Valorant: All Controller Agents

Valorant can feel intimidating to new players, especially given the range of strategies and playstyles among the game’s unique Agents. However, understanding the different Agent roles helps make learning the game more manageable. Controllers are one of the four main Agent classes in Valorant, and they’re essential for securing bomb sites and setting up offensive or defensive plays. With tools that include smokes, vision-blockers, and site control abilities, Controllers can shape the battlefield to their advantage.

In this guide, we’ll introduce all the Controller Agents in Valorant, breaking down their abilities and providing tips for how to play each one effectively. This guide will be updated as soon as a new Controller Agent is released, so let’s dive in and get to know these game-changing Agents!

#6: Astra

Astra is one of the most unique Controller Agents in Valorant, and her cosmic abilities allow her to manipulate the battlefield from a distance. However, her kit requires a high level of awareness and coordination, making her one of the more challenging Controllers to master. Astra can set up stars around the map that can be activated to control space, slow enemies, and even pull them in for maximum disruption.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Gravity Well and Nova Pulse
• Gravity Well: Place a star on the map that, when activated, pulls enemies toward the center and makes them vulnerable.
• Nova Pulse: Activate a star to release an explosion that concusses enemies in the vicinity.

Signature Ability: Nebula / Dissipate
• Nebula: Place a star and activate it to deploy a smoke that blocks vision, ideal for cutting off sightlines.
• Dissipate: Retrieve a star, creating a brief smoke that obscures vision temporarily.

Ultimate Ability: Astral Form / Cosmic Divide
• Astral Form: Enter an overhead view of the map to place stars strategically around the map.
• Cosmic Divide: Once her ultimate is fully charged, Astra can create a wall that spans the entire map. The wall blocks bullets and reduces sound, allowing her team to advance or defend with ease.

How to Play Astra:

Astra shines in the hands of players who thrive on strategy and teamwork. Use her stars to control chokepoints, block lines of sight, and disrupt enemy movements. Her Cosmic Divide can split the map in two, creating game-changing opportunities during clutch moments. The key to playing Astra well is communication with your team and knowing where to place stars to maximize map control.

#5: Harbor

Harbor brings a unique set of water-based abilities to Valorant, allowing him to control the battlefield by creating flexible obstacles for enemies while giving his team valuable cover. He’s perfect for players who want versatility in their toolkit, as his abilities can be adapted to both offensive pushes and defensive holds.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Cascade and Cove
• Cascade: Deploy a wall of water that moves forward, blocking vision and slowing down enemies who pass through it. You can stop the wall mid-motion to better control positioning.
• Cove: Throw a sphere of water that creates a protective shield. The shield blocks bullets but can be broken down by sustained fire.

Signature Ability: High Tide
• High Tide: Create a long wall of water that flows across the map, which can be curved as you cast it. This wall blocks vision and slows enemies passing through, providing ample cover for moving through open areas or denying enemy sightlines.

Ultimate Ability: Reckoning
• Reckoning: Summon a powerful wave that pulses through a large area. Enemies caught in its path will experience concussive blasts if hit, disrupting enemy formations and creating opportunities for your team to capitalize on disoriented opponents.

How to Play Harbor:

Harbor is excellent for teams needing quick entry control or a steady defensive front. His Cascade and High Tide walls offer immense flexibility—use them to cut off sightlines as you push or slow down an advancing enemy team. Cove is especially useful for blocking line-of-sight while planting or defusing the spike. Reckoning is ideal for clearing out fortified areas, making Harbor valuable on maps with tight corners or enclosed spaces. Communication and timing are crucial, as his utility works best when coordinated with your team’s movements.

#4: Clove

Clove is a stealth-focused Controller in Valorant, bringing a blend of deceptive and controlling abilities to disrupt enemy sightlines and gather intel. She specializes in creating distractions and covering key sightlines, giving her team room to maneuver while keeping opponents guessing about her true location.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Mistfall and Shadow Fog
• Mistfall: Deploy a small, silent smoke that expands on impact, obscuring vision in a localized area without giving away her position. Perfect for creating temporary cover or for cutting off key sightlines without a sound.
• Shadow Fog: Throw a shadowy fog that attaches to walls or objects, spreading out and reducing enemy visibility in a wide radius. It remains active for a few seconds, hindering enemies trying to hold or push through narrow areas.

Signature Ability: Phantom Cloak
• Phantom Cloak: Activate an invisibility cloak that lasts for a few seconds. While cloaked, Clove cannot shoot or use weapons, but she can move silently to reposition herself or gather intel without being detected.

Ultimate Ability: Veil of Thorns
• Veil of Thorns: Release a thick web of thorny smoke across a large area. Enemies passing through it take minor damage over time and are slowed, making it difficult for them to push quickly. This ultimate can change the pace of a match, giving Clove’s team the upper hand in confined areas.

How to Play Clove:

Clove is ideal for players who enjoy mind games and setting up ambushes. Her Mistfall and Shadow Fog abilities provide flexible options for blocking sightlines, while Phantom Cloak is a valuable tool for escaping dangerous situations or sneaking into new positions without alerting the enemy. Her Veil of Thorns ultimate is excellent for map control, allowing you to slow down enemy advances and create safe areas for your team. Clove’s toolkit rewards patience, stealth, and careful planning, making her a unique addition to any team composition in Valorant.

#3: Viper

Viper is a powerful Controller agent in Valorant known for her mastery over toxic chemicals. With a kit designed for controlling space, blocking vision, and creating areas of denial, Viper is an excellent choice for players who enjoy area control and strategic play. Her abilities create lethal zones and obstruct sightlines, making it difficult for enemies to push through, and she thrives on maps with tight spaces or confined chokepoints.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Snake Bite and Poison Cloud
• Snake Bite: Launches a canister that breaks upon impact, releasing a pool of acid that damages and applies a Vulnerable status to enemies standing in it. This ability is perfect for zoning, preventing pushes, or forcing enemies out of hiding spots.
• Poison Cloud: Deploy a gas emitter that can be activated to release a toxic cloud, blocking vision and damaging enemies who pass through it. Poison Cloud is highly versatile, acting as a smoke to block sightlines or to create areas of damage, and can be redeployed multiple times.

Signature Ability: Toxic Screen
• Toxic Screen: Release a long line of gas emitters that, when activated, create a wall of poison that stretches across the map. This wall cuts off sightlines and damages enemies who pass through, making it ideal for controlling wide areas, dividing sites, or protecting your team’s entry into a bomb site.

Ultimate Ability: Viper’s Pit
• Viper’s Pit: Create a massive cloud of toxic gas in a large area that lasts indefinitely as long as Viper remains inside. This ultimate ability reduces visibility within the pit and highlights enemies for Viper, allowing her to control the area and secure bomb sites or chokepoints. Enemies inside Viper’s Pit gradually lose health, making it dangerous to linger in the area.

How to Play Viper:

Viper excels in creating zones of control and manipulating the battlefield to her advantage. Her Toxic Screen is perfect for dividing enemy sightlines and giving her team safe entry points, while Poison Cloud and Snake Bite serve as potent tools for deterring enemy advances. Her ultimate, Viper’s Pit, is one of the best defensive abilities in the game, especially for post-plant situations, as it makes it nearly impossible for enemies to retake without considerable risk. Viper requires careful resource management, as both Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen rely on her fuel gauge. Proper positioning, timing, and map knowledge make Viper a formidable Controller for skilled players.

#2: Brimstone

Brimstone is a classic Controller agent in Valorant, known for his reliability and ease of use, making him an excellent pick for new players and veterans alike. His abilities are designed to help his team take control of key areas, secure objectives, and support teammates from a distance. With a focus on smoke deployment and strategic area denial, Brimstone’s kit excels at both offensive pushes and defensive holds.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Stim Beacon and Incendiary
• Stim Beacon: Deploys a small area where teammates gain a RapidFire boost, increasing their firing rate. Stim Beacon is excellent for initiating pushes, giving your team an edge in firefights, or holding off enemy advances when used defensively.
• Incendiary: Launches a grenade that explodes on impact, creating a pool of fire that deals damage over time to anyone standing in it. Incendiary is useful for clearing out tight spaces, forcing enemies out of cover, and denying critical areas, especially during post-plant scenarios.

Signature Ability: Sky Smoke
• Sky Smoke: Deploy up to three smoke clouds over any area within range, using a tactical map. These smoke clouds last long enough to block vision and secure routes, choke points, or bomb sites. Sky Smoke is perfect for isolating enemy positions and creating safer entry or rotation points for your team.

Ultimate Ability: Orbital Strike
• Orbital Strike: Calls in a powerful airstrike on a targeted area, dealing massive damage over a few seconds. This ultimate is highly effective for clearing zones, eliminating enemies hiding in cover, and deterring enemies from defusing or planting the spike. Orbital Strike is one of the most dangerous abilities in Valorant, ideal for high-impact plays in clutch situations.

How to Play Brimstone:

Brimstone’s abilities make him an excellent pick for players who enjoy providing tactical support to their team. His Sky Smoke allows him to create cover from a distance, which is invaluable when entering bomb sites or holding defensive positions. Stim Beacon gives a great edge in firefights, making it especially effective when coordinating pushes or defending bomb plants. His Incendiary grenade serves as a strong area-denial tool, particularly useful for delaying enemy pushes or deterring spike defusals.

Brimstone’s Orbital Strike is a game-changing ultimate that can turn the tide of a match, providing heavy area control or eliminating hidden threats. A well-timed Orbital Strike can secure rounds by either clearing out hiding enemies or by making spike defusals extremely dangerous. Brimstone’s straightforward kit and impactful abilities make him a top-tier Controller for anyone looking to support their team and execute strategic plays.

#1: Omen

Omen stands as one of the most powerful and popular Controller agents in Valorant, favored for his versatile and unpredictable kit. His abilities allow him to disrupt enemy sightlines, create safe pathways, and make rapid escapes, making him invaluable for both offensive and defensive playstyles. With his signature teleportation skills and a smoke ability that can reach far distances, Omen can control the battlefield in ways few agents can, offering his team significant strategic advantages.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities: Shrouded Step and Paranoia
• Shrouded Step: Allows Omen to teleport a short distance to a chosen location, which is great for reaching high ground, flanking enemies, or escaping dangerous positions. It creates an aura of mystery, making it hard for enemies to predict his movements.
• Paranoia: Sends out a shadowy projectile that travels through walls, nearsighting and disorienting any enemies it passes through. This ability is excellent for pushing into heavily defended areas, as it temporarily blinds enemies, giving Omen’s team the advantage.

Signature Ability: Dark Cover
• Dark Cover: Deploys a large smoke-like sphere that blocks vision and can be cast across long distances. Omen can place this anywhere on the map, creating covers that are essential for strategic pushes or for blocking enemy sightlines on entry points.

Ultimate Ability: From the Shadows
• From the Shadows: Omen selects any point on the map and teleports there. While the teleportation is in progress, he appears as a shadow, and if killed, he returns to his original location. If successful, this ultimate can give Omen valuable intel, create the ultimate flanking position, or allow him to re-position to an unexpected location.

Omen’s abilities make him a master of deception and battlefield control, perfect for players who enjoy unpredictability and mind games. His skillset can disrupt enemy strategies, making him a top pick for both solo and team play in Valorant.

Conclusion

In Valorant, Controller agents play an essential role in shaping the flow of every match, providing the strategic foundation that enables their teams to take control of the battlefield. Each Controller brings unique strengths to the team: Omen’s unpredictability, Brimstone’s powerful smokes, Viper’s toxic screens, Astra’s cosmic manipulation, Harbor’s fluid barriers, and Clove’s precision tactics each add a distinct tactical advantage. Understanding how to use these agents effectively can elevate your gameplay, giving your team the upper hand in securing sites, blocking sightlines, and coordinating strategic pushes or holds. Mastering the nuances of each Controller not only makes you a formidable asset but also transforms every round into an opportunity to outsmart and overpower your opponents.