"VALORANT" Season 2025 // Act I Starts January 9! New Initiator Tejo Implemented

Riot Games LLC announced that Season 2025 // Act I of the tactical FPS "VALORANT" began on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Japan time.
Additionally, Tejo, an Initiator from Colombia, was implemented at the same time.

"VALORANT" Season 2025 // Act I Begins!

The Season 2025 // Act I of the tactical FPS "VALORANT" began on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Japan time.

New Content 'Flex'

A new content type, "Flex," has been introduced, the first since VALORANT's release.
Players will be able to express themselves in even more diverse ways in the game!

When equipped from the collection, "Flex" will appear on the player's spray wheel in-game.
To commemorate the new content, players will receive one "Flex" for free!

The second "Flex" is available in the Season 2025 // Act I Battle Pass.

New Skin Series "EX.O" and New Battle Pass!

This Act also introduces a new skin series, "EX.O," inspired by futuristic and sci-fi themes!
This skin series includes weapon skins for Vandal, Sheriff, Spectre, Outlaw, and the Melee "EX.O Edge."

The new Battle Pass will feature a variety of items, including the Celestia Ghost, Epilogue: Tactical Spacewar Card, Hieroscape Blade (dual-wield melee weapon), Moon Scout Outlaw, Cowcatcher Gun Buddy, and Snowflake Flex!

New Agent Tejo Implemented!

Tejo, a veteran from Colombia, has been implemented.
His ballistic guidance system forces enemies to choose between giving up their position or their lives.

His precise attacks threaten enemies and pin them down under his aim.

Developer Comments on Tejo

Q. Can you tell us about your goals for developing Tejo and what inspired him?

A. One interesting challenge we wanted to tackle was finding a way to aggressively break angles and create opportunities like Breach or KAY/O without using wide-area utility like flashbangs.
This was a large collaborative effort with multiple designers, but personally, I was very drawn to the idea of an Initiator uniquely utilizing activation mechanics typically used by Controllers, rather than new effects or game-changing mechanics.
When the rockets were implemented, it was very exciting to see test players use them almost like a faster version of Fade's Prowler.
Perhaps my own desire to be a good Controller, while always being assigned the Initiator role when playing with friends, led to my passion for trying out map-targeted rockets (insert evil laugh here).

(Translated from Japanese)PR TIMES

Q. How would you describe Tejo's playstyle?

Tejo is suited for players who want to think about more strategic shot calls across the map, and sometimes aren't afraid to get their hands dirty on the front lines.
The early pressure created by his Guided Salvo allows Tejo to put defenders in situations where their aggressive gambles are less likely to succeed.
Unlike wide-area utilities like flashbangs, Fade's (eyes), or even Sova's Recon Bolt, Tejo's utility affects smaller areas within the map.
This means players will need to use their game sense and intuition honed throughout the round to create advantageous situations for their team.
Compared to Fade, KAY/O, and Breach, Tejo is a somewhat more backline Initiator, but by combining tools like Special Delivery with abilities that briefly disable angles, he can more easily initiate favorable and calculated gunfights.

(Translated from Japanese)PR TIMES

Q. How do you think Tejo will change the current meta?

Our aim is for new strategies to emerge through synergy with agents who can compensate for Tejo's weakness in wide-area impact, especially agents with reconnaissance utility.
From what we've seen in internal testing, Tejo has a significant presence on maps where initial space control is crucial, such as Bind, Sunset, and Lotus.
We believe his enemy-flushing utility may create new Duelist options in situations where players previously picked Raze.
Because Tejo's primary influence lies in his rockets, information warfare and setup skirmishes will occur every round.
This is because while his rockets are down, he pressures enemies into a situation where they are forced to counterattack.
Currently, Cypher is frequently seen in the live environment, and Cypher players are demonstrating very creative ways to use Trapwire. With Tejo's participation, standard plant locations may no longer be sufficient.
We expect players to show even more creativity.
Finally, with the unique element of his stealth drone, Tejo will have enough power to compete with KAY/O in the area of suppression in situations where a site is being rapidly pushed into where defensive agents are waiting.

(Translated from Japanese)PR TIMES

For more details, check the VALORANT official website and the official VALORANT X (@VALORANTjp).