Everything We Know About Valorant's New Agent, Astra
There's a new Agent in Valorant, and it looks like she'll play differently from any other Agent. In late February 2021, Riot Games dropped Astra's official reveal trailer, showing off some of her moves and style, but fans still want to know more about this mysterious, stellar agent. Though players won't know everything until Astra finally drops into Valorant on March 2, some details about Astra's abilities have fans excited for what's to come.
YouTuber Stylosa released a video just hours after Astra's reveal, walking players through her potential abilities, which seem different from anything Valorant has included so far. Astra's main feature, Stars, allows her to enter an Astral Form and float over the battlefrield, strategically planting effects around any area of the map. In an astral form, Astra can float above the map in order to plan out where she wants to place her Stars. Players first purchase Stars in the buy menu, where they would normally obtain abilities, then determine what they'll be used for and where in astral form. Stars are visible on the map, which could allow players to cordon off entire sections of the map for strategic purposes.
The Stars allow Astra to use special abilities at targeted points on the map, and boy, do those abilities change things.
Astra's abilities
Astra's first ability, Gravity Well, sucks everything within a certain radius into a gravitational pull. Friends and foes alike will be pulled towards the Gravity Well, meaning that it's a good way to lure opponents out of hiding, or force opponents towards Astra for close range combat.
Nova Pulse can stun players with a mighty blast, and work in tandem with Astra's other abilities to perform devastating combos. The Nebula/Dissipate ability allows Astra to create a cloudy fog of astral energy, making the landscape murky for her enemies.
Astra's Cosmic Divide ultimate might be the wildest move of all, and the most versatile. The Cosmic Divide places a wall-like barrier on the map that muffles sound and creates a barrier that Astra can play with in order to move into the most advantageous position. While the wall doesn't block abilities, it does shield players from bullets, which offers some cover. Cosmic Divide is a versatile ultimate that players will be able to use in creative ways to win matches.
While it is unclear at this time how Astra fits in with Valorant's lore, her abilities would seem to hint that she has an interesting story to tell.