‘VALORANT’s’ Newest Agent Is KAY/O, a Radiant-Hunting Robot

It’s been a few months since VALORANT’s most recent agent, Astra, joined the tactical shooter’s roster. The cosmic Controller took players a few weeks to get used to, but Astra quickly proved to be a game-changing threat when in skilled hands.

Ahead of VALORANT Episode 3’s launch, Riot released a reveal trailer for KAY/O, a robot Initiator who specializes in taking down the super-powered Radiants. The trailer shows KAY/O and Brimstone rushing into a corridor on the map Breeze, only to be gunned down by the opposing Yoru, Cypher, and Sage. KAY/O replays these moments, showing off his kit as he gradually learns how to outmaneuver his foes.

As KAY/O and Brimstone enter the plant site, KAY/O is shot from behind and falls to his knees. We briefly see a vision, possibly of the future, where KAY/O is battling in a world ravaged by war. Reyna appears at the end, laughing as she readies to engage the robot. While not a whole lot is shown besides this, we can at least infer that KAY/O was created to combat the Radiants who used their powers for destruction.

Although KAY/O’s abilities make him look like he’d be a strong agent, we’ll have to wait until he hits the live servers to see where he lands on the meta. It’ll take a couple of weeks for players to learn how to use and work around his suppressive abilities. Being able to prevent enemy agents from activating their own abilities is pretty powerful, and it could completely shift how some teams function if his kit is executed well. I’m personally excited to see all the different lineups players will discover with KAY/O’s FRAG/ment and ZERO/point. KAY/O releases on June 22nd alongside Episode 3, but until then here’s a breakdown of his abilities.

E – ZERO/point

KAY/O throws a suppression blade that sticks to the first surface hit. The blade then explodes and suppresses any agent caught in the radius, temporarily disabling abilities.

Q – FLASH/drive

KAY/O throws a flash grenade, blinding any enemies in its line of sight. The grenade can be held longer to increase the duration of the blind.

C – FRAG/ment

KAY/O throws a grenade that sticks to the floor when thrown. The grenade then explodes several times, dealing damage based on the enemy’s proximity to its center.

X – NULL/cmd

KAY/O overloads with polarized Radianite energy, causing him to emit large pulses of energy. Enemies hit by the pulses are suppressed. While KAY/O is overloaded, he gains increased fire rate and reload speed and can be revived if he is killed.