Valorant Agent Guide: Killjoy

Valorant’s latest agent hails from Germany and is a tech wiz that utilizes a handful of gadgets to shut down objectives

https://youtu.be/h-u4E0QPtzs

Killjoy's Defensive Tools

The first item in Killjoy’s toolkit is her most controversial, the Turret. Killjoy can deploy a small turret that will shoot in a three-round burst at any enemy that it detects. The turret must maintain line-of-sight to initiate but it can be flashed and blinded by smoke abilities. The turret doesn’t do significant damage but is an effective tool at identifying enemy locations and diverting their attention. There is a short delay from the time Killjoy places the turret to when it activates leaving it vulnerable. If destroyed, the turret has a 45-second cooldown or can be recalled for a 20-second cooldown. Killjoy being able to place and retrieve her turret freely makes her proficient in repositioning and transitioning between bomb sites.

Killjoy’s second ability, Alarmbot, is a small robot that is placed and turns invisible once it settles in. The bot becomes detectable when enemies get close and it can be destroyed, similar to Cypher’s Trapwire. If an enemy steps within the radius of Alarmbot without destroying it, the robot will detonate, dealing damage and inflicting a debuff. The debuff makes the afflicted players susceptible to more incoming damage. To get the most out of it, converge on an affected enemy quickly to deal maximum damage. Alarmboy is a strong and reliable information-gathering ability.

Nanoswarm is Killjoy’s method to dish out damage and shut the enemy down in their tracks. The placeable grenade can be remotely detonated from anywhere on the map and is at its most useful when placed under a Cypher Trapwire or by Alarmbot. The grenade is invisible to enemies until they are within a few meters and can only be detonated once it lands. With careful planning, Nanoswarm is more powerful than most Molotov abilities. The grenade is used to zone out chokepoints, split up the enemy team, and stall out a spike defuse. Nanoswarm deals a significant amount of damage so use it to zone off choke points or halt a push.

yeah killjoy ult is insane pic.twitter.com/BeWcPpY6lt

— Liquid Mendo (@Mendo) August 7, 2020

Another OP Ultimate

Her ultimate ability, Lockdown is a large beacon that is placed to inhibit the movement of any enemy caught in its radius. The ability is a bulky glowing pillar that can be destroyed and after 12 seconds detonates. Any enemy caught in the radius has an unbearably slow movement speed and is unable to use their abilities or weapon. Lockdown allows Killjoy to shut down objectives, clear out an area, or completely turn the match on its head. There is plenty of debate as to how overpowered Killjoy’s ultimate is, but it has its downsides. Enemies can see the radius of Lockdown before it detonates, giving them 12 seconds to escape or face execution. Using Lockdown to stall out the clock is a common method for clutching out close calls and utilizing the ultimate to its max.

Killjoy thrives on unpredictability. Placing her abilities, primarily Alarmbot and Turret in the same position will only lead to them getting destroyed before providing any real utility. Alarmbot’s vulnerability debuff can make Turret a real threat, and enable your team to get aggressive. Her tools revolve around identifying the enemy position and buying enough time for your team to make rotations and secure the kill. If Killjoy loses utility early in a fight, she often has to retreat and reposition. Identifying enemy advances and slowing them down to get the positional advantage is Killjoy's specialty.