Valorant’s newest speed demon Neon is finally here.
The Filipino Valorant agent is a duelist that is ready to run rings around the competition. Riot Games’ developers have dubbed her “the fastest agent in Valorant”, for her agent abilities are built around her need for speed.
Valorant’s sixth duelist can also obscure the enemy team’s vision, throw chain stuns, and shoot beams of lighting from her fingertips.
All of Neon’s Valorant agent abilities explained
High Gear (E) – combat dash
Instantly channel Neon’s power for increased speed. When charged, alt-fire (right-click) to increase slide.
Her sprint lasts 15 seconds if used from 100 to 0, and her High Gear combat slide resets every two kills.
Her signature sprint ability ties her kit together. It automatically recharges when not in use, and will refill 25% of the sprint bar after each kill. The weakness of the sprint ability is that Neon will not have a weapon equipped while she’s sprinting.
Neon also has a High Gear combat dash that can be used while she is sprinting, but she only slides towards the direction of her run. It has one charge per round but recharges after every two kills.
During the Valorant game developer Q&A on January 7, 2022, Filipino Valorant game designer Ryan “rycoux” Cousart explained that Neon was developed with speed in mind.
“We wanted to make sure Neon was the fastest agent in Valorant, but on the ground,” said Cousart.
Fast Lane (C) – 300 credits, 1 charge
Fast Lane fires two energy lines forward on the ground that extend a short distance or until they hit a surface. The lines rise into walls of static electricity that block vision and damage enemies passing through them.
The ability lasts for six seconds and extends the length of an entire spike site.
Neon’s Fast Lane tunnel enables her to sprint around her opponents. It can also be used by her allies as an entry tool to take over spike sites. It will likewise do damage to opponents that hit either energy wall.
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Relay Bolt (Q) – 200 credits, 2 charges
Instantly throw an energy bolt that bounces once. Upon hitting each surface, the bolt electrifies the ground below with a concussive blast. Relay Bolt’s stun lasts 2.5 seconds.
Neon’s Relay Bolt is great for slowing down pushes, and clearing corners and defensive positions on entry, since the concussive blast area of effect can actually go through walls.
Overdrive (X) – 7 ultimate charges
Unleash Neon’s power and speed for a short duration. Fire to channel the power into a deadly lightning beam with high movement accuracy.
Both its duration and slide reset on each kill. The ultimate lasts 20 seconds.
Casting Overdrive will completely recharge her sprint bar, and getting kills will extend the duration of Neon’s ultimate.
It is a lightning beam where you’ll have a fixed time to get kills. The beam has 40 charges, equivalent to the number of bullets in a gun. Overdrive has complete aim accuracy while sprinting, but the beam becomes inaccurate in mid-air while jumping.
Stopping the beam will increase the charges. Overdrive doesn’t do critical damage on headshots or less damage on leg shots. It does a fixed amount of damage that gets weaker the further the target is from Neon.
Taking an aim duel against weapons like the Phantom, Vandal, and Sheriff puts Neon at a disadvantage, since she can’t kill targets with one hit while some Valorant guns can.
The Filipino agent’s ability kit is versatile and works well with players who have an aggressive playstyle. The most intriguing part about her is that Neon’s best asset is also her worst liability.
The High Gear sprint ability will make her harder to hit and allow her to cover the map at high speeds, but Neon’s opponents will be able to shoot her without worrying about return fire since she won’t have a weapon equipped while she’s sprinting, except for her Overdrive ultimate.
Neon officially joins the Valorant roster upon the release of Episode 4: Disruption next week.
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