Valorant Gears Up For Episode 4 Act I With Electric Agent Neon, New Battle Pass and Skins

Riot Games is getting ready for the arrival of Episode 4 Act I with a new agent, battle pass, and a new line of skins. On January 5, Neon was revealed via a trailer, and it has since been revealed that Act I will also introduce a new battle pass packed with Valentine's Day-themed rewards, and a new line of sci-fi skins named Protocol 781-A.

Neon's abilities are listed below (as described by Riot), alongside a peek at the new range of skins. Everything surrounding Act I of Valorant's latest Episode feels very dark sci-fi and dystopian. So, it'll be interesting to see where the lore takes us over the coming months, as well as how Neon may impact the balance of the game. So far, her abilities seem to revolve around speed and precision primarily.

Neon's Abilities

Ability 1: High Gear - Instantly channel Neon’s power for increased speed. When charged, Alt fire to trigger an electric slide. Slide charge resets every two kills.

Ability 2: Relay Bolt - Instantly throw an energy bolt that bounces once. Upon hitting each surface, the bolt electrifies the ground below with a concussive blast.

Ability 3: Fast Lane - Fire two energy lines forward on the ground that extend a short distance or until they hit a surface. The lines rise into walls of static electricity that block vision and damage enemies passing through them.

Ultimate: Overdrive - Unleash Neon’s full power and speed for a short duration. Fire to channel the power into a deadly lightning beam with high movement accuracy. The duration resets on each kill.

When it came to designing Neon, two words were at the tip of developer's tongues, “fast and frenetic,” says Ryan 'rycou' Cousart. “The goal we had aligned on for Neon was that she would move fast, and her utility should supplement,” they continued. If there is anything that players could've assumed about Neon from her trailer, it is that she would be speedy.

Protocol 781-A Skins

The latest bundle from Riot has themes of dark sci-fi and high-tech in its look. The bundle includes Personal Administrative Melee Unit, Phantom, Spectre, Bulldog, Sheriff, a Gun Buddy, a Card, and a Spray. Like previous bundles, Protocol will cost players 9,900 Valorant Points (approximately $104.98).

Riot senior producer Preeti Khanolkar stated "our goal was to create a sci-fi skin like that would be very appealing but unlike any other sci-fi skins we’d created so far," when designing Protocol. "We ended up with a backstory that the skins exist in another world where large cities have seen explosive growth, resulting in overcrowding and chaos, so an oppressive shadow government attempts to control the disorder. As a result, a law known as Protocol 781-A dictates that all government personnel are issued a weapon which provides combat assistance, monitors performance, and ensures compliance," said Preeti.

Thinking of the new bundle as a form of artificial intelligence program certainly adds a sinister element to how Valorant's agents may be controlled. Yet, it's undeniable that Riot have nailed its dystopian dream with the skins, Neon, and the accompanying battle pass for Episode 4 Act I.

Valorant's current Act ends on January 10, with Episode 4 Act I being due to go live any day after that.