What is a Smoke?

One of the most useful and common abilities in Valorant are smokes. However, not all of them work the same and they aren’t always the most intuitive tool to play with, especially for new players.

In general, a smoke functions as a hollow sphere that gets tossed/placed down onto the map and visually blocks the area. Anyone outside of it cannot see to the other side, and anyone inside can only see the inside walls of the sphere. Bullets can and will pass through, so beware. Players must recognize the dangers of using it to pass into any area. The enemy may not be able to see you, but you can’t see them, either.

Players would do best to put smokes in key chokepoints to discourage attacking enemies from passing through or getting too close. It’s like putting down an unpredictable, possibly dangerous wall that the enemy has to keep an eye on. Highly mobile agents can also use smokes to make the enemy lose track of them.

The three smoke-users in the game are Brimstone, Jett, and Omen, but all of their smokes work differently.

Brimstone’s smoke is his signature move, Sky Smoke. Sky Smoke is a sort of orbital strike where Brimstone pulls out a tactical map and can place his smokes where he wants. In theory, Brimstone could place a smoke across the map from himself. They last 14 seconds. He can have one free one, but has to purchase all others for 100 bits, up to three in his inventory.

Jett’s smoke is Cloudburst, which gets tossed in front of her like a projectile. To curve the trajectory of the smoke, hold the ability key (Q) and aim with your crosshairs. These smokes last up to 7 seconds, cost 100 bits, and Jett can hold up to three in her inventory.

Omen’s smoke is Dark Cover, his signature move. Dark Cover, like Cloudburst, is also tossed like a projectile. This smoke lasts for 15 seconds and has a 35-second cooldown. While it is free, that cooldown means that (unlike Jett and Brimstone) Omen cannot use more than one smoke at a time.