How to play Chamber, VALORANT’s sniper sentinel agent

Smart, sophisticated, sexy, and an arsenal of weapons at his disposal: Chamber has it all. The dapper Frenchman blurs the lines between sentinel and duelist. 

Chamber combines supportive elements, helping him secure or hold down a site, with a kit tailor-made for outplays. A one-man army, his custom weapons enable him to counter, confuse, and pick off enemies from a distance. He’s become one of the most prominent agents in both competitive and pro level play.

Until recently, he was one of the most relied-upon agents. But a huge wave of nerfs in Patch 5.12 in early December 2022 could see his reliability questioned.

Here are some tips for playing VALORANT’s weapon-savvy sniper sentinel.

C – Trademark

Trademark is Chamber’s closest link to his sentinel counterparts. It’s a trap that, once triggered, creates a lingering field that slows players caught inside of it. Chamber himself receives a notification if it is triggered or destroyed.

A blend of Cypher’s Tripwire, Killjoy’s Alarmbot, and Sage’s Slow Orb, the ability can be used to catch out enemies and call teammates to action. But what sets it apart is its long range and fast animation time. 

Trademark has a single charge and can be thrown from a fair distance, contrary to Killjoy’s Alarmbot, allowing it to quickly reach its intended location. It works in conjunction with other abilities, too. A well-timed combo with Astra’s Gravity Well, Brimstone’s Incendiary, or Viper’s Snake Bite could easily lead to a kill. 

But Trademark doesn’t deal damage and it’s not totally invisible. If it’s placed out in the open, it can be easily found and picked off. Ideally, you should look to place it around a corner or hide it within an alcove.

Following Patch 5.12, Trademark now has a range restriction, meaning that it will be disabled if Chamber strays too far from it. But it does now have a recall ability, and it can be replaced elsewhere after a 30-second cooldown.

Q – Headhunter

Headhunter materializes a golden pistol that resembles a juiced-up Sheriff. 

The golden gun has exactly the same damage as the Sheriff, but it has absolutely no damage fall-off. This means you’re able to headshot enemies from across the map. But there’s a catch—it’s expensive. Each bullet costs 150 creds, adding up to a total of eight. That’s 1,200 creds for a full magazine, creds you could otherwise be spending on weapons or other abilities.

Headhunter can be used in any number of situations. But it generally rewards aggression over defense. It’s an ability that’s suited for serial fraggers who are confident in hitting all of their shots. After the Patch 5.12 changes, though, its spamming spread has increased, making it less reliable when fired in rapid succession.

E – Rendezvous

Rendezvous, Chamber’s signature ability, is now drastically different compared to the pre-5.12 update version. Instead of placing two teleport anchors that Chamber can teleport to and from, he only places one that he can teleport back to while within its radius.

This change drastically reduces the amount of distance he can cover while teleporting, making it easier for opposing players to chase him down after he teleports.

While this was widely considered a nerf, there are some new positive changes. For one, the teleport height restriction has been removed, allowing Chamber to jump on boxes or elevated angles that are at different heights from the anchor while still being able to teleport. It’s also now immune to allied damage, and the maximum recall distance has been completely removed.

Ultimate – Tour de Force

Tour De Force summons a powerful, custom sniper rifle that, unlike the Operator, will kill an enemy with any direct hit. It also creates a lingering field that slows players caught inside of it (like Trademark) after bagging a quick and precise kill.

The ultimate works in a similar fashion to Jett’s Blade Storm. It’s a showstopper that, in the right hands, can be used to completely turn around the game. It can also be relied upon instead of a normal primary weapon, making it ideal for save rounds, anti-eco rounds, or half-buys.

Tour De Force has just five bullets, and they can’t be replenished. That means you’re forced to be conservative with the weapon and calculate each of your shots. Luckily, it’s the strongest and snappiest sniper rifle in the game.

The weapon aims down sights faster than the Op, allowing you to pick off initial enemies with ease, but the 5.12 update cut its fire rate in half, so it now matches the rate of the Op.

Chamber is meant to be the “sniper character,” according to an interview with Riot. The devs intended for the agent to adhere to the classic “sniper fantasy.” He’s all about taking long-range fights and living to tell the tale.