CSnake Bite
EQUIP a chemical launcher. FIRE to launch a canister that shatters upon hitting the floor, creating a lingering chemical zone that damages and applies Vulnerable.
Bought with credits at the start of a round, and lost when you die.
ControllerViper
The American Chemist, Viper deploys an array of poisonous chemical devices to control the battlefield and choke the enemy's vision. If the toxins don't kill her prey, her mindgames surely will.
Abilities
C
QPoison Cloud
EQUIP a gas emitter. FIRE to throw the emitter that perpetually remains throughout the round. ALT FIRE to lob. RE-USE the ability to create a toxic gas cloud that Decays opponents inside it at the cost of fuel. This ability can be picked up to be REDEPLOYED before the round starts and can be RE-USED more than once throughout the round.
Bought with credits at the start of a round, and lost when you die.
EToxic Screen
EQUIP a gas emitter launcher that penetrates terrain. FIRE to deploy a long line of gas emitters. RE-USE the ability to create a tall wall of toxic gas that Decays opponents that cross it at the cost of fuel. This ability can be RE-USED more than once.
The signature ability — free every round, and on some agents it recharges through play rather than being bought.
XViper's Pit
EQUIP a chemical sprayer. FIRE to spray a chemical cloud in all directions around Viper, creating a large cloud that Nearsights players and Decays the health of enemies inside of it. HOLD the ability key to disperse the cloud early.
Charged by ultimate orbs, kills, deaths and planting or defusing the spike.
Passive
Toxic
You gradually generate and replenish the toxin that fuels your abilities. Enemies that cross through Viper's Poison Cloud, Toxic Screen, or Viper's Pit are instantly inflicted with at least 30 Decay. Their Decay level increases the longer they remain in contact with it.
Always active. It costs nothing and can't be bought, lost or charged.
What a Controller does
They decide which angles exist. Smokes and area denial let a team take a site while ignoring half the defenders on it.
How Viper's abilities are bought
Two of Viper's abilities are bought with credits each round and lost on death. Toxic Screen is the signature ability, so it's free every round, and Viper's Pit is the ultimate — it can't be bought at all, it charges through play.
Viper also has a passive, Toxic, which is always active and costs nothing.
Viper FAQ
What role is Viper in VALORANT?
Viper is a Controller. They decide which angles exist. Smokes and area denial let a team take a site while ignoring half the defenders on it.
What is Viper's ultimate?
Viper's ultimate is Viper's Pit, bound to X. EQUIP a chemical sprayer. FIRE to spray a chemical cloud in all directions around Viper, creating a large cloud that Nearsights players and Decays the health of enemies inside of it. HOLD the ability key to disperse the cloud early.
What is Viper's signature ability?
Toxic Screen. EQUIP a gas emitter launcher that penetrates terrain. FIRE to deploy a long line of gas emitters. RE-USE the ability to create a tall wall of toxic gas that Decays opponents that cross it at the cost of fuel. This ability can be RE-USED more than once.
How many abilities does Viper have?
Viper has 5 abilities in total: Snake Bite, Poison Cloud, Toxic Screen, Viper's Pit, Toxic.
Was Viper in VALORANT at launch?
No. Viper was added after release — only 5 of the current agents shipped with the game at launch.
Is Viper free to play?
Viper has to be unlocked, like every agent beyond the starting few. You do that with Kingdom Credits earned by playing, or with VALORANT Points if you would rather not wait. Unlocking is permanent and no agent is ever sold as a stronger option — the roster is balanced, not tiered by price.
Which agents are Controllers?
There are 7 in the Controller role: Viper, Miks, Harbor, Astra, Brimstone, Clove, Omen. Roles are the game's own grouping, not a community one, and they describe the job an agent does for the team rather than how strong they are.
Viper in professional play
How often professional teams actually pick Viper, measured across 1,820 tournament games played between 2026-05-22 and 2026-08-20. This is professional VALORANT, not ranked — the two behave differently, and a pick rate at this level says more about map strategy than about what wins games in a solo queue.
7.5%
Pick rate
50.9%
Win rate
1.02
K/D
1,363
Times picked
Where Viper gets picked
| Map | Pick rate | Win rate | Times picked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split | 17.5% | 50.8% | 472 |
| Breeze | 15.8% | 50.3% | 394 |
| Lotus | 10.6% | 55.4% | 334 |
| Summit | 6% | 38.6% | 44 |
| Haven | 2.5% | 48.1% | 79 |
Pick rate is the share of the ten player slots in a game that this agent filled. Win rate hovers near 50% for almost every agent because professional matches are between evenly matched teams — a figure far from 50% usually means a small sample rather than a strong agent. Maps with too few games to be meaningful are left out entirely rather than shown with a warning.
What Viper's abilities cost
Two of every agent's abilities are bought with credits at the start of a round and lost when you die. The signature is free on a cooldown, and the ultimate cannot be bought at all — it charges from kills, deaths, spike plants and orbs.
- C · Snake Bite
- Bought with credits each round
- Q · Poison Cloud
- Bought with credits each round
- E · Toxic Screen
- Free every round, on a cooldown
- X · Viper's Pit
- Charged through play, never bought
- Toxic
- Always active, no cost
Where Viper sits in the roster
Viper was added after launch. Only 5 of the current roster shipped with the game, and the agents added since tend to carry more conditional or setup-heavy abilities than the originals.
During development Viper went by the internal codename Pandemic, which is the name that still appears in the game files.
There are 29 playable agents in total, 7 of them in the Controller role.
More agents in the Controller role
The other 6 agents who fill the Controller role. If you like how Viper plays, these are the closest thing to a lateral move — same job on the team, different tools.
How Viper’s abilities interact
Interactions involving Viper, from either side — what their abilities do to other agents’ utility, and what other agents can do to theirs.
Viper Snake Bite damages Killjoy Alarmbot
Acid damages deployables in its area. It will finish an Alarmbot, though the more common use is denying the space the bot was watching.
Viper Toxic Screen blocks Sova Recon Bolt
Viper's smoke blocks the dart's line of sight for the same reason it blocks yours. It is one of the few smokes that reliably denies recon rather than merely obscuring it.