Valorant Agent – Viper Overview
Viper is a poison-themed Valorant character that rewards tactical execution with her gas-emitting abilities.
On defense, she does a great job of entry denial and on offense, she can use her gas to facilitate pushes.
Due to her ultimate Viper’s Pit, she’s one of the best spike planters in the game (if not THE best spike planter) and can clutch out situations that would have otherwise been lopsided.
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Viper’s Abilities
Unique character trait – Fuel
Viper’s Q and E emit toxic gas which uses a shared fuel resource. You’ll start the game with 100% fuel and using these abilities will tick it down to 0.
It recharges over time after you turn these abilities off.
The damage dealt by the toxic gas is called “Decay damage” because it will gradually regenerate your health and armor after leaving the gas. Agents can fall to 1 HP but will not be killed.
Snakebite (C – 100 credits)
A projectile canister that explodes when it hits the ground (it can bounce off walls).
It leaves a pool of poison that slows agents walking through it and deals damage like a molotov.
Poison Cloud (Q – 200 credits, fuel-based)
Throws a grenade that will emit toxic gas after you reactivate the ability to turn it on. It will emit gas until you turn it off or until you run out of your toxic fuel.
The ability simultaneously acts like a smoke grenade and molotov by obscuring vision and dealing damage to agents within it.
You can walk up and pick up the Poison Cloud grenade to add it back to your inventory. You’ll be able to throw it again after a short cooldown.
Toxic Screen (E – free, fuel-based)
Fires a line of toxic gas emitters that can be fired a very far range. Similar to Poison Cloud, this effect can be turned on and off.
While on, it creates a persisting wall of toxic gas as long as you have enough fuel. The wall blocks vision and deals decaying damage.
The wall can be fired far across the map but can get caught onto roofs and other things that it lands on, so keep that in mind.
Unlike the Poison Cloud grenade, you cannot pick up Toxic Screen and add it back to your inventory. Once it’s cast, it will remain there until the round is over.
Viper’s Pit (X – 7 ultimate orbs)
After choosing a spot on the ground near her, Viper creates a huge cloud of toxic gas that effectively acts like a room or building since you cannot see through Viper’s Pit at all.
Agents that step inside the gas will take decay damage, have reduced vision, and enemies will be outlined for Viper.
Once the Pit is active, it will remain until Viper leaves it for an extended period of time. She can leave the pit for a short amount of time as long as she returns before it the timer runs out.
Viper Tips and Tricks
1. Viper’s Pit, along with her other abilities, makes her one of the best spike planters in the game. If you want to main her, you should expect and be prepared to carry it often when you have ult or you’re close to getting it with kills.
2. Since knowing when agents have ultimates is transparent to both sides, keep a close eye on agents like Brimstone, Phoenix, and Breach.
If you have your ultimate, they may save theirs to counteract your pit after casting it so keep that in mind.
Brimstone launches a powerful AoE nuke in an area about the size of your pit, Breach can engage on you with his Rolling Thunder, and Phoenix can ult from outside of your pit where you can’t see him and engage twice with his resurrection.
3. Take some time to practice and get familiarized with the different rates of fuel usage between using Q or E and both of them at the same time.
By building up this game sense, you’ll be able to understand your timing windows more precisely.
