Valorant Review - Battle Pass 2025 Act 5: Is it worth buying?

After almost two months, a new Act arrives in Valorant – Act 5 was officially released last Wednesday (25). Riot has worked on content we're already familiar with: minor balance changes, bug fixes, map rotation changes – Icebox is gone, and Abyss returns to competitive and deathmatch modes – and, most importantly, a new Battle Pass.

Our article today focuses exclusively on this last topic. We'll analyze the revamped item track so you understand which weapons have been prestige upgraded and what themes were covered in the new update, helping you decide whether the Battle Pass is worth purchasing. Check it out!

The Valorant Battle Pass will be active for 55 days, starting August 20th. During this period, players can advance through the pass's 50 tiers, each requiring a certain amount of XP to unlock its rewards.

The system is quite straightforward. Matches themselves offer a small dose of experience, but the real progress comes from daily and weekly missions, which act as shortcuts to accelerate leveling.

One detail that sets Valorant's pass apart from other games is the format of the free rewards. They appear at specific levels but are only awarded when the player completes an entire chapter—each chapter acts as a "page" of the pass.

In addition to the 50 traditional levels, which offer exclusive rewards for those who purchase the pass, there are also 20 items available free of charge.

These free items are distributed differently: 15 appear at the end of each completed chapter, and another 5 are available in the epilogues, available only to those who complete the entire pass before the end of the season.

Among the highlights, some items stand out and promise to appeal to different player profiles. The full list can be found in a video at the end of the topic, allowing everyone to evaluate for themselves whether this edition's Pass is worth investing in.

Top free items

As with the other Acts this year, two copies of a commemorative seasonal buddies can be unlocked by any player who reaches level 10 of the track - completing the second chapter.

If you like ducklings, you'll love Roger—a duck with the swagger of a general! He's featured in several free cosmetics in this Pass. Specifically, a Card on the first page, a Spray on the fourth page, and two copies of a keychain on the sixth page.

A new Emote can also be added to your collection: everyone who reaches level 45 will receive the Spike Rush Cup. This cosmetic features the VCT25 logo and may be of interest to those who follow the championship.

Finally, upon completing the pass and conquering the tenth chapter, you'll receive a new skin and a Classic, as well as an additional card. The free skin from the last track was also given to this same pistol, but it didn't please the majority of the community.

This time, Riot Games got it right and delivered a much higher quality. With a hellish style, I believe the Classic Intercosmos will satisfy—especially—Phoenix players.

Top premium items

The Premium Battle Pass will feature these three skin lines: Auraform (Frenzy, Ares, Guardian, and Operator), Belaflaire (Bucky, Ghost, Spectre, and Vandal), and Intercosmos (Judge, Phantom, Marshal, Knife, and the free Classic). They're all quite interesting, but one caveat is worth noting: earlier this year, in the first Act of the season, Riot Games released a skin style similar to Belaflaire—the Celestia skin.

This isn't a content repackaging; they're simply similar skin lines. The biggest issue is that two weapons that received a Belaflaire skin had already been prestiged with Celestia—Ghost and Spectre.

So, players who purchased the first Battle Pass of this season will have two similar skins for these same weapons, losing some inventory versatility. See the images below.

Again, I'm not saying the work was recycled or poorly done. But the choice to use the same color palette used for the same weapons just a few months ago may turn some players off the premium version of the trail.

However, there are several improvements worth mentioning. The Auraform and Intercosmos skins bring a striking contrast between fire and ice to your inventory—both lines were also very well crafted.

And, once again, the same track features new skins for Vandal and Phantom - the two most used pieces of equipment in Valorant!

As mentioned, this edition's melee weapon is part of the Intercosmos set. See a sampler produced by the "Snack" YouTube channel.

I'm sure it’ll appeal to those who enjoy heavier weapons. But it might not be your style if you prefer daggers or knives with faster animations.

The Auraform and Interhelm styles have also been represented through cards. You can receive them by reaching levels 9 and 11, respectively. Check them out:

Other cards that deserve your attention are those that feature agents, such as those from Valorant's 5th anniversary.

Your favorite agents are also present in Sprays. Check out the best ones from Act 5:

Now, enjoy the video to draw your own conclusions:

Riot Games has overcome the drop in satisfaction that occurred in the last Act and restored the high quality of the 2025 Battle Passes. The only thing to note is that those who purchased the Act 1 version should consider that receiving another Spectre and Ghost skins with a similar color palette is definitely worth it.

Still, I think it's a great option, especially if you don't have many skins in your inventory—all three styles are great!

I hope you enjoyed this content! Feel free to leave feedback or questions in the comments.