With controllers like Viper and Astra being essential to compositions, Brimstone has only seen minor upgrades throughout Valorant’s history. Does he need a rework, or can a few buffs make him a viable option in a composition?
Brimstone is the first agent of the VALORANT Protocol and its eventual commander and leader. With a title and reputation that he holds, it is unbelievable how underpowered he is in actual gameplay. Being one of the first controllers, his utility kit had to cover the basics needed in Valorant. His kit includes three smokes that are placed using a display on his forearm, a beacon that empowers allies, and an incendiary grenade fired from a grenade launcher. The biggest gripe players have with his kit is his Stim Beacon, which has been deemed useless. Is it possible to buff the beacon enough to be usable, or should it be replaced with a different piece of equipment?
The Stim Beacon is an “empowerment” ability much like KAY/O’s Null/CMD ultimate and Reyna’s Empress ultimate, and it is the only empowerment ability in the game that is not an ultimate. With this status, one would think that Brimstone’s Stim Beacon would be overpowered. However, the reality is that it is underwhelmingly pedestrian when you look at other controller abilities.
In the current meta, Astra and Viper are dominant. Astra’s “C” ability features a gravitational pull which helps in many scenarios. It can pull enemies away from defusing the spike and rip enemies away from cover to name a few. Viper’s “C” ability features a chemical molly, much like Brimstone’s Incendiary, however Viper’s molly applies a “Vulnerability” status which makes enemies easier to kill even if they are not killed by the burn damage.
Brimstone’s “C” ability being the Stim Beacon does not empower allies enough for it to be useful, it can even be a nuisance to allies. The Stim Beacon adds a rapid-fire buff of 15% to allies who stand within its 6 meter radius. Reyna’s Empress buff, which also is an empowerment ability, gives a buff of about 25% gun equip speed, 15% Rapid-fire speed, and 25% reload speed. Even though one is an ability, and one is an ultimate, they must be compared because of the Stim Beacon’s unique nature of being the only other ability that empowers the player.
A buff for the Stim Beacon to reflect its unique nature would be the ability to also increase the reload speed of players within the radius of the beacon. A small damage buff to weapons would also be something that could be looked at. This would cement Brimstone as a pistol and eco round carry much like Chamber’s abilities. However, unlike Chamber, this would buff not only Brimstone, but teammates playing close to him as well.
If Riot chooses to dispose of the Stim Beacon as a whole for a potential rework, a trophy system would align with Brimstone as a character and his role as a Controller as well. A trophy system, which some may be familiar with from Call of Duty, is a deployable anti-grenade/rocket system. This would create a protective sphere, defending teammates from throwables and non-bullet projectiles. This allows for counterplay against KAY/O’s Zero/Point knife and post plant lineups from players like Viper and Sova. For a trophy system to work and not be too overpowered, limited duration or ammunition would be necessary and it would not be something that could be picked up again once placed.
Brimstone’s smoke system feels outdated compared to other controllers (I’m looking at you Astra), which makes sense since Astra came out far later in the game. In Brimstone’s current form, he uses a digital display that only shows him a portion of the map relative to where he is standing. This system only allows him to cast in a 50 meter radius. Not only that, but it is also a 2D digital display compared to Astra’s and Omen’s 3D smoke casting abilities. Omen can cast 80 meters away, while Astra can cast anywhere on the map. Viper’s smoke is a little bit different in that it is a throwable that also grants a health decay status to enemies who cross it.
To fix Brimstone’s lackluster smoking system, he should be allowed to smoke anywhere on the map like Astra. This would allow him to offer support on multiple sites without being able to use the entirety of his kit anywhere on the map like Astra, who needs a nerf. The deployment time of Brimstone’s sky smoke of 2 seconds should also be cut in half, allowing the smokes speed to be competitive with other controllers. Currently, Omen’s smokes take 1 second to deploy, Viper’s smokes take 1 second to fully form, and Astra’s are instantaneous after the star placement time of 1.5 seconds. Brimstone’s smoking system is not only lackluster but much slower than other Controller agents.
Brimstone being the leader of the VALORANT Protocol while also having the weakest as a controller does not really reflect the legacy the game tells us about. With Valorant’s recent release of hybrid agents, that could fill gaps in niche roles; Brimstone should elevate his team with empowerment buffs or protection. A leader not only leads his team but protects them. A quality in a leader is someone who makes those around him better, so empowerment abilities would be the best way to do this. A Stim Beacon that actually empowers others with a small damage buff, increase in reload speed and fire rate would help make his team better. If not a stim beacon, then a trophy system that would offer protection and allow his teammates to focus on gunplay rather than worry about what projectile is being thrown at them. His ultimate is fine where it is right now. It is great for zoning, blocks vision and is deadly. But his abilities should reflect his legacy in Valorant.
