Viper is an American scientist who has been a part of VALORANT game since the beta testing period. Even though she was one of the first characters, not many people choose to use her. Viper has become more popular recently and is often used by professional players. However, many new players avoid choosing her because she has many different abilities that are difficult to learn and control. If you’re unsure or hesitant about playing as Viper in VALORANT, don’t worry. We have a helpful guide that will assist you in learning how to play as Viper.
Everything About Viper in Valorant
Viper is a very unique agent, meaning she has a very unique playstyle. Unlike Brim or Omen who can throw their smokes and then run in to entry because their utility is gone Viper wants to set up her smokes and then stay alive because she can continuously reuse her smokes and abilities, so she can have major impact on the entire of the round.
This means that Viper in Valorant should be playing a support role, behind the entry fragger and the 2nd man. Viper can easily stop enemies from pushing the area for over 40 seconds, so with smart play and good utility usage. Viper can make that area of the map incredibly difficult to play around.
Snakebite
First off we have Viper’s molly, snake bite. Snake bite is vipers first ability that fires a cansiter that shatters upon impact with the ground, and creates a chemical zone that does 24 damage per second to all enemies inside the zone, and inflicts the fragile debuff. Snake bite is incredible for stopping attackers from planting, and stopping defenders from defusing bombs, so if there is ever a situation where you can use it in one of these scenarios you should immediately make use of it.
The next best way to use Viper’s snake bite is to clear out corners, and flush enemies out of hiding, because they will be peeking you with the fragile debuff and will be a free kill.
Poison Cloud
Next up we have Viper’s smoke ability, the poison cloud. This poison cloud is very similar to Brimstone or Omen’s smoke, but it has a special trait that puts it one step ahead of both of them. Decay causes enemies inside of vipers smoke to take 15 damage per second for the entirety of the time they’re in the smoke. Once enemies leave viper’s smoke they have a 2.5 second delay before they start to regain that health and sheild back.
This makes viper so effective at cutting off choke points because it stops enemies from camping inside of the smoke waiting for a push, and weakens enemies who decide to rush through, making them much easier to mow down. Viper’s poison cloud should be used as a 1 way smoke for very important areas, like A short on Bind, and Garage on Haven, because it allows you that little bit of extra kill pressure and protection.
Toxic Wall
This one ability is the most underutilized and most overpowered vision deniers in the game, and correct utilization of this ability can single handedly win rounds and games if the enemy doesn’t know how to play around it. VIper’s toxin wall effectively splits anything that you want split in half, like A site on Split.
Wall is able to completely cut off the entirety of Ramps and heaven, allowing your team to focus solely on taking over the site together, and getting into a post plant scenario. there are a ton of areas where you can get this much value out of viper’s toxic screen, on attack and defense, but there is one thing to be aware of. Viper’s retake potential is very weak, but her toxic screen is arguably the best retake utility of any agents, so you have to weigh your options of using it to defend more effectively, or holding it to make retaking the site that much easier.
Viper`s Pit
Finally we have Viper’s ultimate ability, Viper’s Pit. Viper’s pit is a super amplified version of her poison cloud, that covers a huge area with smoke, that decays all enemies that step in side, obscures vision, and outline’s viper’s enemies in red. It is undoubledly the best post plant ultimate in the entire game, and the best ultimate to lock down an area on defense to ensure the enemies cant push through. Viper’s pit also lasts forever, unless viper leaves the pit for 15 seconds, and only after that 15 second absence the pit finally falls.
Strategies for when to use Viper’s ultimate is when you kill the bomb carrier on defense, or when you plant the bomb on offense. Another great time to use it is to just lock down an entire area to make sure that your team can go stack another site, and force the enemies into a bad fight.
How to Play as Viper in Valorant
Viper is a supporting Agent in Valorant, with a passive playstyle focused on setting up smokes and walls while staying alive to continuously reactivate them throughout the round. It’s essential to help your team and create space using your abilities, while being cautious not to overspend Fuel. When attacking, setting up utility from a safe distance is crucial, as Viper can single-handedly control an entire site with just two abilities, leaving the Duelists to clean it up.
To unlock Viper’s full potential, it’s important to time her abilities effectively. Using Snake Bite in conjunction with a strong lineup during the buy phase can negate enemy pushes, inflicting Vulnerable on arriving enemies and making them easier to pick off. Snake Bite’s range is shown by the minimap icon; if it is fired straight up, the range is roughly halved.
While Viper’s Pit is an excellent tool for post-plant stalling and seizing space, there is value in canceling the ability early to catch enemies off guard and open up multiple angles. Additionally, activating abilities during off-timings can create fake presence, causing enemies to believe you’re in or behind a Poison Cloud and providing opportunities to attack from different angles.
Conclusion
To sum up, you need talent, strategy, and practice if you want to be a master at Viper in Valorant. Those that take the time to learn about and master Viper’s powers have a distinct advantage over their rivals in Valorant. Being patient, persistent, and a lifelong learner are the keys to success. This tutorial will teach you how to master Viper so you may become an unstoppable force in combat. Thus, hone your Viper talents and you’ll soon be an expert in Valorant.
Also Read: How to Play as Chamber in Valorant
