Valorant: Best Agents to Play in Season 2025 Act 6

The month of October brought a new Act to Season 2025. A peculiarity is that, in this update, what most impressed Valorant fans wasn't the Battle Pass Skins or new content - but rather a massive balancing of the game's abilities.

Riot Games' idea was to lessen the impact of abilities in FPS games, focusing more on mastering player movement and shooting. These patch notes may be responsible for the biggest revolutions in Valorant's meta. With that in mind, we at UmGamer have created this content to keep you updated on the best agents in the game. Check it out!

Fade

It's difficult to mention any agent that wasn't nerfed in the last update. The list starts with Fade, whose Haunt effect duration was reduced by 25%, in addition to a drastic 50% increase in cooldown. Since these changes were global, they weren't enough to remove her from the list, and most community tier lists treat her as a Tier S agent.

Her abilities alone are noteworthy in battles: the Prowlers are flexible, great for clearing tight angles and making advances. Finally, her Ultimate remains a positive point; although the mark's duration has decreased, it now applies a constant Deterioration of 75 damage – which, if played well, will easily lead to numerous kills.

Sova

Sova is a similar case, standing out even after receiving the 20-second nerf to his Recon Bolt. The main reason for mentioning this initiator here is that, with the general nerfs, information has become scarcer. This makes a well-placed arrow much more valuable than before.

The Russian handles the meta well; by using his Owl Drone as a secondary information tool, you’ll not only obtain crucial information but also threaten enemies with a marker dart. His post-plant damage abilities, such as Shock Bolt and Hunter's Fury, remain extremely effective against those trying to defuse the spike.

Phoenix

Phoenix has already appeared on several of our lists this season, demonstrating the agent's above-average strength. The latest patch notes didn't nerf the hero, which is enough to keep him at the top – especially when direct competitors like Yoru and Reyna have been weakened.

The agent has always been known for his ease of play; his abilities generally function as flashbangs – a concept already explored in other FPS games – in addition to healing and respawning, giving you new chances during combat. Therefore, I recommend Phoenix, especially for Valorant newcomers or those who play at a more advanced level.

Neon

Neon is the opposite of Phoenix; this agent stands out for her enormous rotation capabilities thanks to her comprehensive movement tools – however, this requires greater game vision, as well as better reflexes and mechanics.

Although her Battery recharge time has increased to 60 seconds, the time she can run with a full Battery has increased from 12s to 16s. In some cases, such as for rotation on large maps, these changes may feel like a buff.

The reduction in concussion duration is a global standardization. Finally, her extreme speed and wall for quick executions remain a positive point – making her a viable option for the entry role in any area.

Sage

Sage is a sentinel who had been struggling with her barrier ability, which was often negated before it could even be fortified. With the new Act, the problem has been solved.

In a sea of ​​nerfs, Sage was privileged with skill improvements. Now, the Barrier Orb has had its cost reduced by 100 and the fortification interval dropped from 3.3s to 2s. The adjustment was made considering the agent's biggest potential weakness up to that point, and it was exactly what she needed to become meta!

Even with the health of her wall segments reduced from 800 to 600, the ability to fortify the wall almost instantly will be fundamental to defending the team.

Killjoy

Here's a controversial choice. Killjoy was significantly affected; Alarmbot lost more than half of its health, and the turret's cooldown increased to 60 seconds after being destroyed.

Despite this, the turret's main function received a buff: the movement reduction per bullet increased from 29.5% to 50%. Even losing some of the ability to deploy it multiple times in the same round, the machine incapacitates enemies more effectively in the match. A skilled player will now be able to take even greater advantage of the ability if they manage to find an interesting position.

Clove

Clove remains at the top of Valorant. This agent has consistently ranked among the top in win rates – on sites like u.gg and vstats.gg – for almost the entire year of 2025, and incredibly, received no nerfs in Act 6! It's worth noting that an agent's good numbers can often decline with increased popularity, as newcomers tend to use them more in matches – however, Clove remains so strong that she defies this concept, maintaining excellent metrics even as a top choice for casual or new players.

Furthermore, the character's kit is extremely geared towards this type of player. You'll have several survival tools, from the Pick-me-Up shield to returning to life with the Ultimate. Clove also has a grenade that deteriorates enemies over time, making it one of the most powerful tools for combat – especially when compared to other controllers. His smokes are yet another of Clove's many strengths - in addition to returning to availability over time, we can also use them even after suffering a kill.

Brimstone

Finally, Brimstone stands out once again as one of the best in its class. Although still far from Clove, the traditional controller remains the "second choice" in most community tier lists. The latest patch notes only made a small adjustment to its Stim Beacon: a 33% drop in Movement and Fire Speed ​​increases – which isn't enough to knock it out of the meta.

Another predominant factor in mentioning this controller here is the fact that initiators have received nerfs to their cooldowns. This makes Brimstone's smokes – one of the longest-lasting – much harder to contest. The enemy simply won't have reconnaissance utilities to clear the areas Brimstone closes off.

It's a confusing meta; agents like Cypher and Yoru have undergone adjustments to the point of becoming almost unplayable for some fans. Valorant is unlikely to have such an impactful balancing change again; we'll continue to observe how the community and the competitive scene adapt to so many changes.

I hope you enjoyed this article. I'm available if you have any questions or suggestions.