Waylay is almost here, exciting Valorant players with her promising kit. Want to immediately test how to fight on the battlefield with her? Here’s some ability breakdown and tips on how to play Waylay, Valorant’s new Duelist.
Who is Waylay?
Waylay is a “space taking duelist” from Thailand who is sure to make some changes in the Valorant meta. Her strong skill set promises to rival Jett and Raze in the Duelist role immediately after her release on March 5, 2025. You’ll need 1,000 VP if you want to get her, or complete the Agent Recruitment Event.
What makes Waylay such a great new agent? The answer lies in her abilities and unique kit, introducing a new debuff to the game.
Waylay’s Abilities Breakdown
Learning how to play Waylay starts of course with studying her abilities. It’s a great way to plan your movements once on the map instead of just feeling it out on the spot.
Light Speed (Q)
This signature ability is Waylay’s primary mobility skill. When activated, you can dash forward twice by pressing the FIRE button twice, or dash once with the ALT FIRE button. With the first dash giving you vertical mobility, she’s similar to Jett. However, her double-dash mechanic provides even more movement options. Use Light Speed to:
- Enter sites quickly
- Dodge enemy fire
- Reposition during firefights
- Reach elevated positions
Refract (E)
Refract is a teleport ability useful for aggressive plays and site faking. This allows you to mark a location with a light beacon. Then, within a limited time window, you can go back to that spot while being invulnerable. This ability provides Waylay a safety net, opportunities for repositioning, and an escape route.
Saturate (C)
With Saturate, Waylay launches a burst of light that explodes on impact and applies the new “Hindering” debuff to enemies. Unlike traditional flash abilities, Saturate doesn’t blind enemies but instead cripples them with movement and weapon slowdowns. It’s great for initiating site entry, supporting teammates, and forcing enemies to retreat or fight at a disadvantage.
Convergent Paths (X)
While Waylay’s ultimate doesn’t deal direct damage, it creates a powerful zone control effect. When activated, you channel prismatic energy in a direction (even through walls), creating an afterimage that fires a beam. After a brief delay, you surge forward with enhanced speed while the beam applies the Hindering debuff to enemies in its path. It’s a powerful control skill, creating space for your team while disabling multiple enemies at once.
New Hindering Debuff
With Waylay’s arrival, she also introduces a new debuff called “Hindering”. This gives her a unique form of crowd control that no other duelist offers. Hindering slows enemies’:
- Fire rate
- Recoil recovery
- Equip time
- Reload speed
- Movement speed
- Jump speed
How To Play Waylay Effectively
Waylay excels on compact maps like Bind, Ascent, and Icebox where her mobility and crowd control abilities can be maximized. However, she may struggle on open maps like Breeze and Abyss due to limited self-protection options.
Keep it in mind when learning how to play Waylay properly, along with these other strategies:
- Use Refract for fallback when making aggressive plays. Place your beacon in a safe position before pushing. If things get heated, you can quickly return to safety.
- Master Light Speed’s double dash for unpredictable movements. Practice using the first dash upward and the second horizontally to confuse enemies.
- Control space with Saturate, flushing out enemies from corners or preventing them from peeking certain angles. You can also pair it with Light Speed to really confuse enemies.
- Time Convergent Paths when taking or retaking sites to clear multiple angles at once while giving yourself a speed boost.
Waylay can be played as a solo Duelist, but you can also play her with Raze for a powerful Duelist duo. You can pair her too with controllers who can provide cover for her aggressive plays, or with initiators who can set up her entries. Her crowd control and mobility make her just as good as, if not a direct alternative to Jett.
Conclusion
Waylay is set to change the Valorant meta when she finally arrives. Introducing a new debuff will surely make her a core part of many team setups, and even make way for new strategies in pro play. It won’t be long before you can finally play this new Valorant agent. Learn how to play Waylay in advance, and take full control of the battlefield!
