Between duelists and initiators, there are a handful of VALORANT agents who can make use of flash abilities.
A flash is a type of blinding ability in VALORANT, but not every blinding ability can be called a flash. Specifically, a flash is an ability that the opposing player has to be looking at, and it’s an ability that can’t be shot. Gekko’s Dizzy, Fade’s Prowler, Reyna’s Leer, and Skye’s Seekers all can blind opponents, but they can also all be shot and destroyed and don’t actually flash the opponents. Abilities that cause Nearsight don’t completely blind an opponent like a flash does, as Nearsight-ed players can still see enemies directly in front of them.
Let’s take a look at the primary flash abilities for each agent in VALORANT.
Breach
Flashpoint
- Uses: Two per round
- Affects allies: Yes
- Max blind duration: Two seconds
Breach’s flash ability, Flashpoint, is unique from the other flashes as it has to be aimed through a wall or surface for it to cast. While this can be limiting in some situations, it also opens up the possibility to hit opponents not looking at chokepoints with a flash. As a rule, Flashpoint can only go through walls that are 10 meters or less deep.
KAY/O
FLASH/drive
- Uses: Two per round
- Affects allies: Yes
- Max blind duration: 2.25 seconds on primary throw/1.25 seconds on alt throw
FLASH/drive is an actual flash grenade, making it the most familiar to VALORANT players coming over from CS. There are two ways to throw a FLASH/drive: the primary throw and the alt throw. The primary throw is an overhand toss that detonates after 1.6 seconds, and has a flash duration that’s one second longer. The alt throw is an underhand, shorter throw that detonates after just one second, but its flash duration is one second shorter as well.
Phoenix
Curveball
- Uses: Two per round
- Affects allies: Yes
- Max blind duration: 1.5 seconds
Curveball may have one of the shorter maximum blind durations, but its strength comes from its throw versatility and the quickness at which it can be deployed. It has one of the shortest windups at just half a second, and the curve on the flash lets it be thrown around or over a variety of different obstacles. Because of how quick it can be deployed, it’s one of the hardest to dodge.
Skye
Guiding Light
- Uses: Two per round
- Affects allies: Yes
- Max blind duration: One to 2.25 second depending on windup duration
Guiding Light is the most unique of the handheld flash abilities, taking the form of a hawk she controls with the aiming of her crosshair. This ability to control Guiding Light makes it exceptionally viable for flashing enemy players holding different off angles, and the sound queue it gives off when blinding an enemy helps Skye and her team pinpoint exact enemy locations. Skye’s Guiding Light may be the most tricky flash to use, but it’s also perhaps the most valuable.
Yoru
Blindside
- Uses: Two per round
- Affects allies: Yes
- Max blind duration: 1.75 seconds
Blindside’s signature trait is that it has to bounce off a surface in order to detonate. If you throw Blindside straight up or forward and it doesn’t collide with anything, it simply fades away. Therefore, it gets most of its usage from when it’s banked off the wall or bounced off the ground.
Yoru’s Fakeout ability technically serves as flash too. If an enemy player shoots the Yoru Fakeout decoy, then it erupts in a flash.
