAY/O overloads with polarized radianite energy, causing large energy pulses to emit from his location for period of time. These pulses suppress enemies and grants KAY/O a Combat Stim. If killed while his ultimate is active, KAY/O can be revived by a teammate.

A great Initiator is one that can supply the team with enough information to make a plan of attack. Though KAY/O’s knife can gather intel, it’s only effective on certain maps such as Ascent. Even on those maps, agents like Fade and Sova can gather information much better.

What makes KAY/O great is his ability to suppress enemy utility, giving the team the chance to get through Sentinel setups. That said, he is best paired with another Initiator that can gather the information that the team needs.

5 Gekko: The Man With Back-up

Gekko is an Initiator that uses a pack of buddies to help get the squad into an area. His kit is very diverse with a blind, a molly, a stunning ability that can plant and defuse, and a detaining ability. That said, as an Initiator he is lacking in the ability to get his team enough of a set-up to enter a site.

His Dizzy can be used to blind enemies and gather information on where they area, but this can only go a short distance and can be easily shot down. The Wingman that can stun, plant, and defuse is definitely useful, but is not that effective in helping the team take control of the map.

Gekko has plenty of helpful abilities, but he is best paired with a second Initiator that can gather information and help clear corners better.

• Gekko’s basic abilities are Mosh Pit and Wingman. Mosh can be thrown and will spread across the surface it lands on, dealing slight damage to enemies on it for a short period. After a while, it will explode and deal heavy damage to those caught in it. Wingman can be sent out to scout an area for enemies. It will shoot a concussive blast towards the first enemy it sees. It can also be sent to plant or defuse the spike.
• Gekko’s signature ability is Dizzy. This can be thrown and will remain in the air for a short period, scanning the area in its view. It will shoot out plasma that will blind enemies it sees.
• Gekko’s ultimate ability is Thrash. This can be sent out and controlled with Gekko’s mind to scout an area. It can be commanded to lunge forward and explode, and all those caught within its blast will be detained.

Gekko may not be the best Initiator, but the fact that he can pick his buddies back up to re-use them makes him such a great addition to the team if you have a better Initiator already.

4 Breach: The Bionic Swede

Breach is known as the bionic Swede because he hails from Sweden and is a cyborg. He was born with no arms, but now uses his robot arms to shoot abilities through walls. Breach was a part of the Valorant roster since launch.

• His basic abilities are Aftershock and Flashpoint. Aftershock is a deterrent ability where Breach fires a fusion charge through a wall. After a long windup, the burst deals damage to everyone trapped in its blast. Flashpoint is a blinding ability. It must be fired at a wall. Once it reaches the wall, it blinds enemies looking at it.
• Breach’s signature ability is Fault Line. It’s one of the best abilities in the game because of its crowd control capabilities. Breach equips a seismic blast that concusses all enemies it hits for a few seconds. Concussed enemies will move slower and have their firing speed reduced. The blast’s length depends on how long the charge was held for.
• Breach’s ultimate ability is Rolling Thunder. It’s another crowd control ability. Breach equips a seismic charge and sends a cascading quake through all terrain in front of him in a large line. Players caught in the quake are concussed for several seconds.

Breach has no abilities for finding information, so he’s best to pair with an Initiator that can gather intel. That said, the rest of his abilities are perfect for setting up a quick and aggressive execution, provided that your duelists can follow them up.

Pairing his stuns with agents that can dive or abilities that can deal damage can easily wipe out unlucky enemies caught in it. His blind is also pwerful and easy to use.

3 Skye: The Beastmaster

Skye is an Australian agent who is one with nature. She joined the Valorant roster as its 13th agent in Act 3 of Episode 1. Skye can summon animals with her abilities to help reveal locations, blind enemies, and deal some damage.

• Her basic abilities are Regrowth and Trailblazer. Regrowth is a sustain ability where Skye equips a healing trinket that heals all teammates in range and in her line of sight. Trailblazer is an intel ability that can also deal some damage. It summons a tasmanian tiger that you take control of to scout out the area. If you get close to an enemy, you can leap forward to concuss them for a few seconds and deal some damage.
• Skye’s signature ability is Guiding Light. This is a blind ability where Skye throws a hawk trinket to summon a hawk that is guided by your crosshair. Upon activation, it will transform into a flash and blind any enemies that see it. Skye will also be alerted if anyone was blinded by it.
• Skye’s ultimate ability is Seekers. It is an intel ability. Skye equips a seeker trinket and sends out three seekers to find the three nearest enemies. Once a seeker reaches its target, it nearsights them for a few seconds. These seekers can be shot down by enemies.

Skye is a great Initiator thanks to her ability to gather info, flash, and even stun enemies. Her ability to heal multiple targets also allows her to bring so much value to the team. She’s essential for maps like Bind and Split, but for maps where it’s better to be able to scan an area for information, she is less effective.

Her intel gathering abilities can be easily destroyed, and they either don’t clear much or only give you a general idea of where the enemy could be. Her viability as a solo Initiator is highly dependent on the map.

2 Fade: The Turkish Bounty Hunter

Fade is an Initiator that can effectively scan an area to reveal an enemy’s location, hunt spotted enemies, and make them easier to kill. Her ultimate ability is also very powerful, allowing her to release a wave over a large area, affecting all enemies caught in it and allowing the team to attack freely.

Fade is great if you need an Initiator that can gather intel as well as help clear corners for the rest of the team to take. That said, her creatures can be killed and her Haunt doesn’t scan as well as Sova’s in most maps. That makes her one of the best overall Initiators, but if you plan to have two Initiators anyway, she’s not the best choice.

One map where it’s suitable to have her paired with another Initiator is Bind because Sova’s kit is less effective there. On that map, her kit synergizes well with a Skye.

• Her basic abilities are Prowler and Seize. Prowler can be sent ahead to scout an area. If it spots an enemy, it will chase them and they will be Nearsighted when caught. Seize can be thrown and will rupture on the surface it lands on. Enemies caught in it will be trapped, Deafened, and Decayed.
• Her signature ability is Haunt. This can be thrown and will reveal enemies that it spots. A terror trail leading to them will appear, and a Prowler can be sent to chase after them using the trail.
• Her ultimate ability is Nightfall. This is a wave of energy that can be sent over a large area ahead. Enemies caught in it will be Marked, Defeaned, and Decayed.

1 Sova: The Russian Recon

Sova has been a part of the Valorant roster since day one. Sova was born in Russia and is blessed with many skills, especially when it comes to reconnaissance. Armed with a bow, he can shoot bolts that can scan a large area, deal shock damage, and fire large blasts at enemies.

What makes Sova a powerful Initiator is not just his information gathering ability, but also his ability to destroy enemy utility with his Shock Bolt. This can help deal with pesky Sentinel setups that are holding choke points.

• Sova’s basic abilities are Owl Drone and Shock Bolt. Owl Drone is an intel ability where Sova deploys a drone for ten seconds to scout out the area. You have full control of the drone and can fire a recon bolt at an enemy that will mark their location. Shock Bolt is a deterrent ability. Sova fires an explosive arrow that creates a shock explosion, damaging those inside the blast. It can explode on impact or after a bounce or two.
• Sova’s signature ability is Recon Bolt. It’s an intel ability where Sova fires an arrow that will reveal any enemies that are inside the bolt’s detection radius. Enemies will appear in red and can be seen through walls by you and your teammates. Just keep in mind that the Recon Bolt can be destroyed by enemy fire and the opposing team will be able to see its detection radius on their map. Like Shock Bolt, it could also bounce off surfaces.
• Sova’s ultimate ability is Hunter’s Fury. It’s an empowerment ability where Sova equips a bow with three long-range wall-piercing energy blasts. Each blast deals plenty of damage and the ability itself only lasts a short time, so you have to be quick with it. Enemy agents hit with Hunter’s Fury will be revealed with a red outline.

Sova is the best initiator in the game because no one does recon better. A good Sova can figure out the location of the entire enemy team using his abilities. Hunter’s Fury is so useful in post-plant situations as a defender because it can make defusing the bomb impossible. You can’t go wrong with Sova in Valorant.