Brimstone Valorant Guide: Leader of the Valorant Protocol

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Ali Mustafa

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Valorant is full of agents proving their worth at such a young age. But one agent stands out to be the leader and gives his team ideas out of the box.  If you think that the character in question is Brimstone, you’re absolutely right!

One of the initial agents in the game who was there since the Beta version came out, Brimstone remains one of the most viable and impactful agents in the game. His utilities make a significant difference to every round when used correctly.

Here’s a detailed guide about the agent: who he is, what he does, and how he fares in the competition.  First, let’s see who Brimstone is, and then we’ll address the technical stuff.

Who Is Brimstone?

Brimstone’s real name is Liam Byrne. He’s been in the game since the beginning. As the storyline indicates, he was the first agent in the Valorant Protocol. Because of his reputation and esteemed designation, Brimstone functions as a Controller in combat, leading the team with his tactics.

Brimstone is from the USA. Unlike agents like Reyna, Brimstone is a non-Radiant human who does not possess any superhuman abilities to help him on the battlefield. Instead, he relies on his years of training and experience to give his teammates the opportunities for kills.

The agent is known by a few nicknames like Sarge, Old Dog, and Captain. While he may be the most senior agent in the organization, other agents often make light-hearted jokes with him. But Brimstone doesn’t mind the jokes and relies on his strategic gameplay to respond.

“They think I’m an old dog? Heh, I’ll show ‘em just how many tricks I know.”

– Brimstone, on Agent Selection

Brimstone’s History in Valorant

Besides Reyna, Brimstone might be the only agent with such a long history described in the game. The agent has the most knowledge about every other character and events that have occurred in the lore, making him very different from other agents.

Brimstone started as a firefighter in Baltimore, his native city. From there, he went to serve in another organization known as Engine 8. Brimstone then joined a Special Forces team named Ragged Ravens. Not much is known about his services there. However, the Dossier implies that Brimstone was a respectable figure in these places.

The agent also had a close friend. According to the Dossier, it is suspected that his friend’s name was Tariq Porter. Brimstone and his friend were very close, and the agent cared a lot for him. In the ‘No One Left Behind’ playercard, Brimstone carries a body over his shoulders, which many believe to be his friend.

The Dossier also questions how Sumaira, Tariq’s wife, responded when Brimstone revealed his death, indicating that he was with Brimstone when he died, possibly in battle.

There are also speculations that Brimstone’s friend has returned to the battle as KAY/O. Fan theories suggest that KAY/O is from the future, and someone placed Brimstone’s friend into the robot’s body and sent him into Brimstone’s time. Much of it is evident from the chemistry the two agents share in the game.

Brimstone was also an employee of the Kingdom Corporation. He was the leader of K-SEC, Kingdom Corporation’s military division. It’s not clear how long he stayed with the Kingdom Co., but it’s well-versed that he no longer holds any position there.

After the events of Dying Light, Brimstone founded and became the first member of the Valorant Protocol. Although Viper and Brimstone were among the founders of the Protocol, it was Brimstone who chose to become the organization’s leader. After joining the Protocol, agents have no link to their past and work only for the organization. Brimstone also follows these rules accordingly, as he’s the one who created them.

The agent must be around 45-50 years of age, which often makes him the butt of the joke. Known as stubborn, Brimstone usually replies to his team’s snarky remarks about his age with his skills and experience on the battlefield. He is the only agent with an office in the Protocol, just below the Range.

Brimstone is also responsible for picking out new agents to recruit for the Valorant Protocol. While he received the nickname Old Dog, he’s also regarded as Captain by many agents. Besides his Stim Beacon and Incendiary, Brimstone uses a network of satellite-based weapons that allow him to deploy Sky Smokes and Orbital Strike.

Many believe Brimstone belongs to the 1990s as the game is set in 2050. Interestingly, the agent usually gets confused when using technology. For example, the bracer that Brimstone uses for Sky Smokes and Orbital Strike was designed by Killjoy. Surprisingly, he gets locked out of his locker frequently because he forgets his password.

Brimstone’s Character Sketch

While most of Brimstone’s abilities speak a lot about the agent, his appearance indicates his military training and mentality. Brimstone sports a military-style outfit, which many believe comes from his days at the K-SEC facility.

The agent wears a beret in orange color, with two inverted chevrons inside a gold emblem. Many believe that it indicates his military rank. Brimstone wears a metal chest plate with the number “01” written, possibly indicating his position in the Protocol. His left strap for armor and glove in the right-hand features a Kingdom logo, while the left shoulder plate boasts the Valorant Protocol logo.

Brimstone also wears his bracer on the left hand. He sports a blue-colored shirt underneath his chest plate. He also has a tattoo on his upper right arm, similar to the Peacekeeper Sheriff’s one.

Everybody in the Valorant Protocol admires and respects the veteran because of his experience and position. Besides, Brimstone has a reputation for caring a lot about his teammates. Sources suggest that Brimstone doesn’t allow any soldier to remain expendable in battle, indicating that he is willing to take risks for his team.

The former soldier is quite vulnerable when it comes to failure. According to the lore, his close friend didn’t make it because of his mistake. Therefore, Brimstone works under the constant burden of taking his team forward and doesn’t want to let them down because of his blunder.

Brimstone and Viper founded the Protocol and, therefore, are great teammates. While Viper competes with Brimstone frequently, she knows that he knows much more about the world than her. The two also know some of the Protocol’s most profound secrets that they’ve hidden from the other agents.

Other agents like Sova, Sage, and Killjoy have a friendly relationship with Brimstone. They consider him a leader and follow his orders accordingly. On the other hand, Brimstone doesn’t like Breach and Reyna due to a different opinion but is willing to work with them if the team needs it. He has a close friendship with KAY/O, and Chamber is on Brimstone’s wrong side.

Brimstone’s Abilities and Qualities

Brimstone received the title of ‘Old Dog’ in the game, which seems reasonable. He’s the oldest agent in the Valorant Protocol, and his experience in the game’s lore enabled him to become the right pick for many players that like to control the game from a safe spot. His abilities also play a significant role in keeping him a vital agent in most matches.

Let’s break down these abilities and see what Brimstone’s kit has to offer:

1. Stim Beacon

One of Brimstone’s principal and most crucial abilities is his Stim Beacon. Players can only purchase one stim in every round for 200 credits.

Like other abilities which deploy upon pressing the designated keys, the Stim Beacon requires players to look in a particular location. Players must be careful in placing these beacons, as they might expose them to combat if placed openly.

Stim Beacon allows Brimstone to gain an increased fire rate and movement speed. Even if players step inside the loop for a few seconds and then exit, they will receive the boost. Brimstone’s teammate can also gain an advantage from this ability. The Stim Beacon only works in a small circle rather than allowing everyone the benefits.

The enhanced abilities include a 10% increase in equipping speed, a 15% increase in fire rate and speed, and reload and recovery speed increase by 10%. With such powerful improvements, the Stim Beacon remains an essential tool in Brimstone’s kit, making him a vital pick in many matches.

However, the effects last only twelve seconds, so players can push forward with agility and take out enemies within this time. Players can see arrows on their screen to know that they have received the Beacon’s advantage.

2. Incendiary

As the tactical genius he is, Brimstone’s kit also consists of a single incendiary grenade. The agent equips it with a grenade launcher to project it at a substantial distance. Brimstone mains can only purchase a single Incendiary in every round for 250 credits.

The Incendiary is a great way to stop the enemy from rushing sites and creating choke points in closed spaces (if the timing is right!). When launched, the Incendiary travels a certain distance and keeps rolling until it comes to rest. At that moment, it detonates and creates a big enough zone of fire, damaging enemies if they stand inside it.

One of the most considerable difficulties in the Incendiary is correctly predicting where it will land. It has a certain adjustment to gravity, courtesy of the developers. So, it travels in a projectile, making it somewhat challenging to throw it at distant locations and tight corners.

It also backfires after hitting walls, so throwing it in a corner to flush out enemies can go sideways if the player doesn’t throw it accurately. The Incendiary also doesn’t have a timer, so players can create some great lineups that can help them in both attacking and defending rounds.

The ability also causes damage to teammates. It causes significantly lower damage to allies than teammates, but it’s no good listening to your teammates calling you out for burning them out while they were low on health! While Brimstone calls out when he deploys an incendiary, it’s essential to see if there are teammates close to where you’re throwing.

3. Sky Smoke

Brimstone’s signature ability is calling smokes from the skies. These can block the enemy’s vision, giving Brimstone and his teammates the space they need to enter a site. While there is one smoke available at the start of each round, Brimstone can equip up to three clouds of smoke for 100 credits each, making it a feasible ability. However, Brimstone cannot regenerate these smokes, so once deployed, they’re not coming back.

After pressing the assigned key, Brimstone opens a radar that shows him an outline of the map. The agent can only see some part of the map nearby, so Brimstone can only smoke off certain areas in a particular site. Players can place the smoke’s locations with the mouse’s left click and deploy them with the right-click.

Brimstone’s smokes last for about 19.25 seconds. Unlike Omen, they’re brown, making it extremely difficult for anybody to see through them. Brimstone mains often like to leave a fraction of the location uncovered to make it work as a one-way. While enemies remain unsuspected in their area, Brimstone and his teammates can use the smoke to know the enemy’s location through such one-way smokes and even take them out.

While there may be specific locations where smoke can work as a fake, players mostly use it when they need to push opponents off the site. Another great way to use a smoke is to deploy it on-site and plant or defuse the spike, making it an excellent tool for ninja plays.

4. Orbital Strike

Orbital Strike may be one of the most overpowering ultimate abilities we’ve seen in the game (Neon remains on top, no arguing over it!) After collecting seven Ultimate points, Brimstone can call in a tactical strike. Unlike Call of Duty’s Nuke, which can decide a round within its deployment, the Orbital Strike can take out almost all the enemies in its duration.

Brimstone’s ultimate is a laser strike that deals heavy damage to enemies. Like the Sky Smoke, players bring up radar on Brimstone’s HUD. From the radar, Brimstone can call in the strike at a nearby location. So, there’s no reason to plant in A site and hide in B, as enemies can quickly defuse it before you have time to get within the spike’s reach.

The strike only lasts three seconds at full size and takes two more seconds to wind up. But it deals around 20 points of damage per tick, with 6.67 ticks in a single second of the ability. So, opponents are left with just health scraps if they stay within the strike’s zone.

The damage dealt by the strike also depends on the enemy’s location. If the opponents stand close to the circle, they will receive more damage. But the damage will be minor if they manage to get out of the zone. Moreover, the enemy has no reduction of movement while they’re in the site, so dodging it is pretty simple. The ability can also take out teammates, so your team should stand clear of the area where you’re about to rain down the laser.

The ability comes in handy while both attacking and defending. Players can use it when the enemy’s defusing, so they won’t stand a chance if they’ve just started the defuse. Similarly, pushing enemies into a corner and then calling in the strike will deal substantial damage, causing players to either rotate to the other site or expose themselves to engagements.

Brimstone Update History

Brimstone was never a broken agent. His kit seemed quite balanced to players from the beginning. Yet, he was becoming somewhat troublesome because of the damage he caused to opponents. Being a controller with this much power made Brimstone a nuisance in some matches. Therefore, he had to receive some critical updates.

Let’s look at some more obvious changes that the agent underwent:

• v0.50: Incendiary tick speed increased, and cost went up to 300 credits.
• v1.04: Enemy’s buff removed from Stim Beacon, and Orbital Strike’s points increased to 7.
• v1.09: The fire rate bonus of Stim Beacon increased to 15%.
• v2.0: Stim Beacon’s equip removed, Incendiary brought back to the cost of 200 credits, and Sky Smoke’s casting range increased to 5000 with 19.25 seconds duration instead of 19.25.
• v3.0: Incendiary cost increased to 250.
• v3.05: Orbital Strike damaged Nanoswarm, Trapwire, Barrier Orb, Recon Bolt, and ZERO/point.
• v4.04: Sky Smoke’s deployment time decreased to 1 second, radius increased to 5500, and height increased to those of other controllers. Stim Beacon also gave a 15% speed boost alongside RapidFire.
• v4.05: Stim Beacon charges reduced to 1, and cost increased to 200.

Statistics about Brimstone

If we talk about performance in official matches, Brimstone has been an excellent choice for many players. The agent’s statistics have been exceptional for controllers and individually, making him the right pick for every rank.

According to Valorbuff, Brimstone’s pick rate is quite unusual, with just 28.6%, leaving him at the eighth spot. Sova and Viper are just above him, with 29.8% and 29.9%, respectively. Reyna tops the chart with a massive 78.4% (well-done insta-lockers!).

Conversion rates are where Brimstone has been exceptional. His win percentage is 50.9%. Only Raze has done better than the American agent, with 53.1% victories in her total matches. Killjoy gives tough competition to Brimstone, with a similar win percentage and even kill-to-death ratio, but only places third in the list due to her 12.4% first blood percentage, while Brimstone has 13.8%.

It’s surprising because both agents play the same role in the game. When it comes to teammates, Killjoy has been Brimstone’s best ally. The other agents on the list are both duelists, namely Raze and Reyna. A slight difference only separates them.

According to ranks, Brimstone’s highest pick rate is in Immortal lobbies with 26.5%. Radiant matches have the lowest incidence of Brimstone mains with just 12.65%. Other entries like Silver, Gold, and Platinum have an average pick rate of around 23%. However, the highest rank in the game has the best conversion rate with 50.85%, with other lobbies following closely. Iron matches record the lowest win rate for Brimstone with 49.29%.

How to Play Brimstone

A decent controller like Brimstone doesn’t need to engage in battles continuously. With experience, players realize that the agent is suitable for pushing enemies away from their location. Time is a significant factor in the game, and if Brimstone mains learn how to utilize their kit properly, opponents will be worried about the time running low soon, pushing them into a zone of error.

So, how to make a good Brimstone play? It’s through proper coordination with the team. From the Agent Selection screen, Brimstone mains should be able to figure out which agents will be best for them to secure rounds quickly. The match is half-won if the agents selected are great for making well-marked executes.

In attacking rounds, Brimstone needs to get close to the site. So, duelists must be able to muster up some space so Brimstone can use his smokes to push enemies away. With a planted spike, there’s nothing left for Brimstone mains to do other than stay hidden and take out any flanks coming their way.

If the site looks compromised in a planted situation, using a sky lineup for the Incendiary can be great to fend opponents away from the spike and buy some time for detonation.

Defending rounds are where Brimstone shines the brightest. Smokes to cover up angles for a substantial time are great to prevent the enemies from rushing and taking out Brimstone and his teammates. Even if there are fewer angles, Brimstone can use smoke at the exact location after the first one disappears.

That way, opponents will have no option other than a rotation, and a flank can catch them off-guard. In case of a planted spike, Brimstone can use smoke for a sneaky defuse or use his Incendiary to either cause damage to the opponent or keep him away.

Whatever the situation, Brimstone can make it work. Good teammates can make Brimstone’s job easier by taking out enemies first. Brimstone can provide sufficient cover to teammates as a support player, making their job easier and the rounds simpler to win. In short, Brimstone is an excellent controller who can make all the difference if the player knows what to do.

What Maps Are Good/Bad for Brimstone?

Every map needs a good Brimstone player. There’s no way anybody would not want to smoke angles off and keep the enemies at a fair distance. Brimstone is excellent for such plays, and many maps indicate that.

Regarding pick rate, Bind tops the list with 34.6%. It’s one of the best maps to use Brimstone’s smokes, providing ample cover for teams to get to the site and complete their objective. Surprisingly, it is the third-best map regarding victories, accounting for 50.2% of the total matches.

Fracture, Ascent, Haven, and Split are the following entries in pick rate, with 30.9%, 28.1%, 27.2%, and 25.6% picks, respectively. Ascent remains the most successful map for Brimstone, leaving behind Bind and Fracture’s 50.2% for an impressive 50.6%. Haven and Split have only provided 50% and 49.8% wins, respectively.

Icebox and Breeze remain the two other maps unsuitable for Brimstone. One of the biggest reasons for not picking Brimstone on these two maps is their large map size and many open angles. It’s almost impossible to cover all locations with three clouds of smoke, and eventually, players get caught off-guard, making Brimstone an unfavorable choice on these maps.

What Guns Are Good/Bad for Brimstone?

As with many other agents, the Vandal and Phantom remain the most valuable weapons for Brimstone. These two weapons have accounted for 56.4% of the total kills by the agent. The Vandal stays on top yet again, with 41% kills. The Phantom follows behind with just 16.4% kills to its name. Both have been used in somewhat medium-range combats, with average kill distances of 18.52 meters and 16.74 meters, respectively.

For players strapped on cash, the Spectre remains the choice of eco weapons. For just 1600 credits, Brimstone mains have been able to record 11.4% of the kills. Other weapons in this category, like Stinger and Bucky, have not been that useful, with measly contributions to the kill count.

Regarding pistols, the Ghost has been the best sidearm, providing 5.7% kills from an average distance of 17.03 meters. The Classic remains the contender behind the Ghost, with only 5% kills from 13.89 meters away.

For some players, the Operator might be the best option as it has the best reward from a distance of 29.14 meters. 87.7% of its 1.8% total kill percentage have been body shots, making its use in defending sites from angles a great strategy. On the other hand, the Marshal has 41.8% headshots out of its 1% total kill percentage, making it a good choice for eco rounds.

FAQs

Brimstone Valorant Guide: Conclusion

Brimstone is an agent suited to those who wish to play mind games with their opponents. The veteran’s kit is extremely useful in keeping enemies away and providing teammates a chance to play openly. Brimstone tops the chart among the game’s long list of controllers in the game with his impactful play style and leadership qualities.

It will take some time to adjust to his abilities, so it’s essential to read the opponent’s moves well before making a step forward. When you’re done with the hard part, Brimstone will only be crucial in clutch situations and make a comeback when the enemy breaks under pressure.

In short, timing and some good aim will create a strong Brimstone player with no problem climbing the ranks. So, why wait now? Get in the game and start bringing the fight to your opponents and secure those victories!

Recommended Reads:

• Sova Valorant Guide
• Phoenix Valorant Guide