Valorant’s new Xenohunter skins have Alien-inspired scanner & fans are obsessed

Valorant’s new Xenohunter skins look as though they’re ripped straight out of Ridley Scott’s classic franchise, Alien, and are complete with a scanner that has sent fans into a frenzy (pun entirely intended).

As Valorant’s skin library continues to expand, we’ve seen a whole plethora of weird and wonderful weapons make their way onto Future Earth.

From the now-iconic (but rather costly) Elderflame skins to the rather chatty Protocol 781-A cosmetics; there are hundreds of different looks that can be applied to your weapons to help you stand out from your rivals.

The latest addition to Valorant’s cosmetic arsenal is the Xenohunter skins, which incorporate elements of Ridley Scott’s classic horror franchise, Alien. The best part is that they’ve added one of the most iconic features from the movie’s weaponry into the design and fans are obsessed.

Riot Games

Channeling that 70s sci-fi feel, the Xenohunter skins look like they’ve walked straight out of Alien.

Valorant’s new Xenohunter skins have a scanner

Every weapon in the Xenohunter bundle (aside from the melee knife, which has a pretty awesome flipping mechanic, by the way) features a neon green vital sign scanner attached to the barrel, perfect for seeking out alien life and sending it straight back to the depths of space.

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Additionally, as showcased in an official tweet, when players walk through smokes the scanner jams, flickering on and off until you emerge back into the fray.

Valorant Champions Tour caster and CS:GO icon, Lauren ‘Pansy’ Scott was quick to compare the skins to one of the classic franchise’s most memorable scenes, writing “they’re coming outta the damn walls.”

Others have been quick to liken it to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s ACR, which was equipped with a heartbeat censor that looks very similar to the Xenohunter one.

This is echoed by GHOST Gaming’s aproto, who writes “back to my CoD days of camping with a heartbeat sensor.”

Amid the hype, however, are concerns that the skins could give players who purchase them the advantage. “You care so much about competitive integrity but then add a skin with a functioning mini-map built into it,” comments one fan. Now people don’t have to move their eyes as far to see the mini-map making it easier to check it without losing focus of crosshair.”

Love them or hate them, the Xenohunter skins have clearly brought some nostalgia to Valorant, be it in the form of Alien or MW2 – especially given that the former’s last movie, Prometheus, released 10 years ago today, and the latter now lends its name to a new age of CoD.

Either way, you can pick them up from June 8 for 7,100RP, but bear in mind; in space, no one can hear (or your enemies) you scream.