How to play Reyna, VALORANT’s deadly duelist

Like any duelist in VALORANT, Reyna is all about fragging. The more kills, the merrier.

Reyna is a high-risk, high-reward agent that awards aggression. She dominates single combat and is only limited by skill. Sitting back and waiting for your teammates won’t suffice with Reyna. 

She feeds off kills. When you get the ball rolling, the kills keep coming. She’s like a locomotive, full steam ahead. But there are two sides to the coin to Reyna. Without cocksure confidence and pinpoint accuracy, she can easily drag you—and your team—down.

Here are some tips for playing VALORANT’s deadly duelist.

Leer (C)

Leer is Reyna’s one reliable ability. It’s like a juiced-up version of Omen’s Paranoia and Breach’s Flashpoint. It has an infinite range, giving it the potential to blind enemies across the map. And it travels through terrain and can be positioned at any angle, making it dynamic and applicable in almost any scenario.

It does have its downfalls, though, and can be countered by a quick shot to the eye. But when used properly, it has devastating effects. 

Unlike any other flash in VALORANT, Leer doesn’t affect you or your teammates. This means you can be clever with the ability, throw it out into the open, and peek. It can also be used defensively, but it’s generally attack-oriented.

Almost all of Reyna’s abilities require kills. If she doesn’t frag, she simply can’t use them. But that’s not the case with Leer. It’s affordable and can (and should) be used every single round. Reyna is a self-sufficient agent and can easily solo a site. Leer can be used to peek an angle, prevent a push, or reposition. 

Stand behind a wall, throw out Leer, and quickly peek. If your enemies are in the vicinity and Leer is in their line of sight, they’ll be blinded for a few seconds. This gives you the opportunity to find a quick and easy kill.

If you want to make the most of Leer, you should aim to use it in conjunction with your teammates. If you’re on the same page and your teammates are willing to listen to you, Leer works wonders. Use Leer on a site and your teammates will almost certainly capture it. 

It’s also worth taking Leer’s positioning into consideration before throwing it out into the open. At eye level, players will easily be able to take it out. But if you throw it in the air or toward the ground, players will have to position their crosshairs in an unfavorable manner, giving you the advantage.

Make sure to be as unpredictable as possible when using Leer. Change up your positions every round to throw off your opponents.

Devour (Q)

Devour is Reyna’s go-to ability after scoring a kill. It consumes an orb, restores your health, and gives you some extra armor.

Reyna needs kills to thrive and Devour is what keeps her alive. She’s all about getting kill after kill and living to tell the tale. Most agents have to play slow and sit back after engaging in a gunfight, but Reyna is the opposite. Once she has the momentum, she keeps on going.

There are two routes Reyna can take after scoring a kill. The first is Devour. The second is Dismiss. Devour will often be the priority, but if you’re at full health or you need to escape, Dismiss is the more sensible option.

Even if you have full health and armor, Devour will give you some extra points of armor highlighted in purple, though. This is particularly strong in a long and drawn-out skirmish.

Dismiss (E)

Devour might be stronger than Dismiss in some circumstances, but Dismiss shouldn’t be underestimated.

If you’re up close and personal with your enemies and you need to get the hell out of dodge, use Dismiss. You can either restore your health with Devour and keep fighting or reposition and run away with Dismiss. It makes you invulnerable for a short duration, allowing you to bide time and wait for your teammates. 

It can also be used to find entry frags. A confident Reyna player can peek a corner in the early stages of a round, headshot an opponent or two, and quickly escape with Dismiss.

When combined with Empress—Reyna’s ultimate ability—Dismiss is another story. Devour is automatically applied after scoring a kill with Empress, but Dismiss isn’t.

This means it’s your only option when consuming orbs and you should make the most of it. It makes you invisible, giving you the means to outplay your opponents, and also gives you a quick boost of speed. This makes it the perfect repositioning tool for Reyna, leading to further kills.

Use Dismiss to flank your opponents, reposition, or hide.

Empress (X)

Empress injects Reyna with bloodlust, giving her Rapid Fire, activating and improving Devour and Dismiss, and making enemies easier to see for a short duration. Landing a kill resets its timer, continuing her rampage for an extra 30 seconds.

Reyna’s ultimate is the perfect snowballing tool. Once you get a kill, the buff refreshes, allowing you to keep pushing your advantage. Empress should be used preemptively in a gunfight. It’s sometimes difficult to determine where and when to use it, but sitting on it and saving it for the perfect opportunity is never a wise option.

When you know things are about to heat up, you’re stuck alone on a site, or you need to pull your team out of a deficit, Empress should come into use. Press X, find a kill, and continue your onslaught. You’ll automatically heal up with Devour and speed up with Dismiss.

Empress increases your firing, equip, and reload speeds by 15 percent for 30 seconds. It grants infinite charges of Soul Harvest abilities and refreshes its duration after scoring a kill.