Smokes: when and why

A smoke creates a cloud that blocks vision in one spot for a while. It does not block bullets, it does not block sound and it does not stop anyone walking through: it only stops people seeing through it. It is the most important ability in the game for a simple reason: in VALORANT you almost always die to a shot from a spot you could not cover, and a smoke takes those spots away from the enemy.

Smokes are mostly the controller's job, but other agents also have abilities that block vision. In every case the same rule applies: knowing a map's smokes is not the same as knowing how to play controller. Knowing where a smoke goes is something you learn in an afternoon; knowing when to throw it, why and for whom is what separates the player who holds a team together from the one who fills the map with clouds.

In this chapter we look at the six questions experienced controllers ask before every smoke, then attack, defense, retake and mid smokes, and finally how to manage your charges.