Valorant Episode 7 new agent and battlepass details revealed

Get ready agents as Valorant Episode 7 is nearly upon us with a release date of June 27, 2023. We got some new details about the brand new agent that’s coming and what’s in the new battlepass that will tempt you to open up that wallet once again. Here’s what you need to know.

New Valorant Agent – Deadlock

Introducing Deadlock, the latest Sentinel to join the ranks of Valorant agents. She is a Norwegian operative armed with state-of-the-art nanowire technology. With unwavering vigilance and relentless ferocity, she leaves no room for escape or survival. Deadlock’s impressive skill set encompasses the following abilities:

GravNet (C)

Equip a GravNet grenade. Fire to throw. Alt Fire to lob the grenade underhand. The GravNet detonates upon landing, forcing any enemies caught within to crouch and move slowly.

Sonic Sensor (Q)

Equip a Sonic Sensor. Fire to deploy. The sensor monitors an area for enemies making sounds. It concusses that area if footsteps, weapons fire, or significant noise are detected.

Barrier Mesh (E)

Equip a Barrier Mesh disc. Fire to throw forward. Upon landing, the disc generates barriers from the origin point that block character movement.

Annihilation (X)

Equip a Nanowire Accelerator. Fire to unleash a pulse of nanowires that captures the first enemy contacted. The cocooned enemy is pulled along a nanowire path and will die if they reach the end unless they are freed. The nanowire cocoon is destructible.

Here are the different types of gear you’ll get once you level up Deadlock’s Tiers:

Tier 1: Cyber Oak, Spray
Tier 2: VALORANT Deadlock, Player Card
Tier 3: Wired, Title
Tier 4: Crossed Wires, Spray
Tier 5: Kingdom Credits
Tier 6: Nanowire Cartridge, Gun Buddy
Tier 7: Deadlock Spray, Spray
Tier 8: Ståljeger, Title
Tier 9: Into the Vault, Player Card
Tier 10: Resolution, Gun Skin (Classic)

When asked about what were the goals of the team when designing Deadlock, Game Designer Alexander Mistakidis said “We wanted to create an Agent for players who like to hold their ground actively with their utility, as opposed to needing to set up in advance. Our hope is that this appeals to players who value being able to nimbly audible their plays and strategy based on information about their opponents.”

Mistakidis continues to mention that gameplay-wise, Deadlock symbolizes a scorpion. “Spiders might spin their web and wait for it to do the work, whereas scorpions have to hide and then spring into action, putting themselves at risk. They use their pincers (abilities) to restrain and kill prey, or to prevent their own predation. Their venomous sting (ultimate Annihilation) is best saved for a dire defensive situation,” he said.

If you’re the type of player who thrives on slowing down the pace of the match and capitalizing on eager beaver opponents, Deadlock might just be the perfect Agent for you.

“A lot of what Deadlock is doing is letting people come to you. There was an improvisational nature to it all, of someone that is honed in their craft and knows what tool to use depending on what comes at them,” Agent Lead John Goscicki says.

Mistakidis looks back on a unique challenge the team had to deal with in terms of making sure Deadlock’s hook ability was well-balanced given how fun they can be from a player’s perspective but annoyingly oppressive to an opponent in other games. “This took many iterations and attempts to build confidence in. From ultra bouncy hooks with arcing gravity to some that dragged through walls, or even locking players in prisons that had to be opened from the outside. My hope is that the Annihilation ability we landed with offers the high-skill outplay opportunities to Deadlock players while still being engaging for everyone involved.”

Valorant Episode 7 Battlepass

Another Valorant Episode, another battlepass to grind through. There will be free items to earn but if you want even more, you’re gonna have to pay 1,000 VP (Valorant Points) in order to unlock the premium tiers. Here’s what you can expect:

Valorant Episode 7 free battlepass tiers

Digihex Ghost
Mind the Drop – Player Card
Slurp – Gun Buddy
Box Hijinks – Spray

Valorant Episode 7 paid battlepass tiers

Composite Phantom
Composite Knife
Unstoppable // Cypher – Player Card
Blush Operator
Digihex Bulldog
Keep It Cool – Spray
Penguin Surprise – Gun Buddy

The team experimented with different colors for the new battlepass gear as they try to strike a balance of great visuals and fun implementations to gameplay. “We were inspired by futuristic shapes and design. Composite and Digihex especially bring a bit of a sci-fi feel to this pass… As always, with our accessories, we try to find opportunities to create things that we hear our players talking about and laughing about in-game. For example, the Smoke Maze spray or Pancake Pile-up are examples of situations we’ve probably all found ourselves in while playing,” Producer Laura Baltzer said.

Are you a longtime Valorant player or just jumping in? Episode 7 is looking to be the biggest update for the game yet!