The release of Valorant Episode 4 Act I will also see a new Agent added to the game’s ever-expanding roster: Neon, a Duelist that seems set to increase the freneticism of any map she’s selected on. In a recent hands-on preview session that coincided with a live demonstration of Neon from Riot Games’ developers, it became abundantly clear that, whatever her impact on the game’s upper echelon and the title’s burgeoning esports scene, there’s one thing Neon simply won’t fail at: being fun to play.
Neon’s role as a Duelist is flexible, as are the labels that Riot assigns each Agent in the first place – these designations work more as guidelines towards what to expect from each Agent rather than strict indicators on how to play them. With a kit built around speed, however, Neon is tailor-made to gain access to sites quickly. Perhaps her flashiest ability is her two-sided wall, which basically constructs a lightning-fueled lane for her to sprint down while providing cover on both sides of her.
These lanes offer a lot of versatile options for the character, as one developer pointed out that savvy Neon players can even pop over to one side of the wall so that those who peek into the lane in an attempt to pick a fight will only find empty space. Her bouncing concussive shot, which after a slight delay blasts and stuns Agents in its field, seems like the sort of skill-heavy, satisfying move that those who use Sova darts to maximum efficiency will love.
With an Agent built around speed and meant to take fights, there’s inevitably going to be a comparison to Jett, Valorant‘s current de facto best Duelist and, in the eyes of some, an absolute menace in competitive and casual play. During the Q&A portion of the preview, the developers weren’t playing too coy with their imagined role for Neon, with the team agreeing she’s not necessarily meant to compete directly with Jett or replace her, but rather offer an alternative choice, and one that can be maximized by effectively building a team and gameplan around her.
That being said, there are certainly some Jett-like abilities in Neon’s kit that could find a home among those who enjoy that style of play. Neon can sprint using an energy meter that gradually depletes, offering her unparalleled movement across a given map – provided there aren’t too many corners, jumps, or obstacles in the way. She has to run with her gun tucked away, which helps balance Neon – sprinting headlong into enemies is almost certainly a death sentence, so she can’t just run-and-gun throughout a long alleyway.
Neon’s ultimate is also similar to Jett, though perhaps even more eye-popping than the knives that have made the latter’s aesthetic so prominent in advertising and fan art. Neon is able to channel lightning through her fingertips and fire it at enemies, providing solid, continuous damage. It shares the energy system that Neon’s sprint is tied to, which means she can also use her ultimate to refill that energy bar and sprint away or towards a site if need be. The energy also resets on a kill with the ultimate, which opens the door for some truly impressive sequences for the new Agent.
If the addition of Chamber heralded a design that challenges multiple roles at once while attempting to ensure none of those roles are supplanted by a jack-of-all trades, then Neon is more akin to a demonstration of just how far the Valorant team has come in understanding the game and its needs. Neon provides both style and substance in a way that does not feel immediately overpowered – or, heaven forbid, as underwhelming as Yoru’s current kit, which is in the midst of a hefty rework. This is to say nothing of the positive reception Neon has already received during demonstrations of Episode 4 Act I’s content, with her representation of the Philippines already garnering praise and her aesthetic resulting in a slew of fan art emerging on social media channels.
Going hands-on with Neon is similar to the experience of watching her previewed by the developers who have worked on her for months – it’s eye-catching, exciting, and feels different. Valorant needs to continue to evolve and embrace its Agents, which are both its defining trait as a shooter and its identity. If Neon is any indication, the game’s future is in good hands.
Valorant Episode 4 Act I releases on January 11, 2022. Neon will release on the same day. Screen Rant was provided access to a preview build of the game and a presentation for the purpose of this article.
