Valorant Initiators Guide: How to Play Initiators in Valorant

Initiators succeed at finding enemies and setting them up for success. Learn more about the Initiator role in our Valorant Initiators guide.

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Anwell Patdu

Valorant Initiators Guide: Key Takeaways

  • The Valorant Initiators are Sova, Breach, Skye, KAY/O, Fade, and Gekko
  • The best Valorant Duelists for beginners are Skye and Fade.
  • The most popular Valorant Duelists are Sova, Skye, and Fade.

Initiators are among some of the hardest Valorant Agents to master. However, they can also be some of the most important ones in a team. They play a vital role in Valorant that not everyone can handle

Do you think you’re up for the task? Learn more about Initiators in our Valorant Initiators guide.

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What is an Initiator?

Initiator players are some of the most unselfish players in Valorant. They do all the dirty work for their team. They’re the ones who blind, scan enemies, clear corners using utility, and a ton of other things that don’t show up on the scoreboard.

Most of their kits are centered on clearing corners, checking angles, and setting up their teammates for kills. They typically have flashes, concuss, scans or trackers, and controllable pets within their kits.

Who are the Valorant Initiators?

All Valorant Initiators
Image via Riot Games.

There are currently six Initiators in Valorant. They all excel at specific things and bring irreplaceable abilities to their teams. Take a look at brief explanations of each Valorant Initiator and find out if they suit your playstyle.

Sova

First up is Sova. Sova is one of the most popular and most powerful Initiators in Valorant. He can find enemies with ease and even has great post-plant potential. The hardest part about his kit is finding good lineups for your Recon Bolt. However, if you do become good at him, your enemies will have an insanely difficult time hiding from you.

Breach

Breach is one of the more unique Valorant Initiators. Both his Aftershock and Flashpoint require a nearby wall or object to use. This makes them a bit trickier and requires more creativity. His two remaining abilities can stun or concuss enemies. They do have some charge up, so you’ll need to time them correctly.

Skye

Skye is Valorant’s resident animal lover. All of her abilities revolve around her cute pets. She has a blind, an AOE heal, a controllable pet, and an ultimate that tracks enemies. She’s a very straight-forward Agent, making her a great pick for beginners and a solid support for her team.

KAY/O

KAY/O is a flexible Initiator that has a flash, a molly, a suppressing knife, and a suppressing ultimate that also gives him a second life. He can work great in a more supportive role but can also fulfill the entry fragger role, which more pro teams are starting to implement. He’s definitely one of the more aggressive Initiators out there.

Fade

Fade offers a similar skill set to Sova but can be a bit more aggressive. She can also scan enemies, provide information, and pull enemies. She also fits well alongside Agents with damaging AOE abilities, making her a great addition to any team.

Gekko

The final Initiator is Gekko. Gekko is quite similar to Skye, mostly because he also has some friendly creatures to help him out. Gekko makes use of his pets to blind enemies, stun enemies, deal damage, detain, and even plant or defuse the Spike. He can be a powerful Agent in the right hands, but is a bit more niche than the other available Initiators.

What is your Role as an Initiator?

Your main role as an Initiator is to basically make your entry fragger’s lives easier. From the role name itself, you get to initiate enemy contact, push enemies away from hiding, and help the team get into the site.

As an Initiator, you’ll play a somewhat passive role and gather information using your abilities. You’re usually the first one to use your abilities in the round, and the team should make decisions based on the information that you can provide them.

You should also be trading your entry fraggers and using your abilities to push further or to gain information.