Valorant wishlist for 2021

Valorant's first year (well, partial year) has been a pretty strong success, from all accounts. Riot Games' approach to release and then regular updates with frequent communication, has meant the game not only had a strong launch but has continued to evolve and engage players through the year.

We've seen the release of new heroes and new maps, new battlepasses and skins. What more could we want for Valorant? We asked our writers to help compile a wishlist and this is what they told us:

Right now, Valorant’s agents have abilities that are almost all offensive or defensive. You use them to fight or you prepare them to help keep the point safe. I’d love to see more characters with abilities that are countermeasures, meant to be reactive instead of initiative. Let’s say a hacker agent that can disable/disorient tech, or a shield agent that can protect people from oncoming abilities. I think it might diversify the combat in Valorant and encourage teamwork in a unique way.

Because of how powerful healing is, Sage has become practically a vital pick for all serious rounds of Valorant. Giving people the option to switch their secondary weapon out for, say, a single-use, 50-health stim shot could allow for more diverse team comps. Sage can still be the healer option, but this gives people a little more wiggle room for fun.

Everyone knew that Valorant would eventually start selling skins (that is a Riot Games and multiplayer staple). Skins can be a fun way for players who love a game to spend a little more money on something they love to show their personality. But the first gun skins that Valorant has offered are a bit pricey. While I am no game designer, it just feels like Valorant fans with smaller budgets are getting a raw deal. Riot Games should really make some lower-cost options along with these high-cost skins.

Icebox shook things up, bringing us new challenges and a new aesthetic. I'd love to see more maps integrated into the game that expand the lore of Valorant and that continue to push the limits in terms of verticality and the contrast between tight and open spaces.

I'm a sucker for a themed mode. Spike Rush lets me play when I don't have a ton of time to commit and sometimes I just want to kick back and dunk on someone with digital snowballs. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Modes team cooks up for us. Low gravity, water balloons, and

Give me more explosives and I'm a happy player. While our writing team has often joked about a harpoon gun, I'd love to see something more modest. A grenade launcher that allows me to really kill my opponents with a BANG.

Riot Games has a strong reputation for esports. League of Legends has a huge footprint in the industry. I'm excited to see how the Champions Tour really gets Valorant's competitive landscape moving. There's a lot of potential, and I'm excited to see how it plays out (literally and figuratively) through 2021.

What would you like to see for Valorant in 2021? Tweet at us at @Valorbuff!