Waylay, the latest Duelist in Valorant, debuted on March 6, 2025. As an entry specialist, Waylay boasts exceptional mobility, enabling her to engage enemies and retreat seamlessly. Her unique Refract ability allows her to dash into combat and teleport back to a designated safe spot, making her a formidable agent for players. However, being a new addition, players may need time to master her gameplay intricacies.
This article highlights five essential aspects of Waylay that every Valorant player should understand to maximize her potential.
Understanding Waylay in Valorant: Five Key Features
1) Refract Ability Bypasses Opponent Skills
Waylay’s Refract ability enables her to place a beacon on the battlefield. Upon reactivation, she transforms into a mote of light and quickly returns to the beacon, thus circumventing all enemy abilities during the travel. This grants her the unique advantage of passing through obstacles such as Sage’s Barrier Orb and Deadlock’s Barrier Mesh without obstruction.
Caution is advised, however, as this transition renders all Agents invisible. During this phase, players are blind to everything except the outlined map, so strategic timing is crucial.
2) Saturate’s Trajectory Mirrors Phoenix’s Hothands
The Saturate ability functions as a throwable projectile designed to impede enemies. Notably, its arc resembles that of Phoenix’s Hothands, allowing Phoenix mains to apply their established techniques to Waylay’s ability without adaptation. This similarity ensures that both abilities can be utilized effectively in coordinated maneuvers.
3) Line of Sight Mechanics with Saturate
Saturate operates on a Line of Sight principle, which gives players a strategic advantage. By positioning behind cover or on elevated surfaces, players can negate the effect of the projectile. Unlike area-of-effect (AOE) explosives, Saturate does not inflict collateral damage, allowing enemies to evade its impact if positioned thoughtfully.
Moreover, if hit, opponents are subjected to reduced movement speed, creating opportunities for engagement or escape.
4) Enhanced Vertical Mobility with Lightspeed
Waylay’s dash ability, Lightspeed, offers players a unique advantage for vertical mobility. Players can execute an upward dash by jumping first, allowing them to reach higher platforms that would typically be inaccessible. This ability opens up new tactical avenues for engagements, enabling more dynamic gameplay scenarios.
5) Strategic Use of Waylay’s Ultimate
Waylay’s ultimate ability, Convergent Paths, is a powerful tool that hampers any enemies within its damage radius while simultaneously granting Waylay a speed boost. Notably, players do not need to remain on the path laid out by the ultimate to enjoy the speed increase, as it persists even if they move away from the initial area.
Additionally, the hindrance caused by Convergent Paths remains effective longer than that from Saturate, allowing for strategic plays and advantageous team engagements.
With these insights into Waylay’s abilities, players can harness her potential effectively to enhance their gameplay experience.