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Valorant: How to play Killjoy

She's a joy to play.

Killjoy is Valorant’s third Sentinel Agent and one which shares great similarities with Raze and Cypher. Take both of their playstyles, splice them together, and you’ve effectively got Killjoy.

Killjoy’s all about placing turrets to gather intel as well as zoning enemies with grenades and AoE effects. She’s a decent pick and definitely worth investing some time in - we can see her in many a team comp!

How to play Killjoy

Nanoswarm [C] (200 Credits)

Activate this ability and you’ll chuck a grenade that turns invisible once it lands, which can then be remotely detonated no matter where you are on the map. It’s incredibly similar to Cypher’s Cyber Cage but actually deals a lot of damage.

Cover image for YouTube videoKilljoy - Nanoswarm

You can’t recall Nanoswarm, so make sure you’ve lined up your shot correctly. Also, enemies can detect it if they get close and if they destroy it you won’t be notified.

We’ve found this works pretty nicely as a zoning tool and a regular grenade in this regard. It’s great for halting pushes as any enemies who decide to stand inside it will take a significant hit to their health bar.

It’s also a strong delay tactic if you know the enemy needs to defuse. You can chuck the grenade near the plant location and activate it when you feel they’re going for it.

Mix up your Nanoswarm positioning so it doesn’t get too predictable. If players pick up on your placements, it’ll render your grenades totally useless. Keep your opponents on their toes!

Alarmbot [Q] (200 Credits)

This equips and deploys an invisible bot that jumps into enemies which come into range and explodes. If it’s destroyed you’ll get an alert on your map. It’s essentially Raze’s Boombot, but a version which stays static until it spots someone.

Cover image for YouTube videoKilljoy - AlarmBot

Alarmbot doesn’t deal damage but debuffs enemies instead. There’s a four second window whereby any enemies caught in the explosion will take double damage from Killjoy, whether that’s from her Nanoswarm or any gun she’s wielding.

In much the same way as Nanoswarm enemies can detect Alarmbot’s presence if they get close enough and it’ll only take a couple of bullets to destroy it.

If you’re unhappy with Alarmbot’s presence, you can recall it, but it’ll take twenty seconds before you can place it down again.

As you’d expect, it’s worth mixing up your placement to keep enemies guessing. We’d also recommend popping them in areas which you’d want to gather intel. Pop them in chokepoints and hide them in spots you’re struggling to cover.

You can also take advantage of the double damage effect by stacking a Nanoswarm or Turret on top of the Alarmbot. Proper scumbag move, but well worth it.

Turret [E] (Cooldown)

Deploys a turret that fires at enemies within a 180 degree cone.

You can press [E] to rotate the turret to face you once placed, however you can’t manually spin it around like Sage’s wall.

Each turret has 125 HP and fires after a brief, 0.75 second delay in three-shot bursts. It deals 8 damage per bullet at short range, which then falls off as you get further away.

Cover image for YouTube videoKilljoy - Turret

If you’re unhappy with the position of your turret, you can recall it across the map. It also has a 45 second cooldown if it’s destroyed.

The turret’s great for forcing enemies to turn when pushing sites which can make them extra vulnerable to attack. Make sure you place them in spots which’ll set up a nice crossfire too, as you’ll force them into an uncomfortable decision: shoot the turret or continue taking damage?

We’ve also found it serves as a handy alternative to the Alarmbot. While it won’t give you the same debuff benefit, it’ll let you know if enemies stumble into its range and provide you with that all important intel.

Cover image for YouTube videoKilljoy Agent Reveal Trailer - VALORANT

More essential Valorant guides:

Lockdown [X] (7 Orbs)

Plonk this down and after thirteen seconds it’ll create a large AoE which’ll severely slow enemies and prevent them from firing guns or using abilities for eight seconds.

Cover image for YouTube videoKilljoy - Lockdown

The Lockdown device has 150 HP but you can hide it in cheeky spots at bomb sites or in certain chokepoints. We’ve found it’s excellent at deterring pushes, or even disabling entire teams post-plant so you can swoop in and finish them off. It’s also not a bad initiator as you can use its detonation period to rotate or push into an area which the enemy will have fled from.

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About the Author
Ed Thorn avatar

Ed Thorn

Reviews Editor

When Ed's not cracking thugs with bicycles in Yakuza, he's likely swinging a badminton racket in real life. Any genre goes, but he's very into shooters and likes a weighty gun, particularly if they have a chainsaw attached to them. Adores orange and mango squash, unsure about olives.

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