Unfortunately, as much as Astra is a controller, her playstyle is completely unique from others and it’ll take a while for complete beginners, as well as seasoned veterans, to get used to how to play her. Playing as Astra requires you to take a tactical and forward-thinking approach to the game, which is much easier said than done. Luckily, you have us to help you out. Scroll down below to read through our Valorant Astra guide and find out more about how you can play this Agent to its full potential.
What Are Astra’s Abilities in Valorant?
Astra’s kit is quite confusing at first glance. Because she’s a Controller, you can expect her to play differently from the other Agents in Valorant. However, Astra stands out even further. Her entire kit, for example, is focused entirely on trapping enemies or slowing them down, or setting them up for the perfect kill. In total, Astra has 3 basic abilities: Gravity Well (C), Nova Pulse (Q), and Nebula / Dissipate (E), with a Signature Ability in Astral Form (X) and an Ultimate Ability known as Cosmic Divide (X). Now, as you can see, it looks like Astra has six different abilities. However, as we’ll explain to you below, this isn’t necessarily the case. As we’ll briefly try to explain to you how Astra works right now, you use her Astral Form to bring up a space-themed view of the map. This is where you plot out where your stars will go. If you put a star by mistake, you can use Dissipate to remove the star for you. Basically, all of Astra’s abilities tie-up with each other and aren’t necessarily different abilities that work independently.
How to Play Astra Effectively in Valorant
Astra is the ultimate utility Agent in Valorant. Her place on the battlefield is where the action is supposed to be but not currently where it’s at, where she’ll use her abilities like Gravity Well to cut off chokepoints and important routes like A Tower and Mid Window on Haven so that you and your allies to take them out one by one. Naturally though, it’s her Ultimate Ability, Cosmic Divide, that really sets her apart as a utility Agent in Valorant. You see, what it does is that it basically slices off a section of any map you’re playing in. So, on your side, no bullets can get in and the sounds are muffled, so if enemies decide to go inside this bubble, their allies won’t be able to hear them firing shots at you. This is a very useful defensive tool for when you and your allies are planting or defusing or when you simply want to lay a trap. Of course, Astra isn’t a perfect Agent. She has her own set of disadvantages. Her bigger disadvantage, perhaps, is that she leans a bit too much towards being a utility Agent. She’s not for those who prefer to deal heavy damage. She’s for those who like to plant traps, think forward, and wait patiently as their allies reap all of the rewards of their efforts. Her Astral Form also leaves her a sitting duck, so you’ll want to make sure that you and your teammates know what you’re doing so they can either defend you or find a safe spot where you can use it without the risk of dying.
A Complicated Agent For the Tactically-Inclined
Trying to play Astra like a normal Agent or any other Controller won’t do you any good. It’ll be like trying to fit a square hole in a round peg. However, if you prefer your Agent to be in the backlines as you let others do the dirty work for you, then feel free to play her. Just remember that she’s not built to kill. Her kit isn’t for one-shots. It’s for letting others do it for you, as we’ve already mentioned. So, if you’re looking for something new and different, we recommend giving Astra a try. We can’t say for sure just yet if she’s going to be an integral part of competitive team compositions, but she does have the makings of a potential game-changer in the right hands.
