Valorant Launches with New Operator, Map and Game Mode

Valorant hit full release Tuesday, opening the free-to-play tactical first-person-shooter to the masses after two months of closed beta testing. The full launch brings a new operator, a new game mode, and a new map to the game.

The operator, Reyna, is a Mexican assassin who gains power from racking up kills but begins at a lower baseline power level than other operators. Valorant players can select her as they explore the new map, Ascent, an Italian island floating in mid-air. Ascent appears in the cinematic trailer released alongside Valorant's launch, but how it came to be remains mysterious.

Ascent will temporarily appear more frequently in matchmaking in the first few days following launch.

Spike Rush is the second ever Valorant game mode. It equips all players in the match with the same randomly selected weapon, and all attackers with Spikes. All basic abilities are free, and kills and deaths award two ultimate points each. Matches are best-of-seven-rounds and last eight to 12 minutes, with side swaps after three rounds.

Valorant entered closed beta April 7 and exited May 28, leaving a few days between the shut down and full launch for Riot Games to reset players' stats and apply the new features to the game.