The Valorant Protocol is about to get a new addition soon.
A new email from the practice range in the Public Beta Environment (PBE) may provide clues to Valorant Agent 21’s identity (codenamed Mage), including their country of origin and background.
Riot Games has never been shy about dropping hints and teasers in the lead up to a new agent release, so you can be sure that the email is just the first of more clues to come.
Here’s everything we’ve gathered about the game’s next agent, including their background, role, abilities, and potential release date.
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Who is Valorant Agent 21?
Riot Games hasn’t made an official announcement on who Valorant Agent 21 is going to be, but a name has already been linked to the new character.
The email mentions one Varun Batra, the keeper of Legion’s new power source. Legion is Omega Earth’s version of the Valorant Protocol. However, unlike their Alpha rivals, they operate in the open and are publicly celebrated for their operations retrieving Radianite from Alpha Earth.
Valorant lore is only now delving deeper into Omega Earth. The Shattered cinematic and the introduction of Pearl, the first map to be set on Omega Earth, is expanding the narrative in new and fascinating ways.
While Omega agents have long been framed as the villains, perhaps things aren’t quite so straightforward after all.
Varun’s Alpha counterpart is a REALM operative and an antiquities expert, part of a multi-national taskforce that recovers historical artifacts from the black market.
As the keeper of Legion’s new power source, Varun Batra could be the one responsible for creating bridges from Omega Earth to Alpha Earth.
Fans were also quick to point out the Indian and Hindu origins of the name, sparking excitement for the game’s first agent from the country. And given Valorant’s surging popularity in South Asia, an Indian agent would hardly be surprising.
Riot also appeared to confirm the agent’s origins in a new teaser depicting the Gateway of India monument. Chai and samosa chaat also feature prominently, nods to popular Indian snacks.
But the kicker is a line in Hindi — Jald hi milte hain — which translates to “see you soon.” The developer teased Fade’s Turkish origins in a similar fashion, making it all but certain that the next agent will be Indian.
Another clue is a new symbol found on the bulletin board of the PBE’s Range. The image could be tied to Agent 21’s powers and abilities, similar to how they teased Neon by having her energy backpack appear in one of the player cards in Episode 3 Act 3’s Battle Pass.
The symbol also looks similar to the Hamsa hand, as pointed out by YouTube channel Valorant Update, yet another hint at the new agent’s possible Indian origins.
What are Agent 21’s abilities?
The name has also given rise to speculation about their abilities. Varun is evocative of Varuna, the Hindu deity commonly associated with the oceans.
This could mean that Agent 21’s abilities will be centered around water. Several other Valorant agents already have powers linked to elements. For instance, Phoenix uses fire, Jett maneuvers using air, Astra taps into her cosmic, ethereal abilities, and Sage wields the power of earth.
A recent State of the Agents blog post reinforces this theory, with multiple references to water.
What role will the new agent fill?
The developer confirmed that Agent 21 will be a controller that is capable of covering “large open areas,” similar to Viper.
It also acknowledged that its selection of controller agents pales in comparison to other roles. Valorant currently has six duelists, five initiators, and four sentinels, but only four controllers in its roster.
It has also been over a year since the game added a new controller, when Astra was released in patch 2.04 in March last year.
When will Agent 21 be released?
The new Valorant agent may release alongside Episode 5 Act III, which drops around October 18. With Riot teasing that the agent is just around the corner, we could see him join the roster when the new act rolls out.
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