Riot Games' Valorant against CS: GO has many similarities in gameplay, one such being the bomb with the spike. The attacking team's objective is to plant the spike, while the defending team has to defuse it.
How Long is the Valorant Spike Timer?
Once the spike has been planted, it takes 45 seconds to blow up. As for the attackers, it takes precisely 4 seconds for the spike planting to be done by the attacker carrying the spike. And it will take 7 seconds for a full defuse of the spike, meaning a half defuse would take up 3.5 seconds. Knowing these timings with the phases we'll check below can help you to calculate an overall estimation you can practice to defuse the spike.
With 7 seconds to defuse the spike and 45 seconds until the detonation of the spike, you need to start defusing the spike after 38 seconds of its initial planting. This puts us at the beginning of the third phase of the spike's beepings.
Knowing the spike's phases thoroughly is important so you can fully defuse it. So underneath you'll see all the spike's phases which will help you completely defuse the spike to win and climb up to Radiant!
Valorant Spike Phases
The spike in Valorant has multiple phases that show its progress with beeps in time intervals until it blows up. These phases are crucial to know when you can progress onto the site as well as know when you should defuse. So let's check out all the spike phases in Valorant:
Spike First Phase: Slow Beeps
The first phase of Valorant's spike starts once the attacker starts and plants the spike. The spike looks normal and slow continuous beeps appear showing the spike is in its beginning stage of blowing up.
Spike Second Phase: Halfway
Once around 25 seconds pass, the spike's beeps will become a bit faster entering its second phase. Here the spike will have a small circle within it and the time before the spike explodes comes faster.
Spike Third Phase: Defuse Now
After 35 seconds, a third phase will start and the spike will beep faster. This is where the spike will become more unstable and it's the phase where you must absolutely defuse the spike.
Spike Fourth Phase: Run
When the beeps climb up to an even faster pace, the spike enters its fourth phase and its explosion is imminent. The ground will start becoming fast, and you'll want to start running for your life to save that beautiful Phantom skin!
Keeping track of all these phases is essential to know when to enter the site with your Vandal or Phantom and defuse the spike. Practicing to hear and feel this timer in your bones will do you wonders. Wonders such as knowing when a circle will appear around the spike which will tell you exactly if you have time to defuse which we'll see below.
How to Tell if You Have Time to Defuse Spike Valorant?
Getting the spike beeping phases and timings from above requires practice for you to get the feeling of it. But the next trick will let you know exactly if you have enough time to defuse the spike. And it all has to do with Riot Games' creation of the spike's visual design.
As we previously saw, you must start defusing the spike at the third set of beeps. For this trick, you need to follow one thing about the spike, and that's a circle surrounding the spike at the 38-second mark. This circle will appear and enclose around the spike, and all you have to do is see if it appears. This is because once that circle appears, you can't defuse the spike afterward. This sphere of the spike is a bit hard to notice, but you can see it below:
This trick is really important because of the economy to help you out save your gun so you won't have to buy another sick Vandal and waste your money the next round. If you begin defusing the spike and see the spiral start enclosing it, then rest assured you'll defuse the bomb. But if you notice the spiral before you begin defusing the bomb, then run away and save your gun.
This trick alongside the timings above is essential to know when to defuse the spike. But another rare factor we missed out on is the half-defuse of the spike. Basically, if the spike's at the halfway mark, you'll have a bit more time to utilize the spike tips and tricks we saw above.
To be precise, you'll have 3.5 seconds more than you would've if someone was already defusing half the spike. So use this to your advantage to trick the attackers who did plant the spike into thinking they have more time.
And that's everything you need to know for when you have time to defuse the spike in Valorant! Riot Games were precise with these timers, and we have to make use of them to their full extent. Even though for half the game you'll be on the attackers' team to plant the spike. That's why you should also learn some lineups for most agents, which you can find on our TheGlobalGaming YouTube channel!