Through the Valorant blog and in-game teasers, we received some teasers regarding the upcoming Agent 24 in Valorant, who will be released later this year. Read on to learn more about the Easter eggs, speculations and what role the pro player Jinggg plays in all of this!
Riot revealed at the beginning of 2023 that three agents will be added this year. After Gekko and Deadlock (whose Sentinel abilities are soon to be buffed) the third new agent, known as Agent 24, is said to have unexpected abilities and should come in Episode 7 Act 3 before the end of this year!
Agent 24 - Theories About Origin And Abilities
Valorant's character producer John Goscicki has left some clues in "State Of The Agents". Among them is the picture, in which someone, most likely Agent 24, is enjoying a traditional Chinese dish called Hotpot. He also seems to be pretty good with the chopsticks.
Is the new agent possibly coming from China?
Many are now speculating that the new agent could be from China. Recent events, such as Valorant's launch in China in July 2023, the invitation of Chinese teams to the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 and the fact that the region got its own league, certainly support this theory.
Now ,some might wonder: What about Sage, doesn't Valorant already have an agent from China? Well, it is not impossible that several agents can come from the same country, after all Brimstone, Viper and Gekko all come from the United States. Other agents coming from Asia are Jett from South Korea, Yoru from Japan, Neon from the Philippines and Harbor from India.
Does Agent 24 come from Singapore or a completely different country after all?
However, there's another theory that also has many supporters, suggesting that the new Duelist could be from Singapore. The developer, John, mentions a Singaporean Esports player whose team, Paper Rex, reached the finals in the last VCT Champions and secured the second place.
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The player in question is Jinggg, whose real name is Wang Jing Jie. Due to his likeable personality and outstanding performance as a Duelist, he won many fans rooting for him to win the finals.
Above all, Jinggg has made a name for himself with his play style, where he and his team overwhelm the enemies explosively, yet elegantly. That's a nice change, as other teams often play in a slower-paced way.
Moreover, there's another reason why many fans were disappointed that Paper Rex 'only' took second place in the final: Jinggg won't be able to participate in Valorant tournaments in the near future due to his mandatory military service in his home country.
The previously mentioned Riot dev also turns out to be a fan, as he said:
At its core, VALORANT is a team-based Tac Shooter where gunplay shines. For some of you, that means aspiring to plow through enemies like Jinggg and spending hours clicking those orbs with aim trainers for that clean 5K.
The fact that Jinggg is mentioned by name in "State Of The Agents" might not have been a coincidence. Some even believe that the new agent is inspired by the Esports player.
Furthermore, a Twitter user supposedly found the location of the restaurant, which is said to be in Singapore.
I figured out the twist Agent 24 is from Singapore
— uberchain (@uberchain) September 30, 2023
They're eating at Uncle Fong's Chongqing hotpot chain. Chongqing hotpot is very distinct but the pot looks the same as Uncle Fong's pot. This was prolly one of the ref photos the artist used
In-N-Out conspiracy mode is back https://t.co/wjfDlAPK5N pic.twitter.com/L3B4KWzHTA
But the new agent could also come from somewhere else such as Vietnam, Thailand or Taiwan, or he is not Asian himself but is just in an Asian setting.
Ingame Teasers - Speculations About Abilities
Regarding the picture with the hotpot a player writes:
What's weird is that in the reflection of the bell, you can't really see him but you can see the chop sticks. maybe that's one of his powers [...]
The final reward in the current Battle Pass displays a Player Card with the title Bulletproof that serves as the first ingame teaser for the new Agent.
The Bulletproof designation could have something to do with the new agent's abilities and the Player Card likely shows the Ultimate Ability, according to Valorant's fanbase. Thus, Agent 24 could use a shield or transformation, similar to the Phoenix Ult, to put himself in an invulnerable state. This could be stopped by the enemy's gunfire.
Recently another in-game teaser appeared: In the new map Sunset players have discovered this purple 'something'. It only appears at the beginning of the buy round on the defender site.
This could be another ability of the new Duelist. It is suspected that it could be a portal through which the Agent could teleport, similar to Sombra from Overwatch. Others even think that Agent 24 could use it to time travel and thus have control over space and time.
At this point, I would wonder myself how something like this could be implemented into the game without it becoming too overpowered?
Anyway, we'll soon find out whether all of it is just conspiracy theories or if any of it will turn out to be true. I hope you're as excited as I am, looking forward to the next act!