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- Mastering Valorant requires understanding your Agent’s abilities and how to use them effectively.
- Valorant has higher APM gameplay than CS2, where you constantly manage abilities on top of aiming and strategizing.
- Valorant focuses on a precise aim, whereas CS2 focuses on spray, which is significantly easier than the former.
I love a good tactical shooter. Putting my aim to the test, strategizing with my team, and that rush of adrenaline when the clutch round comes down to the wire. But lately, I’ve been feeling lost in the world of Valorant.
While I spent years climbing the ranks in CSGO and having played the new CS2, Valorant feels like another beast and, honestly, a much harder one to master. Mastering Valorant requires a different kind of sweat compared to its tactical rival.
Why it matters: Valorant might be harder than CS2 because Valorant’s ability-focused gameplay and precise aiming create a distinct tactical challenge that requires a different skill set to master.
The Agent Factor
The first and most obvious difference is the presence of Agents in Valorant. These agents add a whole new layer to the gameplay with their unique and distinct abilities. While CS2 focuses purely on raw gun skill and map knowledge, Valorant throws in different kinds of smoke walls, teleports, recon drones, dogs, and especially Ultimates that can shift the round in your favor. These abilities change entirely how rounds play out.
In CS2, you can master the spray patterns of crucial weapons, such as AK47 and M4A4, and be good to go. In Valorant, mastering an Agent involves understanding their abilities and how they interact with the environment, enemy abilities, and, most importantly, with your teammates’ picks. It’s a constant mental puzzle, figuring out how to use your abilities effectively while anticipating the enemy’s setups.
Outsmarting, Not Just Outgunning
This Agent system also alters Valorant’s tactical approach. In CS2, you can rely on smokes and molotovs to execute a site. In Valorant, enemy Agents might have ways to counter those smokes, requiring on-the-fly adjustments and mind games. It’s a battle of outsmarting your opponents rather than outgunning them.
Take, for example, a simple smoke grenade thrown to block a common enemy entry point in CS2. Effective, sure, but predictable. In Valorant, an enemy Viper might have a Poison Cloud and Snakebite to stop your push completely.
However, Jett can easily updraft and dash into the site and kill Viper. Similarly, Yoru can teleport to the back of the site, catching enemies off-guard. This use of abilities adds another layer of complexity to mastering tactics in Valorant.
The High APM Dance
Another aspect that makes Valorant feel harder for me is the number of actions per minute (APM) required. In CS2, your focus is primarily on aiming, firing, and occasionally throwing a grenade. In Valorant, you’re constantly managing your abilities, thinking about when to use them to set up your teammates for success, all while keeping an eye on enemy positions and your crosshair placement.
Don’t get me wrong, mastering high APM can be rewarding. Pulling off a well-coordinated execution with your team, utilizing abilities to create openings and secure kills, feels fantastic. But it also means that the learning curve for Valorant feels steeper. There’s simply more to keep track of and master to excel truly.
The Aiming Phenomenon
Even the act of aiming feels different in Valorant. While CS2 focuses on mastering spray patterns to control the recoil of rifles, Valorant’s weapon mechanics often focus on first-shot accuracy.
The Vandal, for instance, boasts excellent damage but punishes missed opening shots with an unstable spray. This pushes players towards prioritizing precise aim and headshot attempts, making raw gun skill feel less forgiving in Valorant compared to the spray-centric approach of CS2.
The Verdict: A Different Kind of Challenge
Is Valorant harder than CS2? In my experience, absolutely. While the core principles of aiming and map control remain, the Agent system, the tactical mind games, and the high APM gameplay create a steeper learning curve and a different kind of challenge. It’s less about pure gun mastery and more about mastering the interplay of abilities, tactics, and teamwork.
But that’s also what makes Valorant so intriguing. It’s a constant learning process, pushing you to think creatively and adapt your strategies. While I might whiff a few more shots in Valorant compared to CS2, the satisfaction of pulling off a well-coordinated play with my Agent makes the climb all the more rewarding.
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Moiz Banoori, with a decade of experience in gaming and tech journalism and a degree in journalism, is a notable figure in the industry. He has contributed to various esteemed platforms, showcasing his expertise in both reporting and opinion writing.
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