How good is the VALORANT Episode 1 Battle Pass?

VALORANT left closed beta last week and to the delight of fans everywhere, launched globally yesterday. Besides the new map Ascent and new agent Reyna, the game also released a shiny new mode called Spike Rush. But today we're more interested in the Episode 1 Battle Pass that launched with the game.

VALORANT's Battle Pass functions just as you'd expect. Players acquire XP from daily missions and playing matches, which is used to rank up the Battle Pass to earn rewards. Free-to-players get fewer rewards, while those that purchase the 1,000 VALORANT Points Battle Pass (approximately $10) get access to a whole bunch more. To be more specific, there are 50 premium rewards and 15 free ones, making a total of 65, which I do feel is a bit on the small side.

However, most of the rewards look pretty good. All the rewards are split between 10 chapters, with the odd numbers offering two free rewards and the even numbers giving just one. Every chapter provides five premium rewards each. These rewards include sprays, cards (look like banners), weapon skins, and the game's premium currency, Radianite.

I'm particularly fond of the weapon skins, with the Couture range looking very fine indeed in a prestigious looking cream-colored finish mixed with black and what could be streaks of gold. Another beautiful set is the Dot Exe, which is black with neon lines, reminiscent of something from Tron. My favorite is the Kingdom Bucky, which is surprisingly the first reward on the premium side of the Battle Pass. 

As for the other cosmetics, I've got my eye on the Ascent Card, which also isn't high up in the Battle Pass, but I'm torn between two sprays. The Lethal Crosshair and animated Lightsout sprays. I'm a sucker for grunge, and the spray paint effect these two have are right up my alley.

As far as Battle Passes go, Riot Games seem to have stuck to the rules, strictly cosmetic, low price, and two price points. However, its content is a little light in comparison to other shooters out there. For example, Apex Legend's first Battle Pass offered players over 120  rewards. However, VALORANT still deserves praise for its offering, considering its cosmetics do look genuinely good.

Those looking to pay extra to earn some of the rewards fright from the start will be disappointed because VALORANT offers nothing like that. All Premium Battle Pass owners will need to grind just like all the players on the free-to-play side if they want to earn all the rewards on offer.

In my opinion, it's a little on the light side but still worth a purchase. After all, years from now, you could be ingame using Episode 1's cosmetics to brag about how big a fan you are.