Players have been excited to get their hands on new Valorant agent Iso ever since the character was announced, but now that he’s live, some of those players are having real trouble with the new agent’s ult.
The ultimate ability separates the Chinese agent from others in the game, forcing a deadly duel with an opposing player. But that’s not always going to be a good thing, as players are finding out now that they’re able to use it for themselves.
How to use Iso’s ultimate ability
Iso’s ultimate ability works by, as the agent’s name hints, isolating an enemy agent in a private arena and initiating a battle between the two players. Current armaments are carried over, so if you’re able to pick out someone with an OP, they’ll still have that OP when they arrive in the duel arena with you. The same goes for other Valorant weapons.
This might seem like a strange ultimate ability, but it’s really pretty simple. It’s not much different from an aim training arena, a popular feature of tactical shooters including Valorant and rival game Counter-Strike 2.
The issue for some players is that not everyone in Valorant actually wants to put their aiming skills to the test against their opponent. If an enemy player has sharper aim than you, you’re actually putting yourself at a potential disadvantage by using Iso’s ult to begin with. This creates real risk for the new agent.
Is Iso’s ult bad in Valorant?
Iso’s ult isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not a good choice for players who lack confidence in their aim, and even the most confident players can find themselves in poor positions after triggering the ability.
If, for example, a player is in a 1v2 situation and decides to split and isolate the two enemy players by using an Iso ult, that player then has to be wary about their other opponent after the ult ends. That remaining opponent can seek out Iso’s last known position before the ultimate was triggered, and even if Iso wins the ensuing arena battle, the remaining enemy will be ably to ambush them when they reappear.
It means that an ultimate ability that seems simple on its surface can actually be tricky to use in-game. It requires both confidence in one’s ability to defeat an opposing player in a duel, and safety in positioning so that enemy players aren’t able to simply wait for the Iso to reappear after the ultimate’s effects conclude.
So while the Iso ult in Valorant isn’t exactly a bad ability, it’s not good for every player or for every situation. And there may be times when using it is indeed a bad choice.
