The new year marks the release of the Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 battle pass, the latest set of grindable cosmetics that players can use to level up their drip library in Riot’s FPS game. This time around, the new Valorant skins feature everything from Tron-inspired vistas to, well, cats, so if you’re a lover of everything cyberpunk and catlike this is the one for you.
Debuting alongside new Indiana Jones-inspired map Lotus, the Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 battle pass features three new skin lines and a whole plethora of sprays, gun buddies, cards, and titles. A Valorant battle pass costs 1,000VP ($11 / £10), but given just how much you get most would argue it’s worth it.
Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 battle pass skins
This time around you’ll be able to collect three very different skins: 9 Lives, Gridcrash, and Venturi. Producer Lara Baltzer states that all of these cosmetics are inspired by the fact that “this battlepass comes out at a time of celebration around the world.
“We’re always looking to celebrate the start of a new episode, and especially one that starts at the beginning of a new year,” she continues. “This year, we wanted to focus on aspects of unity and teamwork in Valorant but put a fun twist on it.
“With the 9 Lives skinline, you can form a full team of Agents as cats,” she comments – and what better way to start off the new year, right? Adorable chibi cat Jett features on the base skin, but variants allow you to unlock Raze, Reyna, and Viper, who all look adorable as feline versions of themselves. The skins are available for Ares, Classic, Guardian, and Phantom.
In a very different vein, the Gridcrash cosmetics are reminiscent of 80s science-fiction epic Tron, featuring a neon sunset framing a mysterious character wearing a black motorbike helmet. You can deck out your Bulldog, Ghost, Judge, and Stinger with these skins – Flynn would be so proud.
Echoing that futuristic feeling, Venturi is a sleek, clean black wrap that feels like it walked straight out of some mysterious secret society’s underground arsenal. In terms of weapons, you can coat your Frenzy, Marshal, Spectre, Vandal, and Melee in all things midnight.
Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 accessories
Alongside the new skins are some brand new accessories, which come in the form of gun buddies, titles, cards, and sprays. Given the timing of the battle pass release, the devs have introduced cosmetics that are reminiscent of New Year, Valentine’s Day, and the Lunar New Year, with Baltzer commenting, “we wanted to celebrate those holidays through items like the Shock Heart spray and Electric Love buddy.
“Items like the Good Fortune spray and New Year’s Knot buddy celebrate the New Year and coming together to celebrate with family and friends,” she continues, noting, “the Peace and Love gun buddy was also created with this theme of unity and togetherness in mind.”
Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 release date
The Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 release date is set for January 10, meaning that you’ll be able to pick up all of these goodies then. As previously mentioned, you can either purchase the battle pass to enable you to earn all of the rewards, or continue along the free track to earn a few set pieces.
There’s not much use in having cool skins if you can’t show them off at the highest Valorant ranks, so be sure to give our list of the best Valorant crosshairs a check to ensure that you’re popping heads as soon as the new season begins.