Riot Games’ new FPS Valorant has been out for nearly one month and is still as popular as ever. Thousands of new players are gaining Closed Beta access every day, which has been great for sustaining the player base. One of the main reasons Valorant is still at this popularity level is the 10 Agents available to use. When you first start playing, you only have access to five. However, through XP, you can unlock two more, giving players a ton of choices to pick from.

Since the beginning of the Closed Beta, there’s been one Agent that’s been widely considered as controversial. That Agent would be the explosive specialist Raze, who recently received a nerf from Riot Games. Though, even with the nerf, Raze is still a viable option in Valorant. Let’s go over the best way to use her in-game and some strategies you can implement to give yourself an edge over the opposition.

Going over Raze’s abilities

If you played with Raze before the most recent patch, then you know how dominant she was in Valorant. Her double grenades and powerful rocket launcher were a deadly combination. Of course, this has changed slightly with Raze only possessing one grenade after last week’s update.

While this does drop her down the Agent tier-list, the demolition expert is still a worthwhile pick for any match. To understand her a little better, let’s take a look at Raze’s four different abilities.

• Basic Ability #1: Boom Bot (1)
• Basic Ability #2: Blast Pack (2)
• Signature Ability: Paint Shells (1)
• Ultimate Ability: Showstopper

To start, Raze’s two Basic Abilities are extremely powerful if you know how to properly use them. With the Boom Bot, you send a tiny explosive robot down a set path. If it makes contact with an enemy, it will detonate. The Boom Bot is best used for information at the start of a round since enemies will always try to shoot the robot. However, it can also be used as a distraction. While an enemy is focused on the bot, you can turn the corner and shoot them before they even see you.

In regards to the Blast Pack, these can be utilized in a wide array of situations. The most basic way to use them is to toss one into a crowded room and blow it up. If you’re unaware, you can press the ability keybind twice to detonate the pack before the timer goes off. Though, one other way to use the Blast Pack is for movement. By standing on or near the pack, you can blow yourself in any direction.

As for the Paint Shells and Showstopper, these are pretty self-explanatory. You only get one Paint Shell grenade per life now though, so you have to make it count. You also have to make sure you use the Showstopper ability at the right time. There’s around a ten-second timer on the ability before it goes away.

One of the most popular strategies with Showstopper has been laying down a Blast Pack, equipping the rocket launcher, then blowing up the pack for extra verticality. Not only does this give you a better sightline of the enemies, but it also makes it harder for enemies to shoot you. You can view how to perform that strategy and all of Raze’s abilities in our new YouTube video.

Overall, if you’re going to play as Raze in Valorant, you need to play at a fast-pace. Utilizing her abilities in the right way is vital as they can punish the enemy team every round.

Run It Back will have more Valorant Agent guides coming out soon, so stay tuned!