Neon revealed as VALORANT’s new Duelist. Trailer drops and intros stylish entry fragger

Riot has officially unveiled the next VALORANT agent, Neon, the electric-powered duelist. The short cinematic reveals the character, her abilities, and that she will be playable on the next update.

In the beautifully animated trailer, Neon appears in a relaxed state on her bed reviewing intelligence information received from Sage. The charged-up duelist then falls asleep and in her dreams, we get a glimpse of her potential.

Neon can slide in the trailer - quite stylishly - which is a first for the mechanic in VALORANT

Ability 1: In the trailer Neon envisions the ability to sprint past Sova’s Ultimate and crouch-slide around corners. While sliding just made into Fortnite in the latest season, it is still not a mechanic in VALORANT. Plus it appears Neon can still fire while sliding which is rather nifty and sets it apart from Jett's Dash.

Neon can throw a projectile that bounces off walls which then falls directly on a location causing a concussion effect

Ability 2: This skill will likely be the one trickiest to master. Neon can throw a projectile similar to Sova which can bounce off walls before then descending on a location. After a short delay it will then detonate and appears from the demo to daze opponents temporarily similar to Breach's Fault Line.

Neon can create two parallel walls to block vision and damn do they look cool

Ability 3: For her third basic ability, Neon cuts-off vision with two side-by-side Phoenix-like fire walls. Early on, her kit feels more attuned to being the entry fragger in a composition.

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The final ability showcased is almost certainly her ultimate. Neon can unleash a close-range thunder attack in VALORANT that comes from her fingertips. This attack appears to be her Ultimate, which increases speed and damage output.

Neon's ultimate allows her to zap her enemies and could be a great asset for a cheeky eco round

Comparisons have been made across social media about the similarities with Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious' electrical attack.

Based on her dreams, Neon will be the second Agent built around a unique movement. The electro-powered duelist will introduce new mechanics into the game on par with Call of Duty rather than traditional tactical-FPS. The movement options will undoubtedly open up an alternative to Jett, but time will tell if it’s meta-defining or an afterthought.

Neon’s Release Date

As for Neon’s release date, she is expected to be a part of Episode 4 Act 1. Riot has an update dropping for Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, so she could be here shortly. However, with other planned agent reworks taking place and no set release date, Neon’s release could be pushed back.