Many rumors are circulating the internet in regards to the new plans for Valorant. Let's look at these plans focusing on the new agents and ban mechanics and see what you can expect from Valorant in 2021:
Any New Agents for Valorant?
It's been reported that 30 agents are anticipated to be introduced. This is live in-game before any opt-out options for players that are present in the queue. In the Valorant community, the inclusion of new agents and ban mechanics have been a massive point of discussion. As of this moment, players only have the option of 15 different agents. This leaves minimal room for players to develop a proper drafting system.
Nonetheless, as the game continues to expand, players can expect the system to become more complex. For this reason, the next stage of the game's expansion is the introduction of new agents, which is what the developers have planned.
Understandably, developers of Valorant are constantly being quizzed about these changes and what players can look forward to. One developer has revealed that they expect teams to have set strategies and plays. As a result, very specific agents are required.
The developer continued that banning an agent would invalidate a specific strategy, which is exactly what developers wish to discourage. This was the official statement backed by RIOT. Its purpose was to debunk the avoid and ban policy owing not to offer the chance to select a particular agent that’s more suitable to personal expertise and needs.
RIOT Games’ Ambitious Plans
The makers behind Valorant and RIOT Games have ambitious plans for the future of Valorant. One of these plans is to expand the list of Valorant's agents over the following years. One of the most striking additions to Valorant was an extra five unique agents, which occurred less than one year after the game's launch. Since then, the developers of Valorant have expanded on this thought and have put plans in place to include 30 or more agents in a short space of time.
The Plans for Ban Mechanics
The developers of Valorant have made great strides in increasing the selection of agents to choose from since the game's launch. However, despite the influx of agents, it doesn't seem like a pick-ban system is in the cards soon. From reports, many fans believe that it could be three or four years before Agent banning is even a consideration for the developers.
Nicholas Wu Smith is the designer of Valorant and has been puzzled on this topic various times. He has gone on to state that the developers, include himself, don’t completely see the worth in having a banning feature.
He brought up that other games ban, but does this banning make the game better in any way? It seems the developers aren't satisfied to introduce any banning mechanics until they are entirely sure this feature can provide good competition from being able to ban. From other games that do have these mechanics, it doesn't seem like there's much value-added.
