If you’re looking for information on which of Valorant’s Initiator Agents are best for you, we’ve got everything you need to know about just how KAY/O, Skye, Sova, and Breach fall into our current tier list.
Picking the best Valorant Initiator Agents is absolutely crucial to rack up those wins in the game’s ranked modes, and while these picks all have a focus on getting into the fight, they have vastly different playstyles.
While someone like Breach can concuss an entire bombsite with one button, Sova and Skye are better suited for team play or for meticulously picking apart corners during a push.
To see how your favorite Initiator stacks up against the others in the class, read on, as our best Valorant Initiator Agent tier list has just what you’re looking for.
Contents
Best Initiator Agents in Valorant
5. KAY/O
Attack
- KAY/O is as close to Counter-Strike as you’ll get in Valorant. Stacked up with throwables, he can flash, damage, and silence enemies. It’s plenty of utility – and different types – lobbed into one character.
- His resurrection ultimate is incredibly useful, both turbocharging him while he’s alive and allowing him to be revived by allies. We already know the power of Phoenix and Sage because of their “second lives”, and KAY/O is just another string in that bow.
Defense
- KAY/O does struggle a bit on defense. You can push forward and use your abilities to block doors and stop pushes but he doesn’t have as much delay power as Breach or Skye.
- He does, however, offer a very aggressive option to ruin teams in close quarters. Have a team pushing A on Split? Just throw your silence into A-Main and swing with a pop-flash while they’re all suppressed. Easy pickings.
This strategy falls apart on maps with a lot of open ground, like Breeze, where Valorant’s resident robot is left to face long sightlines.
Verdict
KAY-O lacks the flexibility of the other best Initiators Agents on this Valorant tier list. His base power is very high. But if you can’t maximize it in close quarters, you’re much better picking any of the other three.
4. Breach
Attack
- Depending on the caliber of players you’re up against, Breach can easily clear the way to a site if you’re not being targeted by the other team. Use Flashpoints to punish stale defenses and Fault Line to give your teammates a clear path to push through.
- If you want to be the first through the doors, then Aftershock can give you enough space to mitigate an angle. If all else fails, follow a Rolling Thunder anywhere you want to claim real estate on the map.
Defense
- Breach feels right at home on defense. His ability kit is incredible on offense but adapts just as well to protect a site. Any one of his abilities can stall out a rush or survive inside of a site during a take.
- Rolling Thunder is your ace in the hole on defense. If you want to 1v5 to stop an obvious rush, then you have a realistic avenue to do that with enough players concussed. If you want to play for a retake, then the ultimate literally eats up an entire site. Take your pick.
Verdict
Breach is by no means a bad Initiator in Valorant, so don’t take his placement last in our tier list to heart. You can blame how good other Initiators on the list are for why he’s so low. But you can’t go wrong with the Swede, especially if you’re looking to make yourself the star of the show.
3. Skye
Attack
- Though her Guiding Light and Trailblazer can be great to get a pick here and there, they are especially potent at disrupting opponents who are holding an angle.
- As soon as a spike goes down, make sure to throw out your Regrowth in case the site take left some of your teammates worse for wear. As for her ultimate, try not to use it at the start of a round since that intel can easily change as the play goes on.
Seekers are invaluable at sniffing out where the last enemy or two are hiding as a round dwindles down and information becomes increasingly scarce. Use your Guiding Lights first, and listen for the sound cue.
Defense
- Skye is the total package as an initiator. Her Trailblazer is especially handy at stunning enemies holding post-plant angles, helping your team push onto the site.
- Her Seekers are also incredibly potent, forcing enemies to move their guns towards the beasts and away from friendly heads. Plus, if it all starts to go haywire, you’ve got a heal for teammates in your back pocket as well as a few flashes.
Verdict
Skye does demand a very specific playstyle but those that master her intricate mechanics will get more out of the Initiator than other picks.
2. Fade
Attack
- Fade’s arsenal is filled with abilities that can be used efficiently to track down and hunt enemies. Be it the Prowler that chases down nearby enemies and applies the near-sight debuff on them or Seize that locks down multiple enemies in a fixed radius, Fade is well equipped for most aggressive scenarios in Valorant.
- Apart from her utility tools, Fade’s Signature ability, Haunt, and Ultimate ability, Nightfall, are both excellent methods of gathering information about the enemies’ positioning. Her ultimate can be an absolute game-changer for pushing into a post-plant site as the Defenders.
Defense
Apart from aggressive scenarios, Fade’s arsenal of abilities is quite well suited to serve in defensive situations as well.
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- Fade can easily blind and lockdown any enemies that might be chasing after her with Prowler and Seize respectively. These abilities can be excellent tools that allow Fade to escape unfavorable situations when used optimally.
- On top of these, Haunt can be used to check tight corners for hiding enemies before rushing into sites. Additionally, Nightfall can be used to gather intel and prepare for upcoming pushes from the enemy team.
Verdict
It’s still early days for Fade as she makes her way into the official servers on April 27th, however, given everything that the Turkish initiator has to offer, it is safe to say that Sova’s position as the best Initiator could be under threat.
1. Sova
Attack
- At the start of the round, try to land a well-placed Recon Bolt to pry into the defense. The Recon Bolt has a 40-second cooldown, so you’ll be able to have another one up before your team actually groups to take a site.
- If the first bolt gets destroyed, then the defense is likely primed and ready for a hold. If the bolt scans and finds no one, then throw some Shock Bolts in angles that the scan didn’t account for. If all else fails, utilize Drone Owl to really lift the veil on the other team.
Most importantly, Hunter’s Fury can absolutely ruin a defender’s plan for a last-second defuse from afar. Make sure to use Valorant’s lack of a sky-box to your advantage by learning your lineups.
Defense
It’s important for a Sova on Defense to not get antsy. Players are used to having a lot of intel with this Agent but, on Defense, a patient Sova will prevail.
- Sova is good at playing for retakes, but he’s stronger at stalling pushes than the trinket-wielder is. His Recon Bolt can give you information of what’s coming around the bend and gives your team more info than any other Initiator ability in the game.
- During a pivotal round, don’t be afraid to use your Hunter’s Fury in the quiet parts of the stage to scope a potential site take. The X-Ray highlighting on a hit will let you know a lot about what the defense is planning.
Verdict
Sova is an incredible Agent to use overall and has been a meta pick from Day 1. If you don’t forget to learn a few lineups to avoid predictable Shock Bolts or easily spotted Recon Bolts, then Sova will take care of you in your climb to Radiant. However, with recent nerfs being applied to the Agent’s toolkit to make way for Fade, it remains to be seen whether Sova can hold on to his position as the best initiator in Valorant.
Try out the different Initiators to see which suits your playstyle or desired role in a team. All of these Agents are good for their own uses, but every one of them can accomplish different jobs.
So, there you have it – everything you need to know about the best Initiator Agents in Valorant.
For more tips and tricks, make sure to check out our guides:
Best Valorant Agents | Best Sentinels | Best Duelist | Best Initiators | Best Controllers |What is the Night Market? | How to get Gun Buddies | What is Econ Rating? | How to get free loot drops | Is Valorant on Mac? | How many people play Valorant? | When is Valorant on Mobile coming out?
