How to play Cypher in VALORANT

If you like standing in the backline and getting on the nerves of other players by discovering their strategy, VALORANT agent Cypher is the way to go. His ultimate is clearly inspired by Rainbow Six Siege‘s Caveira.

“Cypher is a one-man surveillance network who keeps tabs on the enemy’s every move,” his official description reads. “No secret is safe. No maneuver goes unseen. Cypher is always watching.”

Related: How to play Sage in VALORANT

Cypher is an agent that needs to be unlocked in VALORANT. He isn’t meant for aggressive players who like to flank or take entry kills. Instead, he’s a strong asset to the team with abilities that serve the purpose of gathering or hiding information throughout a round.

Cypher’s abilities all have a small cast time and some of them can be taken back in his inventory, which makes them cheap and grants the agent useful adaptability.

Abilities

Trap Wire

Place a stealth trap wire between two walls. Enemies who trigger it are restrained and revealed for a short time. If the trap isn’t destroyed, it activates to daze the trapped victim. It can be picked up.

Trap Wires is the ability you’ll use the most since they can easily be taken back and put elsewhere. Here are the most obvious traps on every map. Red icons represent the attacking side and black is for the defenders (large version here):

Knowing these spots is useful to begin playing with Cypher (or to play against him). What differentiates a good Cypher player from an excellent one, however, is how they anticipate each situation and switch strategies round after round to keep the element of surprise on their side.

An easy way to change the location of traps without too much effort is to adjust the height of the trap or put one vertically. There are some spots where this is possible, but it covers a small space so the enemy has less chance of stumbling on it.

A low trap can also be useful because it’s harder to destroy with a knife and players will have to jump over it, which can be heard and make the enemy vulnerable for a second. On the other hand, a high trap is easier to avoid but can be more surprising in case of a rush.

Cyber Cage

Toss out a remote activation trap. Reactivate to create a cage that slows enemies who pass through it. Look at a trap and press USE to detonate it or hold ACTIVATE to detonate all.

This ability serves the purpose of a classic smoke. Be careful of high spots, though, because the inside of the cage can be seen from above.

Spycam (signature ability)

Place a remote camera. After placing, reactivate to view the video feed. Left-click while in the camera to fire a tracking dart. It recharges when picked up or killed.

The camera is useful because it can be placed and quickly taken back. It can be used to get a view of an unprotected spot, but also to peek before engaging with the other team. Even if an enemy destroys the camera quickly, Cypher might have time to launch a revealing dart at them.

Neutral Theft

Extract information from the corpse of an enemy, revealing the location of their living allies. Cypher’s ultimate can be used several meters from the corpse and he can cover himself by throwing a Cyber Cage so he can’t be killed while using it.

An entry kill from a team with Cypher can quickly become an ace with proper coordination because of this powerful ultimate.

Playstyle

Similar to Sage, Cypher is an agent who’s stronger in the backline, covering his teammates’ backs during a push or helping them target the enemy. He can also open a route using his Spy Cam and Cyber Cage, which acts like a smoke grenade, or close every flanking path using Trap Wires.

But Cypher has another crucial role. He’s often the last surviving player of the round and that’s where he can shine the most. He can block a site with trap wires, watch another with his Spy Cam, and cover the last one himself. He has the best potential to know where the spike will be planted or which way is clear. With his ultimate up, a single kill can allow him to win a round all by himself.

His abilities allow him to be stronger in mid-range fights, so weapons such as the Phantom, Vandal, and even the Odin, can be strong in his hands. But his playstyle isn’t best suited for a sniper or shotgun.

The closed beta has been launched and access can still be earned by watching official VALORANT streams on Twitch. The game’s release is set for this summer.