Valorant fans agree Riot needs to buff agent no one plays as anymore

Valorant has had a fantastic year so far introducing Clove and the new map, Abyss, and there’s plenty more to anticipate for the remainder of 2024. There will be a new agent in Episode 9, and this will be the 25th agent for the game. While a new playable character is exciting, many Valorant fans believe Riot needs to buff an agent no one plays as anymore in ranked or pro play.

Riot has begun teasing the new agent for Episode 9, but their identity and class still remains a mystery. More teases are anticipated for the near future, but Riot has revealed that update 9.01 will not be coming out next week as originally intended. In addition to a new agent for Episode 9, leaks suggest we might be getting a new match mode.

We cannot wait to finally learn the identity of the new agent for Episode 9, but, before then, there are 24 amazing playable characters in the game already. Each of the Valorant agents vary in power and popularity, and many fans believe that Riot needs to buff Astra.

Valorant fans agree Riot need to buff Astra

On the Valorant subreddit, fans have discussed how it’s time for Riot to buff Astra. The OP, Left-Touch 3669, argues, “Stop being cowards and buff my girl. Nobody’s playing her in ranked; nobody’s playing her in pro play. She is so limited compared to the other controllers. I literally can’t play her comfortably unless I have another controller on my team, which sucks because it rarely happens in ranked”.

It’s time buff Astra
byu/Left-Touch3669 inVALORANT

The comments unanimously agree with the OP’s sentiment that Astra needs to receive some love in 2024. One fan commented, “Her abilities have been nerfed along with the removal of the 5th star. I think even just adding a 5th star and keeping everything the same would make her more playable”.

In conjunction with the above comments, other users replied, “When they nerfed her, they took the 5th star and nerfed all her abilities. Revert one, either 5th star or ability nerfs and she’ll be fine. I’d personally go for 5th star but also make the pull smoke a tiny bit longer”.

Another user commented, “Just reducing the star windup would be good,” to which another fan replied, “Ik I hate that I can’t instantly smoke a site on split and have to wait like 3 seconds after the round starts”.

There are many more comments agreeing with the consensus that Astra needs to be buffed. One fan said, “Still play Astra to this day. The absence of the 5th star hurts… If I pop a default smoke round start and pop 2 site smokes on a later hit, I need to make a choice between stun and suck…. Feels unfair whenever I’m solo controller against Brim, Omen or Clove. They can get 3 smokes out and use the rest of their abilities”.

Most of the comments say that she simply needs her 5th star back, but it remains to be seen if Riot do anything at all. The new Controller agent, Clove, is regarded as the best bits of Sage and Astra combined, so it’s easy to see why Astra has become an afterthought for many in the community.

For more Valorant, check out our 18 tips on how to get better at the game along with our guide for how to appear offline if you don’t want certain friends knowing you’re playing. We also have guides for how to chat with the team, all, and private, along with how to add friends.