Valorant Viper Guide - Strategy & Pro Tips & Tricks (2023)

Hey everyone! Today I’m going to talk about Valorant’s Viper. Viper is one of the more interesting agents due to her fuel management mechanic that no other agent has.

A good Viper is extremely useful and can hold a spot or plant for infinite time if she manages to efficiently work with her fuel, or push the plant by herself. Today I’m going to teach you how to play Viper like a professional Valorant boosting squad member.

Without further ado, let’s dig into her abilities.

Viper Abilities

I am going to cover all of her abilities and explain how they work, while providing some tips regarding each.

Fuel Mechanic

Viper has a unique mechanic called fuel. You start the game with 100 fuel and using your abilities will consume your fuel, when no fuel consuming abilities are active, the fuel regenerates. Therefore, fuel management is an important part of Viper’s playstyle. You can have both cloud and screen active since it won't spend double fuel when you do that, unlike before.

It takes 20 seconds to replenish fuel to 100 after you burn it.

Toxin Mechanic

Enemies that go through Viper's Poison Cloud, Toxic Screen, or Viper's Pit are instantly infected with decay. Their level of decay goes up the longer they stay in contact with it. They lose 30 HP on initial contact and then 10 HP per second for as long as they're in Viper's abilities. It takes 1.5 seconds to regain the HP once they exit.

Poison Cloud (Q)

Viper’s poison cloud is a classic “grenade” like object that you throw in an arc and it bounces off walls until it hits the ground, at that point you can activate it or deactivate it in order to move away or manage fuel. Poison cloud can be purchased and has one charge.

When it’s active it burns 5 fuel points per second. When deactivated, it’s put on a short cooldown before it can be activated again. When it’s deactivated, you can also approach it and pick it up to throw it somewhere else later. The cooldown to activate the poison cloud is the shortest, to deactivate a bit longer, and when you pick it up from the floor it’s the longest.

Enemies and allies’ health will decay by 30 health momentarily when they enter the cloud, and then resume every second until they reach 1 HP. What this means is that their shield and health will start dropping towards 1 (not zero as it’s not lethal) and will start to regenerate once again when they’re out of the cloud. This effect does not affect you or your allies.

Poison Cloud Tips

1. The best places to throw smoke at are havens (the higher areas and windows) in order to push, and tight corridors on the plant site when defending.

2. Use the ability to zone enemies and control the map, forcing them to move to areas that are more advantageous for your team.

3. Place it at doorways or chokepoints to slow enemy rotations.

4. Aim the cloud at angles that are not easily seen or anticipated by enemies.

5. Utilize the Poison Cloud's slow effect to set up and execute flanks.

6. Use it to disrupt enemy utility, such as flashbangs or smokes.

7. Combine the Poison Cloud with wall breaches to catch enemies off guard.

8. Time the duration of the cloud to impact the enemy team during key moments, such as plant/defuse or push.

Toxin Screen (E)

Toxin Screen is an ability that allows Viper to lay down a toxin wall in order to cover an area just like Poison Cloud. It’s length depends on the size of the map, the bigger the map, the longer the wall will be! The screen also deals decay damage just like the Poison Cloud.

You can pick it up and re-use it just like Poison Cloud, and also activate and deactivate it, where the cooldown after activation is short, and deactivation a little longer. This ability is not purchasable, you have it for free, one charge of course.

Toxin Screen Tips

1. Before dropping it, you can check the indicator on the minimap to see the exact range and what it will cover. Note that the screen will cut through walls, be positioned on top of the boxes, roofs, etc. So it may not go in a straight line as you imagined and if placed improperly even allow enemies to peek through it.

2. Place the Toxin Screen at key entry points to protect yourself and your team.

3. Use it to control the pace of the game by slowing down enemy pushes.

4. Experiment with different angles and heights to maximize coverage.

5. Place it in front of objectives to prevent enemy plants or defuses.

6. Coordinate with your team to split the enemy's attention and create crossfire opportunities.

Snake Bite (C)

After a short delay, Viper can shoot a small projectile that explodes into a little pond of toxins, essentially being a molly, damages anyone that walks over it, including Viper. It also applies Vulnerable debuff making the agent receive twice as much damage from all sources. The range is mid-range, pretty sufficient to shoot it wherever you need it.

You can buy it for 200 credits and hold 2 charges. Not to be confused with Decay, this damage is permanent just like most other abilities in the game. It is best used on tight corridors, doors, and passages, whether you’re defending, pushing, or denying a defuse.

Viper’s Pit (X)

Viper’s ult is a huge cloud that denies vision and hurts people with the Decay mechanic. It’s a little device that you shoot in a close range, when it lands, it starts spreading like a toxic cloud.

Enemies that enter are therefore damaged by decay, and have less vision of Viper than she has of them because they are now outlined with a red color making them an easier target.

The ultimate actually lasts until the end of the round as long as Viper is inside, Viper can exit the cloud temporarily (there’s a timer of 8 seconds that shows when the cloud will shut down if you don’t get back in) allowing her to make plays and strategy.

How to use Viper’s Pit

One of the most common usages is when the spike is planted, whether you’re defending or attacking, or deny rotations of the enemy team.

The best positioning is to stand as far away as possible from the point where you expect the enemy to enter, this is because they get decay damage while traveling through it, even if it shreds a little of their HP, it may be just enough for you to pick up the kill.

Another trick is to keep leaving and entering the smoke without allowing the 8 second timer to expire and therefore surprising the enemies for an easy kill.

How To Play Viper - Strategy

1. Map Awareness: Pay close attention to the minimap and call out enemy positions to your team. Utilize Viper's abilities to control key areas of the map and restrict enemy movement.

2. Ability Usage: Experiment with different ability timings and combinations to surprise enemies. Use Viper's abilities to create crossfire opportunities and force the enemy into disadvantageous situations. Communicate with your team to coordinate ability usage.

3. Fuel Management: Keep track of Viper's fuel gauge and manage its usage wisely. Try to conserve fuel for key moments in the game and use abilities at the right times.

4. Positioning: Position yourself in strategic locations to have the most impact on the game. Stay aware of your surroundings and adjust your positioning based on the situation.

5. Aim and Reaction Time: Practice your aim and reaction time to be able to react quickly and accurately in game situations.

6. Team Communication: Communicate effectively with your team to coordinate strategy and ability usage. Call out enemy positions and work together to create advantageous situations.

7. Map Knowledge: Study the maps and understand common player callouts and movement patterns. Know key areas of the map and position yourself accordingly.

8. Game Sense: Develop a strong game sense by observing player movements and predicting enemy positions. React accordingly and make quick decisions to gain an advantage.

Best Viper Maps

The best maps for Viper in Valorant can vary based on personal playstyle and strategy. However, some maps are generally considered good for Viper due to their layout and objective locations. Here are a few maps that are commonly considered good for Viper:

Bind: With its tight spaces and objective-focused layout, Bind is a map where Viper's abilities can be particularly effective in controlling key areas and restricting enemy movement.

Haven: Haven is a map with multiple paths to the objectives and large, open areas, making it a good map for Viper to use her abilities to control key areas and dictate the pace of the game.

Split: Split is a map with multiple paths to the objectives, making it a good map for Viper to use her abilities to restrict enemy movement and create crossfire opportunities.

Ascent: Ascent is a map with multiple paths to the objectives and large, open areas, making it a good map for Viper to use her abilities to control key areas and restrict enemy movement.

Best Viper Agent Synergy

1. Jett: Jett's speed and mobility can allow her to quickly reach and take advantage of openings created by Viper's abilities.

2. Phoenix: Phoenix's ability to set up and control fire can be used in conjunction with Viper's abilities to create crossfire opportunities and restrict enemy movement.

3. Sova: Sova's reconnaissance abilities can provide valuable information for Viper to use her abilities more effectively, and his powerful utility can complement Viper's control-oriented playstyle.

4. Breach: Breach's ability to create openings and disrupt enemy positions can work well with Viper's abilities to control areas and restrict enemy movement.

5. Brimstone: Brimstone's powerful utility and area control abilities can complement Viper's playstyle and help restrict enemy movement in key areas.

Summary

I hope you learned a lot from my Viper guide. Please remember that Viper is all about the mind games, you have a lot of vision denying abilities that also deal Decay damage, you want to use the fear of the enemy to your advantage.

Manage your fuel well and master where to place your cloud and screen, you will then become a master Viper in no time.

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