xQc explains why Valorant is more “hardcore” than Overwatch
xQc / Riot GamesTwitch star and ex-Overwatch pro Felix ‘xQc’ is impressed with Riot’s new team-shooter Valorant, explaining how it’s “hardcore” compared to his former mainstay title.
Even though Valorant is still in its closed-beta phase, aspiring pro players, streamers, media and more have been singing high praises for the new shooter that’s set to be one of the next exciting esports.
As fun as the game is to play with friends, it’s been designed to be challenging since it incorporates precision aiming along with a cast of different Agents, each with their own unique abilities.
Riot GamesAll of the title’s elements combine to one FPS experience that puts a player’s creativity and mechanical prowess to the test.
“It’s super hardcore,” xQc said. “You have to take the time to learn all the very basic, hardcore concepts of [Counter-Strike]. And if you don’t master one of them, you get completely crushed.”
CS has long been considered the benchmark of competitive shooting games, so the comparison isn’t something to brush off.
The 24-year-old French-Canadian Twitch streamer then explained how Valorant demands a lot more from its players compared to titles like Overwatch.
“In Overwatch, you can do well without mastering all the basics, like movement, peeking, pushing, weapon swapping,” xQc said. “You can disregard most things in Overwatch and still do extremely well and be a top player; in this game you cannot.”
He added that “you will fail 100%” if you can’t demonstrate proper mechanics and understanding of FPS games and how to properly play as a team in Valorant when hitting a site.
Properly using abilities in Valorant is just as key as having great aim.This was on full display during the showmatch between the game’s devs and popular streamers Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek, Jardy ‘summit1g’ Lazar, Tyler ‘Skadoodle’ Latham, Coby ‘dizzy’ Meadows and Erik ‘fl0m’ Flom.
Even though the Streamer’s team was packed with talented FPS players, they got destroyed in every map against the team of devs who knew how every character’s abilities and synergies worked, as well as being good shots themselves.
“I love that this is happening,” shroud would say after every round that he and his team would get completely dismantled. The former Counter-Strike pro knew that as much fun as he’s been having in the game, every loss proved there was that much more to learn in Valorant.
The future of the game looks to be bright, and players like xQc will be looking forward to where the game will evolve from here.