KAY/O revealed as Valorant’s 16th Agent: abilities, release date
In the run up to Valorant Act 3, Episode 1, Riot Games have announced that the newest Agent to join the fray is KAY/O, Future Earth’s resident Terminator.
For the past month, Valorant fans everywhere have been channeling their inner Sherlock Holmes in an attempt to deduce who the newest Agent to join the roster will be.
Asinformation has continued to slip through the cracks, Agent 16 has finally been revealed as KAY/O, “a machine of war built for a single purpose: neutralizing radiants.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the robotic Initiator, including everything from his lore to his abilities and release date.
Who is KAY/O in Valorant?
KAY/O’s entire kit revolves around limiting enemy attacks. He provides his allies with “the ultimate edge” due to his unique ability to “suppress enemy abilities.”
His ZERO/Point suppression blade is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in Valorant. Introducing the “suppress” mechanic into the game, he fires a knife that sticks into whatever surface it hits first. Enemies nearby are unable to use their abilities.
Another new feature is contained within his Ultimate, NULL/cmd. As if unleashing a devastating shockwave and gaining Combat Stim wasn’t enough, he can also be revived if killed. This may explain that‘downed’ mechanicthat leaked a few months back.
Valorant: KAY/O Abilities
KAY/O’s inspiration
The first thing that comes to mind when you look at KAY/O is the iconic robot Terminator. Turns out there’s some truth in that statement. “Given I’m not too versed in my sci-fi, I actually learned a lot about different inspirations from Terminator to I, Robot, even all the way to Chappie,” writes Ryan Cousart, KAY/O’s Game Designer.
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Character Producer Jon Goscicki reveals that KAY/O was actually “the first Agent that we started developing after the game launched.” With the aim of “add[ing] something that felt familiar to traditional FPS players, but had elements that made it uniquely fit within Valorant,” the robotic menace is the perfect blend of past and future.
Cousart echoes this, noting “outside of the opportunity goals on the roster, to make an agent that felt familiar to traditional FPS players, we kind of wanted to push for some really intuitive and almost ‘back to basics’ type of inputs.”
KAY/O release date
Does KAY/O sound like your new main? Well, luckily you won’t have to wait very long to get your hands on him. Dropping alongsideEpisode 3, Act 1onJune 22, he’ll be in the game in no time.
So that’s it for all things KAY/O. Keep an eye out for ourfirst impressions, as well as ourextensive guide on how to play him.
In the meantime, though, check out our guides to the Episode 3, Act 1Battle Pass, as well as theYr1 Anniversary Pass.
