Valorant KAY/O Agent Guide | Abilities and How to play

Written by

Anthony

| Contributions from

Szymon

Here is the ultimate KAY/O guide!

Updated on Mar 05, 2024

Fact checked by Anthony Clement |

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Valorant KAY/O Agent Guide | Abilities and How to play

Everything you need to know about KAY/O

KAY/O loves to initiate for his team. If you can get a couple of aggressive agents (preferably Duelists) on your team and you throw a few ZERO/POINT (E) knives into the mixer, they will follow up and grab a bunch of kills.

Is KAY/O right for you?

KAY/O loves setting up kills with his suppression and blinding abilities in his kit, so whilst you might not get every kill under the sun, you sure will get a lot of assists. KAY/O’s initiation can be used from a very safe distance if needed, so if you don’t always like to play on the front line, then KAY/O is for you!

KAY/O’s abilities

FRAG/MENT (C)

How to use FRAG/MENT (C)

FRAG/MENT (C) has KAY/O throw a grenade which explodes multiple times upon hitting a surface. It can also stick to walls. The damage ranges from 25-60 each tick based on how close the detonation is to the enemy agent.

KAY/O has one charge of FRAG/MENT (C) per round- costing 200 credits. The explosions detonate over four seconds, with there being a tick a second.

When and where to use FRAG/MENT (C)

FRAG/MENT (C) is very good at forcing enemy agents out of tight angles that they are holding. Learn KAY/O’s lineups on every map and you will definitely be able to get a stronger push onto sites.

The grenade is also very good at preventing pushes when defending. If KAY/O is outnumbered, throw FRAG/MENT (C) into a chokepoint that enemies are pushing through to halt their push for 4 seconds!

FLASH/DRIVE (Q)

How to use FLASH/DRIVE (Q)

FLASH/DRIVE (Q) is KAY/O’s flashbang ability. Fire (left click) to throw the ability which will explode after 1.6 seconds. If you use alternate fire (right click), it will be tossed just in front of you and will explode after 1 second.

The flash lasts for 2 seconds regardless and KAY/O can have two charges of the 250 credit ability.

When and where to use FLASH/DRIVE (Q)

Once again, lineups are pivotal with this ability, meaning if you can figure out what walls and surfaces you can throw FLASH/DRIVE (Q) against and over, you will be able to blind enemies, swing them and grab easy kills!

We recommend using this as a close range initiation tool, as the 1 second detonation time on right click throwing means that enemies have a lot shorter of a time to react!

ZERO/POINT (E)

How to use ZERO/POINT (E)

ZERO/POINT (E) is KAY/O’s signature ability, and is the bread and butter of his kit. KAY/O throws a knife which sticks to any surface it hits. After 1 second the knife starts emitting suppression waves.

The ability is free due to the fact that it is KAY/O’s signature ability and has a 40 second cooldown. The suppression lasts for 8 seconds- but the knife can be shot down!

When and where to use ZERO/POINT (E)

ZERO/POINT (E) is the best initiation tool in KAY/O’s kit, and because it does not explode until it hits a surface, KAY/O can throw this from a long way away. This means he can safely initiate for his team without being at risk- unlike other Initiators.

We suggest learning a couple of key lineups for each map- which can be found in our guides linked below- detailing all of the key lineups for KAY/O on each map:

NULL/CMD (X)

How to use NULL/CMD (X)

NULL/CMD (X) has KAY/O radiate with energy waves that suppress enemies in a large area- centralised on wherever he is. The suppression lasts for 4 seconds when hit by a wave, and waves are emitted for 12 seconds.

KAY/O can also be revived when knocked down- similar to in a battle royale- if his hp is depleted when his ultimate ability is active. When downed, allies have 15 seconds to revive him, but he has 850 hp, so can become a massive meat shield distraction!

He also gets a 15% buff to his fire rate and reload speed, with 10% for his Recovery speed too. NULL/CMD (X) costs 7 ultimate points.

When and where to use NULL/CMD (X)

We recommend using NULL/CMD (X) to force enemies off of a spike site when defending, or to back off when attacking. This is because you can get rid of any risk of enemy aggression with the suppression from KAY/O’s ultimate ability meaning the enemy team won’t have access to their abilities!

Make sure to communicate with your allies and teammates as you do not want someone to risk reviving you if you are out in the open! Enemies will often try and shoot you when downed, meaning you can be a great distraction for your team too.

Best and worst team compositions for KAY/O

The best team compositions for KAY/O

Although KAY/O is a very versatile agent and can work in most team compositions, we recommend partnering KAY/O with agents who can follow up on his initiation.The best KAY/O team composition goes as follows:

KAY/O as an Initiator works well with Jett and Reyna as the Duelists, because they can follow up on the initiation from his suppressions and blinds- With Omen able to do a similar job, as well as nearsighting enemies. As a Controller, Omen can also smoke off key areas of spike sites, allowing KAY/O to throw his ZERO/POINT (E) into the smoke, making it harder to destroy!

Chamber as the chosen Sentinel for the team still has the aggression of a Duelist, meaning that he can also follow up on KAY/O initiations- even if he has to keep an eye on the flank!

The worst team compositions for KAY/O

The worst team composition for KAY/O is filled with agents who want to play slow and methodically. It goes like this:

Skye is another Initiator who enjoys staying back and letting other agents go in first and kill enemies she has intiated on so two of these types of agents will overlap. Sova also prefers to gather intel before going in, rather than just initiating and charging in. Cypher prefers to play slow- similarly to Sova and Raze has no vision prohibiting abilities to help the team- even though she is very aggressive.

The Best and worst maps for KAY/O

The best map for KAY/O

The best map to pick KAY/O on is Split. This is because of all the tight angles and high walls and surfaces that KAY/O can throw his ZERO/POINT (E) against. If an enemy has to look up and move their crosshair to shoot the knife, it means they have a much harder time killing your team when you engage!

The tight angles are key for FRAG/MENT (C) as a lot of enemies will camp in them- such as at the back of B site- where KAY/O can throw the grenade and force them out. This is a similar case with FLASH/DRIVE (Q) as he can easily blind enemies without giving them time to react!

The worst map for KAY/O

Breeze is the worst map for KAY/O. Not because he massively struggles on it, but because it is a wider and more open map, KAY/O players have to properly learn lineups to be really effective.

Newer and less experienced KAY/O players will often just throw their ZERO/POINT (E) and hope it hits an enemy, but with quite large spike sites and a very open mid area, more often than not they won’t hit all the enemies lurking in these areas. This is why learning the lineups is key on Breeze and if players aren’t willing to do this, then Breeze will be awful for them to play KAY/O on.

Best and worst guns for KAY/O

The best guns to use when playing KAY/O

The best guns for KAY/O are guns that allow him to play aggressive. After all, if you had an ability which could get you revived after dying- wouldn’t you! The best KAY/O guns go as follows:

The Vandal and the Phantom are very similar and use whatever you think is better between the Vandal and the Phantom- but we would edge towards the Phantom due to it being better up close. The Spectre does a similar job to the Phantom, KAY/O can swing corners and kill suppressed and blinded enemies easily.

The Guardian is an aggressive long range weapon, the reason it makes the list is because KAY/O can often have long range lineups, so having a close range weapon can often be a problem. The Guardian has a one shot potential that he can use on enemies he forces out of angles- This is a very similar case with the Ghost and its damage and range.

The worst guns to use when playing KAY/O

KAY/O does not want to use weapons that will take longer than two seconds to kill an enemy. This is because his FLASH/DRIVE (Q) blind lasts for that long. The worst KAY/O guns go like this:

The Marshal isn’t effective on KAY/O due to him usually initiating then being in the second wave to push a site, hanging back isn’t always on the cards. The Bulldog has KAY/O stuck in the middle of playing up close and far away, something he doesn’t want to do. The Spectre is a much better purchase. The Stinger, although an SMG like the Spectre, does not have the capacity to help KAY/O push or defend a site.

The Classic should never be used- KAY/O can buy a Ghost and a FRAG/MENT (C) charge and still have 100 credits left over.

Defending Tips for KAY/O

Throw your ZERO/POINT (E) when you think enemies are pushing your site. This will help you find out how many are pushing and it will also slow down the enemy push as they will want their abilities!
Save your NULL/CMD (X) for site retakes! If you can force enemies off of site when they have planted, you and your team can get an easy retake whilst suppressing the enemy team!

Attacking Tips for KAY/O

Learn lineups! Whether it be a FRAG/MENT (C) to force enemies out of tight corners that you cannot otherwise peek, or a ZERO/POINT (E) to see how many enemy agents are holding a site and where- you need to know them!
Throw ZERO/POINT (E) knives onto rooftops! This will make them impossible to destroy and it will still suppress any enemies who get within the range!

There you go, the last KAY/O guide you will ever need to read! Let us know if you are hitting those lineups and are becoming a KAY/O main!