Riot Games’ VALORANT will start off with at least 10 characters at launch, according to executive producer Anna Donion. Donion described the process that players will have to go through to obtain the five locked characters in an interview with IGN.
Character unlocks will be handled with an “engagement-incentivized model,” according to Riot. “Players will have the option of earning in-game content through playing and engaging with the game, or they can choose to purchase desired content as a shortcut.”
Essentially, five characters are reportedly locked behind a paywall. You can either use real money for the agent of your choice or put in enough time to recruit them to your roster.
VALORANT will also reportedly have a battle pass feature that’s now common in free-to-play games. It has both free and premium tiers, but Riot has promised that it won’t be pay-to-win, likely limiting it to characters and cosmetic unlocks.
Related: VALORANT may have the same progression systems as League of Legends
Eight agents have been revealed so far: Phoenix, Jett, Viper, Sova, Cypher, Brimstone, Sage, and Omen.
