A new icy skin line for Valorant called Cryostasis has been announced, and in a recent interview with Screen Rant a developer for the game revealed it just might come with an extra benefit for some players. Skins are a large part of player identity in Valorant, and provide unique weapon effects and designs for fans of the game. Alongside releasing maps and Agents, Valorant unveils new skin lines frequently, each with different themes.
It's been a year of big releases for the game - just a few months after the introduction of new Valorant Agent Harbor, the game has announced an skin line called Cryostasis, which is one of the most unique yet. The line is all about ice, featuring frost that slowly grows on players' weapons the longer they go without firing. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Associate Art Director for the game Sean Marino shared that the new skins have the potential to make players better at one of the game's most important skills, stating: "I think that goes into the idea of how we want players to play the game. It's like, "Take your time. Be deliberate." If you look at your gun, and it never has ice on it, maybe you need to calm down and just relax for a second."
Valorant Has A More Deliberate Pacing Than Some Other Shooters
Unlike some faster-paced shooting games, players are meant to have a slightly more methodical approach with Valorant. There are many ways the game achieves this, like the fact that players only get one life per round in the game, meaning go in guns-blazing is less beneficial and overall riskier. Over the course of the game's 13 rounds, players' extra explosive-related goals in Valorant also make for more strategy and less rapid fire.
While some new Valorant maps like Pearl have added new strategic angles and thinking to the game in the past, this will be one of the first times players can really say the same about a line of weapon skins. Marino is absolutely right in his statements - if players never see any of the skin line's fun new ice effects, that could be a sign they're firing too much. This may inspire some players to focus more on overall strategy and team-oriented play, and means they'll receive a satisfying ice-break animation in exchange for their patience.
Obviously, Cryostasis won't provide any sort of competitive edge for anyone, but for those looking to learn patience in Valorant and struggling with it somewhat, it seems like a must-purchase. Only Valorant fans who opt to purchase from the new Cryostasis line will be able to enjoy the new ice effects and their secondary benefits. Every player has their own skin line preferences, with some fan tastes skewing towards pieces like Valorant's more realistic, Call of Duty-esque Recon line while others prefer more fantastical looks for their weapons. However, the added thoughtfulness the new Cryostasis line can produce may just inspire some extra players to pick up the latest Valorant skins, even if they may not usually be what they would opt for.
Source: VALORANT/YouTube
