Best Tips and Tricks for Playing Viper in Valorant

If you’re reading this, it means you are searching for a guide to playing Valorant’s Viper. We’ll give you a summarized yet extensive look at the Valorant Agent’s toxic abilities and the best ways to use them.

Viper is the flagship character of the game and has transitioned into an iconic character in the Valorant community. This character can manipulate her environment and trap and kill her prey with her arsenal of gaseous powers.

To best use this character in Valorant, we’ve compiled a helpful directory of all information to help you master this elusive Valorant Agent. 

Understanding Viper’s Abilities

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Viper’s abilities are unique and rare, even among other riot games. If you know how to use Viper from the video game–Valorant, then the game would be a walk in the park for you. 

Here are her four poisonous abilities;

Poison Cloud

With this signature ability, Viper can create a cloud of poison gas you can place on the ground. 

It is a cloud that reduces enemies who enter it by damaging them. The poison cloud lasts for a complete round and damages any enemies entering it. It can be deactivated or deployed to a new location by Viper.

Snake Bite

Viper can shoot projectiles that create a pool of acid upon impact. The pool acid remains throughout the round and damages any enemies who step into it. 

There is also a vulnerability impact on the enemy for about two seconds, preventing them from healing quickly.

Toxic Screen

Another of Viper’s signature abilities is creating a wall of toxic gas that can be placed on the ground. 

The wall lasts for a limited time and is reusable. It blocks enemy vision and movement. Viper can also redeploy the wall by picking and dropping a line of gas emitters in a new location.

Viper’s Pit

It is Viper’s ultimate ability. She can create a large poison cloud around her, distorting her vision and damaging her enemies with time. Viper remains immune to the effects of her own poison when activated.

Viper’s abilities generally focus on controlling and manipulating the game map. They are also very effective at deterring enemies’ movements, making trapping and killing their prey easy.

Mastering Viper’s Playstyle

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To effectively use Viper, you must know when and how to use her abilities. Here are a few tips to help you better use Viper’s abilities.

Playing Defensively

Control choke points. Search for narrow paths that lead to major areas of the map–choke points.

These choke points are the perfect locations to deploy a Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen. It would force enemies to take other routes, which you can now set up and ambush.

Play for Time 

Viper’s abilities help to delay the attackers and waste their time. For example, an attacker would have to wait for poison clouds to fade out before they can make any move further. And since each round has a timer, this ability would devastate your enemies. 

Controlling the Battlefield

Viper’s abilities make it easy to manipulate and bend the map to your will. Be deliberate about where you mount your poisons–entrances and narrow roads are perfect, not open spaces.

Obscuring Enemy Vision

Viper’s abilities distort the vision of enemies while not affecting Viper herself. After deploying a toxin, hang around a bit, enemies who walk into your trap. At this point, you can clearly see your enemy, but they can’t see you clearly.

Using Viper’s Abilities in Conjunction With Other Agents

Viper’s abilities are strong on their own but even more lethal when joined with other characters’ abilities. Some of the examples:

Sage + Viper: with Sage’s wall and Viper’s Toxic Screen on top of it. They create a toxic and double layer of defense that can be difficult for the enemy team to breach. 

Brimstone + Viper: Brimstone’s Orbital Strike forces enemies out of cover, making them vulnerable to Viper’s Snake Bite and Poison Cloud. 

Cypher + Viper: You can use Cypher’s Trap Wires to cover Viper’s flank while she sets up her Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud. It allows Viper to focus on controlling the central area of engagement. 

Other Combo includes Sova + Viper and Killjoy + Viper.

Strategies for Different Maps and Game Modes

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Valorant is made up of several maps/locations, which all have unique gameplay. Here are some tips for using Viper on every map:

How to Play Viper on Different Maps

Bind: Use poison clouds to block the teleported entrances.

Haven: Use Poison Cloud to block a site and create a tall wall of gas to block C site.

Split: Control the central area of the map; use Toxic Screen to block off the mid window. Use Poison clouds to control vents and ropes. 

Ascent: Use poison cloud to block entrance to B site, and use Toxic Screen for the market area. 

Icebox: Protect B site with Poison Cloud and block the middle of the map with Toxic Screen.

How to Play Viper in Different Game Modes

Here’s how to play Viper in different modes.

Spike Planting and Defusing: Viper is a perfect agent for picking in this mode. She can use her abilities to block off and protect sites.

Deathmatch: In Deathmatch mode, Viper’s Snake Bite abilities can come in handy in dealing with grave damage to enemies. 

Competitive: Viper’s Toxic Screen can block off key areas and create chokepoints in Competitive mode. Poison Cloud ability can help to slow down, damage, and force enemies out of hiding.

Unrated: Use Viper to play a more passive and defensive game in Unrated mode. Slow down enemies to make them easy to hit.

Custom Games: there is no single tactic for this game mode; explore your chances and strategies, and play offensive and defensive.

Loadout and Gear Recommendations

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Here are some tips for getting ready before a match when playing as Viper in Valorant:

Best weapons for Viper

• Vandal: A high-damage rifle that can kill her prey in one headshot
• Phantom: Another high-damage rifle with higher accuracy
• Operator: A sniper rifle that can take out enemies from long distances.

Best Abilities for Viper

• Toxic Screen: Use it to block off areas and create choke points. 
• Poison Cloud: Use it to damage enemies, slow them down, or force them out of cover. 
• Viper’s Pit: It is Viper’s ultimate ability. Use it to control a specific area and deny the enemy team access to it.

The Best Gear for Viper

• Heavy Shields: Heavy shields provide the most protection against enemy fire.
• Healing abilities: Since Viper has no healing abilities, pick up a healing ability like Sage’s Healing Orb or Skye’s Regrowth ability to keep yourself alive.
• Ultimate Orbs: Picking up Ultimate Orbs whenever you can build your ultimate ability faster

How to Counter Viper

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As an opponent of Viper, here are a few tips you can do to stay alive:

Tips for Countering Poison Cloud

To counter Viper’s Poison Cloud, use abilities that can destroy it, like Phoenix’s Blaze or Raze’s Paint Shells. You can also wait for the cloud to deactivate or avoid it altogether.

Tips for Countering Toxic Screen

To counter Toxic Screen, shoot the wall to destroy it or use abilities that can break through it, like Sova’s Shock Bolt or Breach’s Fault Line.

Tips for Countering Viper’s Pit

To counter Viper’s pit, use abilities that can reveal enemies even through a line of gas emitters, like; Sova’s Recon Bolt or Cypher’s Spycam. You can also wait for it to deactivate or avoid it.

Tips for Countering Snake Bite

Countering Viper’s Snake Bite might be impossible at close range. Please do your best to stay far from the character and use long-range weapons to attack her.

Conclusion

Viper is the most exciting and lethal character in Valorant, and even without knowing how to use her, you can still play a good game. With these tips, you can be a beast on the battlefield.