KAY/O early reactions

As of today, Valorant’s newest Initiator, KAY/O the killing machine, is coming for you.

Riot Games dropped a trailer for the 17th agent on June 17th, elating fans. The agent will be available to the public in short order, as he’ll join the roster in Episode 3, Act 1 on June 22nd.

While the trailer is fresh in our minds, let’s react to the hypest moments and the valid concerns.

The trailer was a bundle of fun, keeping the energy high with fast-paced Breeze combat and flashbacks showing off KAY/O’s destructive backstory.

Fans have seen some of his abilities before, like flash grenades and frags with multiple explosions. However, his ability-suppression skills and ability to be revived are fresh additions to the game.

KAY/O’s trailer also adds some new depth of lore, discussing the fall of Paris and the worldwide cataclysm that followed the First Light event and the creation of Radiants. His reveal even ends with KAY/O’s face-screen flashing “Time to Kill Some Radiants”.

Now that's a badass way to end a trailer.

All it took was these few minutes for the community excitement to explode. In the comments of the video, KAY/O’s already been called Valorant’s personal Terminator and the revenge of the practice range bots.

Also, for too long Sova was the only viable Initiator. As the meta shifts, it’s a perfect time for an explosive agent like KAY/O to join the game. Looking at his kit, he’s a mix of Raze and Breach (explosives and pressure), and can hopefully fill a unique spot between damage and engage.

His design is well-done, his kit is useful and killer, and his new suppression ability is exciting (wouldn’t you love to stop a Jett ult before they knife-d you in the face?) He hits all the right marks to get fans hyped up.

Not all the talk about KAY/O is praise, though. The community already has a lot of concerns about the amount of flashes in the game, and KAY/O is just adding another one. Also, it’s well known that in Riot’s other hit game, LoL, the “silence” ability can aggressively tip the scales. KAY/O’s similar suppression tactics may turn out to be way too OP and fast, throwing a very awkward wrench in the game meta.

Meanwhile, Valorant has been doing better lately in shaking up its meta, but it hasn’t been perfect. There’s always concern that any new agent will just be a new Yoru.

Overall, KAY/O’s trailer makes him look exciting, fascinating, and tons of fun, so see you in-game on the 22nd to test him out.