VALORANT KAY/O Abilities Revealed: New Agent Arrives June 22 (2021)

Riot Games announced that the newest agent joining the fight leading up to VALORANT Episode 3 Act 1 is KAY/O, Future Earth's resident Terminator.

Over the past month, VALORANT fans tried to bring out their inner Sherlock Holmes to work out who the newest Agent joining the roster would be.

Finally the wait is over and the details have begun to surface; Agent 17 turned out to be KAY/O, "a war machine built for a single purpose: neutralizing radiants".

The New Agent in VALORANT Episode 3 Act 1: KAY/O

Here is everything you need to know about the robotic Initiator, from his background to his abilities and release date.

Who Is VALORANT's New Hero KAY/O? The New Agent

KAY/O's entire kit is aimed at limiting enemy attacks. Thanks to his unique "suppress enemy abilities" ability, he gives his allies "the ultimate advantage".

The ZERO/point suppression knife is unlike anything we've seen in VALORANT. Bringing a "suppression" mechanic to the game, it fires a knife that sticks to the first surface it hits. Nearby enemies cannot use their abilities.

Another new feature is found in the Ultimate, NULL/cmd. As if unleashing a destructive shockwave and gaining Combat Stim wasn't enough, he can also be revived when killed. This may explain the 'downed' mechanic that was leaked a few months ago.

What Are the New Agent KAY/O's Abilities in VALORANT?

VALORANT KAY/0 Abilities

Ability 1 – ZERO/point: EQUIP a suppression knife. FIRE to throw. The knife sticks to the first surface it hits, winds up and suppresses everyone within the radius of the explosion. Right-clicking with the flashbang throws a charged flash and makes it burn for only 1 second, unlike left-click, which throws a flash that burns for 1.6 seconds. Ability 2 – FLASH/drive: EQUIP a flashbang. FIRE to throw. The flashbang explodes after a short delay and blinds everyone in line of sight. Ability 3 – FRAG/ment: EQUIP an explosive fragment. FIRE to throw. The fragment sticks to the ground and explodes multiple times, dealing lethal damage at the center of each explosion. ULTIMATE: INSTANTLY overload with polarized radianite energy that empowers KAY/O and causes large energy pulses to emanate from his position. Enemies hit by these pulses are briefly suppressed. While KAY/O is Overloaded, he gains Combat Stim If KAY/O is killed while overloaded, he falls to the ground and enters an unstable state, allowing allies to stabilize his core and revive him.

What Inspired the New Agent KAY/O?

The first thing that comes to mind when you look at KAY/O is the iconic robot Terminator. It seems there is some truth to that. KAY/O's Game Designer Ryan Cousart says, "Considering I'm not very well versed in my sci-fi, I actually drew a lot from different inspirations, from Terminator to I, Robot and even Chappie."

Character Producer Jon Goscicki reveals that KAY/O is actually "the first Agent we started developing after the game launched". With the aim of "adding something that feels familiar to traditional FPS players but fits VALORANT in a unique way", the robotic threat will be a perfect blend of past and future.

Cousart echoes this, saying "outside of the roster's opportunity goals, to make an agent familiar to traditional FPS players, we wanted to push really intuitive and almost 'back to basics' inputs".

When Will the New VALORANT Agent KAY/O Be Released? KAY/0

Think KAY/O will be your new favorite agent? Fortunately, you won't have to wait very long to get your hands on him. He will be in the game shortly with Episode 3 Act 1 on June 22.

You can find our guide with tips for playing KAY/O better here.