If you’re new to the world of Valorant, you’re probably wondering what to master first. While you’ll want to eventually wrap your head around match formats and agent abilities, you’ll first need to focus on aiming. As with any first-person shooter, the aim is everything in Valorant. Even if you’re a dab hand with a virtual rifle and no stranger to FPS games, you’ll still need to brush up on the basics. Below, we’ll explore some common aiming techniques and some minor setting tweaks that can make a big difference.
Great Aim Starts with Crosshair Placement
You probably won’t have too much trouble with crosshair placement if you know your way around a first-person shooter. However, it’s also worth taking stock if you dabble with different game engines. For a steady aim in Valorant, make sure that crosshair placement remains at head level, even when you’re navigating the in-game map. The only time you should think about making adjustments to crosshair placement is if you need to sneak a glance around a corner.
Draw on Agent Abilities
If you’ve used the same agent more than a few times, you should really have a clear idea about which abilities you have at your disposal. Many abilities aren’t particularly useful for aiming, but a few can make your life a lot easier. Are you finding it tricky to lock down the exact position of the enemy? If one of your go-to agents is Cypher, don’t forget that you have his skycam ability to hand. This nifty ability can be used to provide you with a clearer view of your opponents, as well as outline their movements. Furthermore, Sage is armed with her slow orb ability. You can use this to slow down your opponents considerably, giving you more time to perfect the perfect crosshair placement.
What You Need To Know About Spray Patterns
This might sound like overkill, but it’s worth remembering that Valorant only includes 17 different weapons. This makes it far easier to familiarize yourself with how these guns perform in the field. One of the most important things you’ll want to consider is the spray pattern of your weapon of choice. Each one produces a distinct spray pattern, with each pattern providing you with useful insights about just how much control you have over your artillery.
Does Mouse Sensitivity Make a Difference?
If you’re really struggling with landing a perfect shot, you might not take a look at your mouse sensitivity settings. For most players, simply turning down mouse sensitivity can help land more precise shots. However, low settings might not work for every weapon in your repertoire. As you get to grips with different agents and weapons in Valorant, you’ll want to play around with different sensitivity settings.
What Settings Do The Pros Use?
If you have a bit more experience with first-person shooters, you’re probably ready to lift another player’s settings directly. Thankfully, Valorant tournament pros aren’t shy about sharing their preferred settings. There’s not exactly a shortage of top-tier Valorant players nowadays, but you’re better off copying an uncontested legend like Tyson “TenZ” Ngo.
When it comes to FPS games, TenZ knows what’s doing> before becoming a mainstay of the Sentinels roster, TenZ was making a name for himself in CS:GO circles. As with many pros, TenZ keeps mouse sensitivity levels and video settings low. What’s more, his primary crosshair is as streamlined as possible to minimize on-screen distractions. If you want to see how TenZ puts his pro settings into action, it’s worth checking out his Twitch channel.