The introduction of new content in competitive shooters like Valorant doesn't happen very often, but Riot Games has surpassed all its competitors in this respect. The game regularly features new agents, cosmetic items, game modes, and skin bundles are added every 2-3 weeks. Major updates, new agents, and significant changes usually occur with the change of Episodes. Therefore, today, the Bo3 editorial team has prepared material for you, in which we will recall what interesting things have been released in Valorant over the time of its existence, as well as what innovations each Episode has brought.
It should be noted that although more game content appears in Acts, they are part of an Episode, so we will not specifically separate each act but will talk about it in general.
What is an Episode in Valorant?
An Episode in Valorant can be called a kind of measure of time, which ultimately shows your achievements in competitive mode, as well as the content that appeared during it. If we draw an analogy with other competitive projects, then an Episode is a competitive season, during which players reach heights in the ranking mode. At the end of the episode, the achieved rank is reset, and you need to play 5 matches to get a rating, which you will be raising during the new episode. An Episode lasts 6 months and is divided into 3 Acts. Thus, Valorant has 2 Episodes per year, each with 3 Acts. It is in the acts that the main innovations appear, but as we wrote above, we will talk about them in the context of the Episodes themselves.
Episode 01: IGNITION
The first episode in Valorant appeared on June 2, 2020, when the official release of the game itself took place, and lasted until January 12, 2021. Although, if evaluating it in 2024, nothing special was added to the game, but at that time Riot Games were just beginning the path of developing Valorant, so the developers focused on ordinary things. After the first 10 agents, which were in the game even during the beta test period, Riot Games added a new agent to Valorant for the first time. It was the representative of Mexico - Reyna, who even as of 2024 remains the most popular agent. Later, in the following acts, new modes were added, including Competitive, Spike Rush, Deathmatch, and also Snowball Fight, which was later removed from the game. The second and third acts of the first Episode brought two more new agents to the game: Killjoy and Skye, who also did not lose their popularity over time, as well as a new map Icebox. At the end of the third act in Valorant, the Night Market event also appeared, which allows players to buy random weapon skins at great discounts. It becomes clear that Episode 1 was just a "trial run" for the developers, which was warmly received by new players and created the Valorant community.
Episode 02: FORMATION
The next episode was released in Valorant on January 12, 2021, immediately after the end of the first one and lasted until June 21, 2021. As can be seen in the official image, several new agents appeared in the game, including the Japanese duelist Yoru, who is shown above. In addition to Yoru, the game also introduced the space defender Astra, who is not the most popular agent. In Episode 2, new game modes such as Escalation and Replication also appeared, the latter of which was later removed from the game. The last significant addition that appeared in the second Episode is the Breeze map, which is also not considered one of the most popular. It should be noted that in Episode 2, the Run it Back bundle was presented for the first time, which included skins from previous years' bundles, and its contents were determined by the players through voting.
Episode 03: REFLECTION
The third episode began on June 22, 2021, and lasted until January 22, 2022. Starting with this episode, Riot Games significantly reduced the amount of content that appears in the game. Therefore, over the year, players did not see any new modes. Instead, two new agents appeared: KAY/O and Chamber, as well as a new map Fracture, which is considered one of the worst in the game. Despite the fact that there were not so many major innovations, during the 3rd Episode, there were several interesting additions. First of all, Riot Games added a game account level and rewards in the form of different coloured frames, depending on its pumping. Also, in the third act, the first championship set Champions 2021 Collection appeared, which was dedicated to the 2021 World Championship. It included skins for Vandal, as well as melee weapons, represented by the Karambit knife. Unfortunately, it is impossible to buy the set or skins from it in 2024, so for most players, it will remain inaccessible.
Episode 04: DISRUPTION
The trend of decreasing the amount of new content can be clearly seen in the next 4th Episode, which lasted from January 11, 2022, to June 22, 2022. For the first time, during one of the acts, no major content was added to Valorant, so throughout the 4th Episode, players saw only two new agents: Neon, who is placed on the main poster and Fade. But besides this, the game introduced the Pride Collection set for the first time, which had not previously been a separate set, and rewards were given out by entering codes. In the set, players received a weapon charm for free.
Episode 05: DIMENSION
The 5th Episode lasted from June 22, 2022, to January 10, 2023. As in the past, this time Riot Games also did not spoil Valorant players with a large variety of content. The major updates in the game were only the new agent Harbor and the water map Pearl, which suits the latest character. Also, a new mode Swiftplay was added, which is similar to the usual non-ranking mode but with some features. The match goes to 9 rounds, all players start with a halfway-filled ultimate gauge, and the number of credits is balanced so that players adapt to the fast match. As can be understood, Episode 5 was not very rich in content quantity, but the developers will fix this in the future.
Episode 06: REVELATION
Unlike the previous two, the 6th Episode was filled with a variety of content. It lasted from January 10, 2023, to June 27, 2023. Among the main innovations in the game, a new agent Gekko and a new map Lotus appeared. But not only with this was the 6th Episode noted. First of all, Riot Games began to introduce the Premier mode into the game. Initially, it was created as a regular game mode, where players could feel like professional players competing in tournaments. In Premier mode, there is an opportunity to assemble your own team and fight other players according to tournament rules. Over time, Riot not only continued to develop Premier but also began to integrate the mode into the professional Valorant scene. Starting from the end of 2023, the best teams that became winners in the highest division of Premier get the opportunity to qualify for the competitive tier-2 league Challenger. Interestingly, according to the developers, in the future, the opportunity to get into the professional scene will only be through this mode. In addition to the interesting and successful mode, Riot Games in the third act of the 6th Episode introduced the most expensive set of skins called Radiant Entertainment System Collection. It included skins for Ghost, Phantom, Bulldog, Operator, and melee weapons. The price of the set is 11,900VP, making it the most expensive for the entire existence of the discipline.
Episode 07: EVOLUTION
The seventh and penultimate Episode lasted from June 27, 2023, to January 9, 2024. During it, a new agent Deadlock was added to the game, who was initially rejected by both ordinary and professional players. The Valorant community considered her so weak that even esports athletes did not choose this agent once during the 20 days of competitions at Valorant Champions 2023. In the future, the developers corrected the situation and strengthened the agent, but her start can be considered a failure. Of the new agents in Episode 7, the Chinese duelist Iso also appeared, and impressed players with his unusual ultimate. With it, you can challenge your opponent to a 1v1 duel. Although the agent's popularity on the professional scene is quite low, ordinary players eagerly chose him in matches for some time after his release. In addition to agents, a new map Sunset also appeared in Valorant. Later, the Premier mode, which we wrote about above, was officially launched in the game, as well as a new currency Kingdom Credits was added. With it, players have the opportunity to unlock agents, as well as buy charms, cards, and other accessories from the store.
Episode 08: DEFIANCE
The last and current Episode 8 in Valorant started on January 9, 2024, and will last approximately until June 25, 2024. Considering that the Episode is only halfway through, it is quite logical that it has brought relatively little content so far. Among the innovations, players finally received a new weapon. It is the sniper rifle Outlaw, which completely changed the current meta of the game, and overall was warmly received by players.
In addition to this, a few days ago a new agent Clove was released in Valorant, who has a quite unusual ultimate. So far, that's all that has appeared in the game at the midpoint of Episode 8, but we have no doubt that the developers plan to add several more interesting innovations.
Conclusion
After reading our material, you recalled what happened with Valorant from the moment of its release and what innovations were added to the game during all Episodes. Continue to follow our portal to read more interesting materials about your favourite shooter from Riot Games.
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