Valorant players dub one of the most popular agents a “failure of game design”

Valorant features one agent that Riot Games has seemingly never been able to balance well but also enjoys a high pick rate in ranked play, and players are saying the character is a “failure of game design.”

The agents in Valorant all revolve around the game’s different systems and often require newer players to learn the ins and outs of the entire game to master.

For example, players learning Omen have to know how to trade off of their allies and how to properly place smokes to improve their gameplay and ranked status.

Reyna, however, is an agent that players have agreed does not promote learning how to play Valorant properly and actively teaches the wrong lessons. The character is also the most played agent in the game.

In a post on the Valorant Reddit, one user outlined how Reyna is a “failure of game design” as she doesn’t reward players for learning the game’s intricate systems. Instead, the user argues, she only teaches players that they need to aim better.

Riot Games

The long post details four main points: Playing as Reyna does not teach players how to position, use utility to help allies, use ultimate abilities, or how to trade properly.

Other players agreed, saying the agent encourages poor habits by only rewarding getting kills.

“As a Reyna main, I think this is pretty well-written and on point, every time I lose a fight, I always catch myself saying ‘AHH IF ONLY I GOT ONE.’ But for me, I think her kit is selfish and can lead to developing bad habits such as baiting…” one user said in part.

Some Reddit users weren’t as high on the idea that Reyna’s design is a failure, saying Riot intentionally made her a self-sufficient character on purpose.

But the most popular responses all agree with the idea that Reyna is not good for Valorant.

“Reyna’s design is sort of inherently braindead, and it’s meant to be braindead because it’s meant for people who just want to focus on aiming. Even Chamber needs a bit more thinking than Reyna,” another user explained.

Valorant players have been saying for a while that Reyna is not healthy for Valorant since she’s an outlier among the cast’s many team-play-friendly agents.

Whether Riot will move forward with some kind of rework on the agent is unknown, but it would be welcomed by a player base over her selfish in-game antics.