Do you often ask yourself, “Should I run through Mid to rotate to the opposite Spike Site?” It could be a tricky question to answer mid-game, because truthfully, the answer is yes and no. Let’s dive deep into situational awareness and how we can use that to answer every time you ask yourself, “Should I walk or run right now?”
The option to run or walk is another layer of tactical gameplay Valorant adds to its game. It is another decision a player must make that could affect both their life and their teammates. “Should I run or walk right now?” It’s a simple question about a simple mechanic in the game, but so often this movement is misused by lower (and sometimes even higher) level players. The answer to this question lies within one’s ability to recognize the situation and act accordingly. Situational awareness is important to make the right decision. So, the first question is…
Players should utilize the shift key to deny the opposition any information of your location. Denial of information is the point of walking in this game.
You should run because it is faster. Sometimes you’re playing against the clock and speed is key to execute whatever play you have in mind. This is the only reason you should run, because of its speed.
To break down which situations you should withhold information, and which plays need to be executed with finesse and speed, we need to look at the questions of when to run and walk.
Players should always walk at the beginning of the round. Since there is a lot of time for both sides to work with, there is no need to rush any executes. If you begin to run towards Site at the beginning of the round, something that is constantly done in low level gameplay, you give the opposition free information at the beginning of the round, that they can then use. Running towards a site on Attack is ill-advised because you’re giving them information without them giving you any information back. On Defense, you should already be set, so there shouldn’t be a need to sprint across the site and give the Attackers the information on your new location.
If you are entering or reentering a site mid-round, you can shift walk into the site, so that the opposition does not hear you approaching. Once you get a frag, or an ability is used in your vicinity, your opponents are aware of your position. It would then be useless to walk after that since you cannot deny information that they already have.
If you are playing a lurking role on your team, walk as much as possible. The role of a lurking player is to gain intelligence on the opposition and create pressure throughout the map. It would be counterintuitive to give information to the opposition in this role. Taking space by walking and waiting for information to report back to the team is key.
If your team is attacking through a choke, you can walk through the alternate entrance into site. Denying the defense information on your position can lead them to a false sense of security, thinking your entire attack is working through one choke. Sneaking into an alternate lane allows for surprise attacks from a different angle.
Knowing when to walk comes down to knowing when to withhold information. You got to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. If the opposition already has that information, there’s no point in walking, run to your heart’s content. It should be clear when to run then, right? Yes, but there are other situations where running is a must! Let’s see when we should run.
Please run when going through Defender’s Spawn. It should be safe; at least it is the safest route to rotate, and the opposition is expecting you already to go through there. There is no use wasting time by walking through Defender’s Spawn.
Always run when playing off of your teammate’s abilities. Speed is the key to synergize with your ally’s flashes and stuns. The opposition already knows there are players there due to the abilities being used. No use in being slow and not capitalizing on the effectiveness of the abilities.
Run when you have information that you are in a safe space. If a teammate already cleared an area thoroughly (and if you trust them). Run through the area. It is not always good to be overly cautious, as it could waste precious seconds.
Run by default! There is a reason you don’t have to press the shift key to run. Running when you don’t need to walk sounds obvious, but it’s true. It is much more efficient and allows for quicker movement to dodge abilities.
Knowing that running is the default, how should I approach specific movements?
Do NOT walk when peeking a corner. Running while peeking a corner is the only way to effectively peek a corner. Players don’t make sound until after a couple steps of running. So, if you swing without holding shift, you will still be silent as if you were walking. In addition to also having the lack of sound, you’ll be faster in your peeks. If you shift peek, the enemy will see you before you see them, giving you no chance to fight.
Yes! But only when you’re holding an on-angle. If you are holding an on-angle, you do not have a positional advantage, therefore, constantly moving can be a good thing. Just remember to counter-strafe to shoot accurately.
If you’re holding an off-angle, there is no use to jiggle since you have a positional advantage. All you need to do is stand there and make sure your crosshair placement is good.
Knowing when to walk and knowing when to run can be a tough question to ask yourself mid-game. There are times you see your teammate take a stroll through the map in the name of being overly cautious only to throw the round by being late to the party. It comes down to controlling the information you give to the opposition. You cannot deny information that they already have, if they do not have that information yet, deny it as much as possible.
