“Get that thing off the spike!”
Riot Games has confirmed the next agent joining Valorant is Gekko, an Initiator from Los Angeles who “leads a tight-knit crew of calamitous creatures.”
The announcement came during the final day of the Valorant Champions Tour 2023: Lock In tournament, proving this week’s leaks correct. The full list of Gekko’s abilities has also been revealed, with each ability corresponding to one of the creatures that the agent leads.
Dizzy (E) involves Gekko sending Dizzy in a direction. The creature then shoots plasma at enemies in sight, flashing them. Dizzy then becomes a globule you can interact with, allowing you to re-use the ability after a short cooldown.
Wingman (Q) works similarly, but instead of flashing the opponent it unleashes a concussive blast at the first enemy it sees. Interestingly, if targeting a spike site, Gekko can send Wingman to either plant or defuse the spike (he can only do the former if the spike is in his inventory) using the alternate firing option. Like Dizzy, Wingman becomes a globule that can be picked up for re-use.
Mosh Pit (C) is a grenade that duplicates itself across an area and then explodes.
Gekko’s ultimate Thrash (X) is a drone-type ability, allowing him to guide Thrash and remote detonate them, detaining enemies in the blast radius. Once again, Thrash becomes a globule that can be picked up. However, Thrash can only be re-used once per round.
Being from L.A, Gekko represents a city with a very diverse community. Speaking on creating an authentic representation of the city through Gekko, narrative writer Joe Killeen said Gekko is someone “whose upbringing has been shaped by the blending of two different worlds: the cultural heritage of their parents, and the influences of their hometown.”
Kileen said they narrowed their search down to East L.A, honing in on the Mexican-American community there. Then, they spoke to Riot’s relevant identity group and Riot Mexico before engaging in focus groups with the local community and first-gen citizens to bring Gekko to life.
While no official release date has been set for Gekko, Valorant Episode 6 Act 2 begins on March 7.
