ESTNN offers some handy tips for playing Viper in your next game of Valorant.
Viper is a controller who uses poison and gas to control the battlefield and her enemies to her advantage. She is excellent at denying entry to bombsites on defense. At the same time, she excels at using her gas to facilitate pushes on the offense.
Viper was one of the most popular and most potent agents in Valorant’s 4.08 patch. She also did not see any nerfs in the most recent 4.09 patch, so she could help you in your climb through the ranks. The US-based agent has been getting more and more pro play attention lately, especially on Breeze, Icebox, or Bind. If you are looking to incorporate poison queen into your arsenal, you won’t want to miss this guide.
Viper’s Abilities
Two of Viper’s abilities, her Q and E, use a unique resource called fuel. When you start the game, you will have 100% fuel. After activating these abilities, your reserve will begin to tick down. When you turn them off, Viper’s fuel will stop decaying and recharge.
Snake Bite (C – 200 Credits)
Viper equips a chemical launcher and fires a canister that explodes when it hits the ground. It creates a poisonous zone that slows and damages enemies walking through it. Snake Bite can bounce off walls.
Poison Cloud (Q – 200 Credits, 5 Fuel/sec)
Viper equips and throws a gas emitter that will stay on the ground for the whole round. She can re-use Poison Cloud to create poison gas using her fuel.
This ability both obscures the vision of enemies walking through it and also deals damage over time.
You can walk over to the emitter to pick it up to redeploy, but it will go on a 6-second cooldown. If Viper dies while the ability is on the ground, it will stay active for 2 more seconds or until her fuel runs out.
Toxic Screen (E – Free, 5 Fuel/sec)
Viper equips a gas emitter launcher and deploys a long line of gas emitters. While Toxic Screen is on, it blocks enemies’ vision and deals decaying damage.
Similar to Poison Cloud, this ability can be re-used to create a wall from toxic gas using fuel. It can also be turned on and off at will. However, unlike Poison Cloud, this ability cannot be picked up to redeploy.
You can fire Toxic Screen far across the map, but there is always the threat of getting caught on roofs or other objects it can land on.
Viper’s Pit (X – 7 Ultimate Points)
Viper fires a chemical cloud in all directions around her. It reduces the vision and maximum health of enemies standing inside of it. And they are also outlined for Viper to see.
Viper’s Pit can last forever if she stays inside it or returns to it every 15 seconds.
Tips and Tricks
If you are looking to pick up Viper, the first thing you should be aware of is resource management. Both Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen take about 20 seconds to individually before they drain your fuel. You should also be comfortable with how much fuel they use simultaneously. Be careful not to run out of it because Viper can be useless with an empty reserve.
One of the strong suits of Viper’s kit is area control, which makes her one of the best spike planters you can play. Make sure you are the one carrying the spike, especially when you have access to your ultimate. The area denial also comes in handy when on defense. Toxic Screen has an extensive range, and it can be shot across the map, making Viper one of the few agents that can defend both sites at once.
Viper is particularly rewarding for players who spend time in practice with different ability lineups on different maps. You should practice throwing them so you can execute comfortably during a fast-paced game.
Last but not least, remember that Viper’s toxic gas deals decay damage. This means enemy agents will go down to 1 HP but will not die, and they will start regening once they are out of your abilities. So it is essential to keep track of low-health enemies.
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