Valorant Killjoy Agent Guide | Abilities and How to play

Added to Valorant in the Summer of 2020, Sentinel Killjoy revolves around her bots and abilities controlling the map and forcing the enemies to make rash decisions. She can provide valuable information for her team on the enemies’ plans and whereabouts as well as hold down a spike site single handedly if she sets up properly.

She loves to slow down enemy pushes and negate enemies forcing their way onto spike sites, especially with her Nanoswarm (C) and Alarmbot (Q). Her ultimate ability, Lockdown (X) can force enemies off of a site after they have planted so her team can safely diffuse or can force enemies off of a site whilst her team plants.

Killjoy loves to avoid fighting directly and instead being a thorn in the side of the enemies.

Is Killjoy right for you?

If you enjoy playing Valorant strategically, gathering information and finding out what the enemies are up to, then Killjoy is for you.

Being able to control what enemies do from a safe distance is what Killjoy excels at, with enemies forced to destroy her Alarmbots (Q) and Turrets (E), Killjoy can peek angles and kill the enemy agents whilst they are distracted.

Killjoy is not your 1v5 agent, but she is a very tactical agent that can win you most fights- if you play them properly. Forcing enemies to wait to push or rotate gives your team time to rotate themselves or flank the enemy if needed- especially as you are forcing them to play into territory they probably do not control.

Killjoy’s abilities

How to use Nanoswarm (C)

Nanoswarm (C) is Killjoy’s molly grenade ability, doing area of effect damage to anyone who walks in it. There is minimal immediate damage from Nanoswarm (C) but overtime (3 seconds) it will kill any enemy who stays in it. It can be placed and gets activated like a trap when enemies go near it.

Nanoswarm (C) costs 200 credits each and can have two charges, so multiple areas can be wardened off.

When and where to use Nanoswarm (C)

Nanoswarm (C) is best used to stop a spike plant or defuse. If there is a common place that the enemy team keep constantly planting the spike, put a Nanoswarm bot there!

Similarly, once you have planted the spike when attacking, place a Nanoswarm bot on top of it, so that enemies have to wait to defuse it- Those extra 3 seconds they have to wait could be the difference between winning and losing a round!

Make sure if you are placing the Nanoswarm bots in entryways and chokepoints, place them in different areas so the enemies aren’t expecting them in the same place each time!

Alarmbot (Q)

How to use Alarmbot (Q)

Killjoy places a small bot which tells Killjoy when it has been activated by an enemy. It follows the enemy who triggered the Alarmbot (Q) and applies the Vulnerable debuff to any enemies close to them after exploding.

Alarmbot (Q) makes enemies Vulnerable for 4 seconds and has a 20 second recharge after being recalled by Killjoy. It also costs 200 credits and although it only has one charge, it can be recalled and replaced.

When and where to use Alarmbot (Q)

Use Alarmbot (Q) to hold angles that you do not need to prioritise watching, such as when guarding a spike site after planting the spike. We suggest using Alarmbot (Q) in conjunction with Nanoswarm (C) or Turret (E) as the vulnerable debuff means enemies take double damage from all sources.

Place Alarmbot (Q) at different angles and positions on entryways and chokepoints so the enemies are always looking for it and distracted- meaning your team can kill them all!

Turret (E)

How to use Turret (E)

Killjoy places a turret which can rotate in a cone of 180 degrees. The Turret (E) does not do much damage and does less the further away it is from the enemy who has triggered it but that is not the point.

The point of Turret (E) is to spot out and distract enemies, so Killjoy and her team can kill them after being made aware of their location by Turret (E).

Turret (E) is Killjoy’s signature ability and is therefore free and has 125 health. If the Turret (E) gets destroyed, Killjoy has to wait 45 seconds before placing another one- in contrast to the 20 seconds she has to wait if she recalls her Turret (E).

When and where to use Turret (E)

Using Turret (E) differs depending on if Killjoy is on attack or defence. On attack, Turret (E) is ideal for watching your flank just in case the enemy team has a flanking agent such as Omen or Yoru.

On defence is where Turret (E) is best utilised however, as it can be used to safely watch an angle and find out information about the enemies- without giving away information about yourself.

Turret (E) slows any enemies it hits, so if you watch the same angle as Turret (E), you can kill enemies whilst they are slowed and potentially Vulnerable if used alongside Killjoy’s Alarmbot (Q).

Lockdown (X)

How to use Lockdown (X)

Killjoy places a device on the ground which creates a giant dome expanding from the centre of the Lockdown (X) and after 13 seconds, any enemy still in the dome is detained for 8 seconds. The only thing they can do is move- which is drastically slowed.

The device can be destroyed, but takes a significant amount of fire, as it has 150 health. It also costs 7 ultimate points.

When and where to use Lockdown (X)

Lockdown (X) is very good at clearing out enemies from positions they are hiding, either pushing onto site or defending one.

If you are attacking, Lockdown (X) is good for clearing defending enemies out and giving your team enough time to plant and set up to defend the site.

If defending, it can prevent an enemy plant and push, especially if they are already on site, they have to retreat or almost guarantee their deaths!

Make sure to place the Lockdown (X) somewhere safe and not out in the open as it can be destroyed by enemies and is rendered useless.

Best and worst team compositions for Killjoy

The best team compositions for Killjoy

The best team composition for Killjoy is one that doesn’t rely on her to be offensive, but can also set up and play patiently when defending. It could go like this:

• Killjoy
• Brimstone
• Phoenix
• Reyna
• Cypher

The reason this works is because the two Duelists in Phoenix and Reyna have enough self sustain and utility to push and defend sites and can help Killjoy peek enemies that her Turret (E) has spotted. Brimstone as the Controller provides three smokes with his Sky Smoke (E), meaning enemies will not necessarily see Killjoy’s bots immediately.

The addition of an extra Sentinel in Cypher means that Killjoy can lockdown one site when defending and Cypher the other (unless you are on Haven). Both Sentinels can gain information about what site the enemies are pushing and relay that to their team immediately to give their team the upper hand.

The worst team compositions for Killjoy

The worst team composition if you were to pick Killjoy would be one in which there is minimal self sustain and damage, with no back up for retaking spike sites. This is an example of that:

• Killjoy
• Yoru
• Neon
• Sova
• KAY/O

This is a bad team composition for Killjoy as Yoru and Neon both want to play aggressively, whereas Killjoy likes to play slow and wait for the enemies to push to her, Sova does the same job as Killjoy does- information gathering and KAY/O and Killjoy have very similar ultimates that can often be overlapped and wasted.

The Best and worst maps for Killjoy

Killjoy loves to play on maps that have tight spaces and small chokepoints as her Turret (E) does more damage the closer it is to opponents. On the flip side, large open spaces with very few blind spots are what Killjoy struggles with the most.

The best map for Killjoy

Ascent is probably the best map for Killjoy, even though Courtyard is very open. This doesn’t matter much for Killjoy as she will always be setting up on a spike site when defending- which are both very small and compact on Ascent- meaning she spends very little time in the centre of the map.

Killjoy can place bots and Turrets (E) at different heights and in small, tight corners in a multitude of places on both A and B spike sites, meaning she can switch up her positioning so the enemy don’t get used to her placements and expect her bots!

The worst map for Killjoy

The worst map for Killjoy is Split. This is not because Killjoy is necessarily bad on Split- but instead because other Sentinels, such as Cypher are far better on Split.

The height differences in gunfights sometimes mean that you cannot guarantee an Alarmbot (Q) and Nanoswarm (C) will always be effective every round, meaning you may not gather as much intel and information as a Cypher would consistently.

Lockdown (X) is very good if placed in small closed off spaces such as Garage, but in most other places near the spike sites, it is very easy to locate where Killjoy has put it.

Best and worst guns for Killjoy

The best guns to use when playing Killjoy

Killjoy wants to shoot down enemies who are attacked or who activate her bots and Turrets (E) so you want to go for weapons that can help burst down enemies. You do not want to buy weapons that have slow time to kill and do not have one shot potential.

The best guns to use when playing Killjoy

The best guns to buy and use when playing Killjoy are as follows:

• Vandal/Phantom
• Spectre
• Ghost
• Ares/Odin

Killjoy wants to be able to have reliable burst fire on her enemies who- if played right- will have the Vulnerable debuff on them from Killjoy’s Alarmbot (Q), meaning she will kill them much faster. The Vandal and Phantom comes down to personal preference, but we recommend if you are going to get closer, use the Phantom in tight spaces.

The Spectre does the same thing as a Phantom up close but for cheaper, so if you are playing really aggressive, you can sit in an off-angle and surprise Vulnerable enemies and net yourself a couple of kills.

The Ghost is ideal for pistol rounds for Killjoy as on pistol rounds she wants to sit back and let her Duelists tank the engage and protect the site.

The Ares and Odin do the same thing as the Spectre and Phantom, allowing Vulnerable enemies to be bursted down much faster.

The worst guns to use when playing Killjoy

The worst guns to use when playing Killjoy are listed below:

• Marshal
• Sheriff
• Stinger
• Bucky

The Marshal requires Killjoy to peek and repeek an angle multiple times to get a kill, which is the opposite of how a Killjoy would like to play, as she wants to burst an enemy down immediately. The Sheriff is a very similar case to the Marshal as it has a slow fire rate and more often than not, one shot won’t net Killjoy a kill.

The Stinger and the Bucky struggle to get Killjoy a kill if she is sitting too far back, with their more expensive counterparts being viable due to the increase in damage they both provide Killjoy.

Defending Tips for Killjoy

• Playing Killjoy on defence is all about playing around your bots, turrets and abilities in general. Your abilities will trigger and become your cue to engage and fight enemies, especially as they should be distracted.
• Try and stay alive until later on in the round- especially if you have your ultimate Lockdown (X). This is because you can force enemies off of a spike site that they have planted on and safely defuse.
• Pick up your abilities before you rotate. Killjoy can quickly set up after rotating to another site- but only if you have your bots and turrets to set up with!

Attacking Tips for Killjoy

• Play protection! Once you have shown the enemies what site you are pushing, watch out for the rotating flanker from the other site. It is your job to hold them up and potentially kill them as you have little to do when pushing onto the site yourself!
• Stay alive until the bomb is planted. This is so you can set up your abilities and make it impossible for the defending team to retake the spike site and defuse. If you die, your Turret (E) and Alarmbot (Q) stop working- so play safe!
• Use your Lockdown (X) to force enemies away. Whether it is pushing onto a spike site or defending a planted spike, your Lockdown (X) will force enemies to wait a second, move back and allow your team to regain control of the area!

There you have it, the ultimate Killjoy guide! Is the German engineer the agent for you? Will she be your new main or do you just want to know what she does, let us know!