How To Play Valorant Neon – Top Tips & Settings

eSportsGuides

9.7

Play

BettingTips

9.5

Play

BestBookies

9.8

Play

If you’re looking for a challenge in Valorant, Neon has you covered. The hero-based tactical FPS title developed by Riot Games was released 3 years ago and hasn’t stopped expanding ever since. Apart from offering great Esports betting advantages, the title’s growth in popularity can be attributed to its great character design.

Just like the League of Legends MMR system, Valorant also has a competitive ladder. And if you want to climb on it and become one of the best Valorant players, you will need to master at least one agent.

Neon Valorant Abilities

As a game, Valorant is different from most tactical FPS titles. And its uniqueness mainly comes from its roster of playable characters. Just like Overwatch 2 characters, they change how the game is played. These playable characters are called Valorant agents, and so far there are 23 of them. 

Each Valorant agent has a unique design, with signature abilities that slot him into one of the 4 main roles. To access them, you would need to unlock Valorant agents in several ways. Neon was the 19th Valorant agent to hit live servers, being released on patch 4.0 in January 2022. 

Since then, Valorant players have mastered using Neon’s abilities to climb the competitive Valorant ranks. Here’s an extensive in-depth guide on how to play Neon Valorant and maximize your RR gains.

Neon Skills Valorant

Neon is designed to be an entry fragger in the duelist Valorant role. And her abilities reflect that. The entire makeup of the character focuses on wreaking havoc and disrupting the defense. Starting with her passive ability which makes her highly mobile on the map. 

Valorant Neon Passive Ability- Energy

Neon Valorant passive ability is called Energy. Players can activate this feature by using Her E ability or her ultimate ability. Doing so would result in increasing Neon’s movement speed by running. But this feature is limited.

Above Neon’s HUD there is a bar that indicates how full your Energy is. If you use her E ability for 10 seconds straight, you will exhaust Neon and disable her passive. That number goes up to 20 seconds when using her ultimate ability.

It takes exactly 60 seconds to replenish this bar completely. But you could also just eliminate an enemy and this would give you 25 energy. That’s a quarter of the total amount. This is the main reason she can snowball a round and why you should learn how to play Neon Valorant.

How to use Valorant Neon Passive Ability

Knowing this, the best way to properly utilize Neon passive ability is to create pressure. Neon thrives on big maps for this exact reason. She can traverse the landscape with ease and most importantly, speed. 

On defense, Neon can use her passive ability to make quick rotations. This is crucial to defending the site and preventing the enemy from planting the spike. Which is their main objective as attackers. 

neon valorant rankedhttps://t.co/e3ynASnTpd pic.twitter.com/OET4rsnSNt

— temet (@temets) July 15, 2023

Even when that happens, the roles are now reversed. The attackers need to defend the spike from the defenders. Well, Neon’s quickness and explosive nature add to this chaos. As Neon on defense, your passive should be used to be everywhere at once. That means pushing and clearing Mid before rotating to one of the sites.

On offense as Neon, you and your passive ability are the tip of the spear. FPS titles are challenging as it is. There are so many precision and mind games that go on in each round. This becomes much harder when your threat is running at you at full speed.

By using Neon passive ability and the rest of her spells, Neon can easily break the first line of defense. Her goal is to cause chaos and distract the defenders, and this makes learning how to play Neon Valorant, so much fun.

Neon Wall Valorant – Fast Lane (C)

Neon’s first ability is called Fast Lane. By default, it’s bound to the C key. When used, Neon fires two energy lines forward on the ground. These extend to a certain distance or until they hit a surface. The lines rise into walls of static electricity that block vision.

Unlike Astra’s ultimate ability wall, bullets, abilities, and noise can pass through Neon’s wall. And unlike the single wall Phoenix can raise, Neon’s wall doesn’t do damage to allies. This makes it the perfect tool to obscure sight lines. But be careful, as it only lasts 6 seconds.

How to use Valorant Neon Wall

When playing Neon, you need to be very careful when using Neon’s wall. It’s one of the big things when learning how to play Neon Valorant. Not only does it cost 300 credits, but it’s also essential for your combo. It doesn’t matter how fast you are when 2 enemies can see and target you at the same time.

Neon’s wall is best used to obscure vision, something like smoke. But this smoke is instant, lasts way shorter, and creates unexpected angles. As we mentioned, on offense it’s best used to enter the site. Do a jump peek, put the wall down, ask for a flash on one side, and peek through it.

On the defensive side, the wall can be used both defensively and aggressively. You can use it to block off the entrance as the enemies are committing. Maybe to create a new angle and slip past them for a surprise attack. You could also push aggressively in the middle of the map using it, creating noise and confusion on which you can later capitalize. 

Neon Stun Valorant – Relay Bolt (Q)

Neon’s second ability is called Relay Bolt. By default, it’s bound to the Q key. When used, Neon INSTANTLY throws an energy bolt that must bounce one time from a surface in that direction. The next time the bolt comes in contact with another surface, it electrifies the ground below, creating a Concussive blast.

Enemies caught in the radius are stunned for 3 seconds, but the stun takes 1,1 seconds to materialize after the bolt hits the ground. So it’s not as reliable as a Breach stun, which lasts 3,5 seconds.Neon can hold up to 2 charges of this ability, with each costing 200 credits

How to use Valorant Neon Stun

This is where learning how to play Neon Valorant becomes hard. Part of mastering this skill is geometry, but part of it is knowing the surface you are hitting. However, there are preset Neon Stun lineups on Youtube for each map which you can learn.

These are most often used so the stun lands in a position that defenders love to hold. So you can use it to clear enclosed areas even if you don’t know precise lineups. This is because there isn’t much room the Relay bolt can bounce to.

The same goes on the defensive end, where you will have the upper hand. You already have an advantage with enemies coming to you and creating sound queues.  Try to use these indicators to stun the enemies they enter the site. You can follow that up with a wide swing and eliminate a concussed enemy before retrieving to safety.

Neon Dash Valorant – High Gear (E)

Neon’s third ability is called High Gear. By default, it’s bound to the E key. When used, Neon channels Energy from her passive ability to increase her movement speed. As long as the bar has energy or until E is pressed again, Neon will continue to do this. 

Pressing the right mouse click will trigger an electric slide during which Neon has accuracy as if she’s not moving. This slide recharges with every 2 kills, similar to Jett dash. As we already mentioned, Neon can use up her entire Energy bar to run a maximum of 10 seconds with High Gear. Once you master how to play Neon Valorant properly, this becomes much easier.

How to use Valorant Neon Dash 

As you have already noticed, Neon is best utilized when on the move. So you should definitely avoid sitting in one spot for a longer period. Always make sure to be first on the scene and seek out engagements using her High Gear.

As for her Slide, it’s best used offensively. Which is understandable for a Duelist Valorant agent. Neon can use her wall to obstruct vision and use her stun to force the enemies to reposition. During that chaos, breaking out of the wall with an electric slide is often enough to break the defense. When this much pressure is being put without taking into account the abilities of her teammates, defending against Neon is not an easy task.

With everyone playing a tactical FPS being told to aim for head height, Neon’s slide causes a lot of frustration. It can be used creatively to win duels, to get out of danger, to break the defense, and in so many ways.

Valorant Neon Ultimate Ability – Overdrive (X)

Neon’s ultimate ability is called Overdrive. By default, it’s bound to the X key. When used, Neon tips the odds in her favor, becoming empowered. For the next 20 seconds, Neon has increased movement speed and fires a deadly lighting beam from her fingers

Pressing the left mouse click will fire the laser with high movement accuracy. During this 20-second period, Neon can use all of her abilities. This ultimate ability costs 7 Ultimate points and the laser has falloff damage. Meaning it does less damage the further away you are. But it still does 54-33 damage per tick with headshots. Those numbers go down to 18-10 for body shots and 15-8 for leg shots.

How to use Valorant Neon Ultimate Ability 

Neon has one of the most powerful ultimate abilities of any Valorant agent. Weapon ultimates like Jett’s Knives and Neon’s Overdrive are especially strong. They might not provide a lot of utility, but they are still valuable. Especially on save rounds, when you can use them to eliminate targets and get a strong weapon.

This can turn the tide of the game, depending on how proficient you are with the ultimate ability. By using it, you become a very powerful and mobile target. And although your entire kit is forcing you to dive head first into the opposition, you should be more patient with your ultimate. 

Sure if you have good teammates, you can coordinate to go for a play. Mastering the usage of Overdrive is important if you want to know how to play Neon Valorant properly. 

How To Play Neon Valorant

Best Maps For Neon Valorant

As you’ve already noticed, Neon is best utilized to take up space. This means that she thrives on big and spacious maps. If there is enough terrain to traverse, Neon will get there before anyone else.

• Fracture- Fracture is Neon’s best map for a multitude of reasons. Of course, it’s a big and spacious map. But it also has tight and compact entrances to the sites. Something that Neon can abuse on both sides.

Her rotations on this map are with lighting speed, no pun intended. Especially on the defensive end, where she can cross CT spawn to anchor both sites in 4 seconds. On offense, her explosiveness is enough to overwhelm any set defense.

• Breeze- Breeze might not be in the current map rotation for ranked competitive queues. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad map to play Neon on. This map is enormous, with long sightlines, expansive sites, and a lot of ground to cover.

This greatly suits Neon, whose speed can be properly;y utilized. Most Valorant players hate Breeze because they don’t know how to counter Operator users. Well, being a lightning bolt makes it hard to get hit. 

On both sides, she can play aggressively, take control and rotate in an instant. There are set Stun lineups that help Neon clear entrances and get picks, before darting off to the opposite site to prevent the spike going down.

Neon Icebox Skill Jumps

• Icebox- Similarly to Fracture, Icebox is a spacious map with tight corridors and entrances. The mobility of Neon tips the odds in her favor, as she can also take advantage of the map’s verticality using extended bunny hops.

This may not apply to the B site as much, but on the A site on Icebox, Neon can be fully unleashed. The movement speed Neon gets from High Gear makes her jumps a lot more springier than most Valorant agents. And she can use them rather easily without wasting utility to get into unexpected spots and positions.

NEON COSPLAY MOVEMENT ON VALORANT 💀 pic.twitter.com/8HWiB3twUl

— temet (@temets) July 21, 2023

Think of common Jett and Raze spots. Well, Neon gets there faster and free of charge. On top of lighting speed rotations and flanks, her stuns can clear crucial areas of the map defenders love holding. You might just need to adjust your Valorant settings to make this easier.

Worst Maps For Neon Valorant

• Split- Everything we mentioned about Neon’s best Valorant maps isn’t the case here. Split is one of the original Valorant maps. And even though it has undergone some structural changes, it still plays out the same way.

Attackers have 2 entrances to each site, 3 if you consider Defender Spawn in their territory. But getting through them is the hard part. Split is such a small and compact map, which makes it defensive-sided.

And trying to burst through multiple layers of utility will leave you out to dry. If you don’t get caught in the Cypher cage or shot through the smoke, more likely than not, you will end up on a site alone. 

That’s because no other Valorant agent can pierce defenses like Neon. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes it’s better to play slow. That’s the case when playing on Split. But in that case, you shouldn’t be playing Neon.

• Bind- The same applies to Bind. Another OG Valorant map with tight entrances to the sites. Not only is it a small map, but it also has teleports, making it easier to rotate. Neon is playable on any map, but her strengths are most negligible on Bind and Split. Remember this when someone picks Neon on Bind in an international tournament, making Valorant one of the best Esports to bet on.

Valorant Neon Synergy

The best way to build a team around Neon is to make up for her deficiencies. As a duelist, Neon is the only Valorant agent in the role that has crowd control. But she doesn’t have a flash. That’s why it’s important to pair her up with an agent that can disrupt vision.

After that, every team composition needs a controller. Having smokes to block vision is crucial in any FPS title. Also, because Neon players are forced to play super-aggressively, it’s nice to have a Sentinel agent to lock down a site.

This enables Neon players to go for plays on the defensive end and catch enemies off guard. Which is a lot easier to do when you have a safety net to save the round when you fail. Those pesky Sentinel agents can win the round on their own when defending.

Best Team Compositions For Valorant Neon

• Brimstone- Of all Valorant agents in the controller class, Brimstone suits Neon the best. Having 3 smokes means that he can close off any entrance to the site they are attacking. One Incendiary lineup will keep a corner clear for 7 seconds. 

And his ultimate ability can rain hell on half of the site. And that’s before you consider the impact of Brimstone’s Stim Beacon. Sure, Neon doesn’t get increased movement speed from it when using Overdrive or High Gear. 

That would make her an F1 car in an FPS game. But it does help the rest of her team catch up. Which is what she needs to survive when breaking the defensive line.

• Killjoy- Remember what we said about a Sentinel agent covering when Neon gives first blood? Well, nobody can do it quite well like Killjoy. Cypher is the only other Sentinel agent that can stop the entire enemy team on his own.

And it’s usually a lot harder to do since his abilities don’t do damage. Killjoy’s Alarm Bot and Mollies make enemies vulnerable. Reducing their health and armor makes them easier to eliminate.

And while Cypher’s ultimate ability is only good information gathering, Killjoy’s Lockdown forces the enemy team to act. They either commit aggressively to break the Lockdown and suffer the consequences. Or they can just wait it out, which gives time to the defending team to rotate.

Even on offense, Killjoy’s Mollies can be used to clear corners and spots. This is massive because it’s one less angle Neon has to check when entering. No Sentinel agent has so much firepower in their kit.

Reyna Neon Duelist Pairing

• Reyna- Of course, having an initiator paired with Neon is much better than another duelist. But you are most likely playing Valorant ranked, not in a competitive setting. So you can’t really tell your teammates what to pick.

But if there is a Duelist worth pairing with Neon, it’s definitely Reyna. Reyna has a blind that can be used through walls as Neon makes initial contact. Reyna can follow up on the initial engagement, which is her best role.

Neon creates chaos while Reyna can take aim duels, the only thing the agent is good for these days. Reyna is also the only agent that can heal herself sufficiently for it to make an impact. 

Valorant Neon Counters

• Cypher- Neon can break Sage’s wall, run over Killjoy’s utility and dodge Chamber’s bullets by being fast. But when facing a Cypher, Neon goes into a stalemate. His cages might not slow anymore.

But his camera will always tell him where you are. And that’s before Tripwires make you do a full stop. There is no worse feeling when attacking as Neon ,than getting stuck on a Trip and dying from bullets piercing through a smoke/cage.

• KAY/O- This Initiator agent is designed to ruin everyone’s day. And this includes Neon as well. KAY/O’s Knife and ultimate ability create a suppression field in which enemies can’t use abilities. 

This includes Neon’s ultimate ability, run, slide, stun, and wall. Basically, when facing a KAY/O, Neon becomes a civilian with a gun. Her super powers are gone, and all she has is aim.

Worst Team Compositions For Valorant Neon

Just like there are common Esports betting mistakes, there’s also a list of don’ts when building a team around Neon.

• Omen- Neon likes playing on big maps so she can run around and wreck mayhem. This makes Omen’s most powerful tool, his Paranoia blind, rather useless. Also, Omen can only carry 2 smokes at a time, which isn’t enough for big maps. And they only last 20 seconds. There are just not a lot of ways that Omen can make Neon’s life easier.
• Chamber- And the same stands for Chamber. Chamber’s kit has always been more reminiscent of a Duelist, rather than a Sentinel. His Tripwire is basically useless on big maps that Neon thrives on. 

And outside of that, his defensive capabilities come down to hitting shots. Since any agent can do that, you are better off picking something else to pair with Neon.

How to Attack as Neon Valorant

Now that we have compiled the team composition surrounding your Neon, it’s time to learn how to execute it properly. There are 2 main ways to achieve this, so implement these attacking Neon tips. The first one is you being the tip of the spear for your team on offense.

You will tell your team to hit A site and ask your controller to smoke the entrances. Make sure to ping them on the map so he knows what sight lines you need to be covered. After that tell your Sentinel agent to shoot enemy utility and ask your Initiator to flash when you enter the site.

After setting up your team, you will use one or two of the Relay Bolt lineups you learned, place your Wall, and run in. You will already know where enemies like to position on defense, so you need to clear those corners. 

Check every angle that isn’t stunned as you rapidly approach the defender hotspots. If you start getting shot at, make sure to use your Slide to survive and take the duels. With 2 defenders working against 4-5 attackers, more often than not this will be enough to win the round.

But if your team is bad and uncoordinated, you will have to adopt a new play style. Every time someone doesn’t do their job, you will be the one suffering the consequences. Since you are the first person to go in.

How To Carry As Neon Tips

To avoid this, you will play on the opposite side of your team. If they all go to the A site, you should go to the B site. Or you can push down the middle of the map. The key here is to not make a sound. If you take an aim duel and you win, you did a good job. 

One of the fastest and cleanest aces with Neon ⚡

🔗 u/XoXFaby | #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/yfcIXKHOOA

— Valorant Updates (@ValorantUpdated) July 23, 2023

You created an advantage and you should now run back to help your team. Which is rather easy to do since you are Neon. If you don’t get challenged, you can sneak up on your enemies from multiple angles. You can go through their site after they start rotating. 

Also, you can go through mid, or through their spawn. If you have bad teammates, your goal should be to get as many free kills as possible and try to make the game easier for you.

How to Defend as Neon Valorant

When defending as Neon, there are 2 approaches you can take. So make sure to implement these defending Neon tips to master both. The first one is the more rational one. You can play back on a site, to the side of the entrance. 

This should be your preferred position since from there you can use your stun and wall to prevent the attackers from safely entering. But since you are playing a Duelist as explosive as Neon, you might find this play style boring. Once you master most of the Relay Bolt lineups on each map, you can start playing more aggressively. 

Firing out a precise stun in an area where enemies, like to group up, can mean the end of the round before it even starts. Eliminating 2 or 3 enemies in that kind of scenario practically guarantees your team the round.

You could also slot in the defensive game plan as a rotational cog. Being so fast across the map has its benefits. You can start every round in the middle of the map, and push one of the sites. More often than not, you will end up taking duels with the enemy. But you should have the upper hand since they might not expect you there. 

If you are not comfortable taking these risks and creating opportunities, you probably shouldn’t be playing a Duelist. After engaging, use your movement speed to run away and go to the opposite side of the map. Your goal is to cause confusion since Neon tips the scale in your favor. 

Best Guns For Neon Valorant

Now that you know how to approach each game, let’s figure out which Valorant guns can help you achieve this goal.

• Vandal- Playing on large maps has a downside. Most weapons have fall-off damage, depending on how far your target is. The Phantom rifle suffers the most criticism due to this. That’s why we advise you to use the Vandal. No more headshots for 140 damage. It might have a smaller magazine, but the Vandal is the best weapon for Neon. The numbers, the eye test, and the logic confirm it.
• Shorty- If you are playing any of the 3 Duelists we just mentioned, you should always bring a Shorty with you. Being able to close the gap is what separates CSGO from Overwatch.

And having this pocket shotgun worth 300 credits at your disposal is a huge benefit. It might not be good outside of close range, but it works great with your ultimate ability, slide, stun, and any primary weapon you pick up.

Operator Neon Tips

• Operator- This is where logic goes out the window. Many might not agree with me, but hear me out before spamming KEKW in the comments. Neon is actually one of the best Operator users in Valorant. Jett and Chamber are in a league of their own. 

But after them, almost all Valorant agents are vulnerable with this heavy sniper. These Neon tips might help you thrive with it. Neon can take a shot and run away in an instant, similar to a Jett dash. 

She can also drop her wall to cut off the sight line, just like a Jett Smoke. And best of all, if any Jett, Raze or Neon players try pushing her aggressively, Neon has a stun to leave behind her as she retreats. Never mind, she’s one of the best agents for close-range combat with shotguns. Which leads us to her next best weapon.

Worst Guns For Neon Valorant

• Bucky- Don’t let the TikTok trends fool you. Neon might be good with shotguns. But the Bucky is the worst primary weapon in Valorant. If you’re looking to be a pest and get cheeky kills, you are better off taking the Judge.
• Odin- In the hands of the right Valorant agent, the Odin is a force to be feared. But Neon is not one of those, as she lacks abilities that gather information. The good thing about the Odin is its high penetration and fire rate.

These are good things to have when shooting through a wall. This is not something Neon is designed to do. And you won’t get many opportunities to do this on large maps.

• Bulldog- The Bulldog falls into the purgatory of Valorant weapons. If you have enough credits, you will always buy a Vandal or Phantom. If you don’t have enough, you would rather save. As Neon you can maybe buy a Sheriff or use your ultimate ability. And with the damage falling off on the Bulldog, it doesn’t really suit you on big maps.

Neon Tips and Tricks

• Weapon out before sliding- Valorant players love having their melee weapon out and inspecting it. There’s nothing wrong with that since you paid for the skin. But when playing Neon, this will cost you your life.

When running and sliding as Neon, your last equipped weapon gets pulled out. That means if you were inspecting your knife before running, you wouldn’t have a weapon when engaging. Please equip your primary weapon before going in.

• Aim Neon Wall- The projectiles on Fast Lane have a long range. But you need to be aiming them properly to get a full-length wall. Aiming in the ground in front of you will result in just a short smoke.

Aiming over the top of an object will take the wall over that object, creating another unexpected angle. Just make sure you are aiming high when placing the wall.

• Neon Jump Boost- Like we already mentioned, you can use High Gear to run fast and execute longer bunny hops. These extended jumps can be enough to take you on multiple surfaces you otherwise couldn’t get. And it costs nothing to get to practicing your Neon movement.
• Neon Stun Through Wall- This is especially important on the defensive end. Whenever you are holding an angle and you hear the enemies approaching, you will want to stun them.

But in order to curve and bounce the stun, you might get yourself exposed and killed. To avoid this, you can stun through the wall, only if it’s a thin one. Fire the stun on your side of the wall, and once it lands next to it, it will stun the other side of the wall.