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Reyna is the kill machine of Valorant: every elimination feeds her abilities and lets her chain fights indefinitely. She is the most-picked duelist in bronze through gold, and mastering her snowball mechanic is one of the fastest ways to climb solo queue.
The catch? Without kills, Reyna is completely useless. No soul orbs, no Devour, no Dismiss. That is the trade you make every time you lock her in.
Reyna's entire kit revolves around soul orbs. Every elimination you secure spawns a soul orb floating over the body. That orb powers Devour and Dismiss. Master the relationship between kills and orb usage and you become one of the scariest duelists in the game.
Leer (C) — Eye flash: Throws a destructible eye that nearsights all enemies who see it. Use it before peeking a corner, not mid-fight. Aim slightly above head height to blind players on boxes and elevated positions that flat Leers miss. Enemies can shoot the eye to destroy it, so vary your throw angle.
Devour (Q) — Soul consumption: Consumes a soul orb to rapidly heal up to 100 HP, with potential overheal to 150 HP. This is your sustain tool after secured kills, not an escape ability. Never activate it while someone is actively shooting at you.
Dismiss (E) — Phase shift: Consumes a soul orb to enter a brief phase where you become invulnerable and intangible. Always prioritize Dismiss over Devour while bullets are still flying. During Empress, Dismiss activates for free after each kill.
Empress (X) — Ultimate: Reyna enters a frenzied state with infinite ammo, boosted fire rate, and reduced weapon equip time. Every kill during Empress auto-triggers a free Dismiss, letting you chain repositions between kills. Activate after your first secured pick of the round, not at the start of a push with no momentum.
Reyna's kit revolves around soul orbs generated from eliminations.
Reyna's power curve is one of the most extreme in the game. She scales exponentially with kills and flatlines without them. Every decision you make comes down to one question: are there more enemies near me?
The Devour vs Dismiss decision:
After every kill, choose Devour if nobody is shooting at you or Dismiss if you are still in a fight. This sounds simple but new Reyna players consistently Devour at the wrong moment and die to a second enemy pushing. When in doubt, Dismiss first, Devour never.
Leer placement: the height angle trick:
High-elo Reynas throw Leer at a slight upward angle, aiming just above head height as it enters a site. This catches players on boxes, window spots, and elevated terrain that a ground-level Leer would fly under. The Bind teleporter exits and Ascent mid window are two spots where this makes a massive difference.
Empress micro:
Activate Empress after your first secured pick, not at the start of a push when you have no momentum. During the ult, every kill automatically procs Dismiss, so your job is to stay aggressive and keep peeking angles. Standing still during Empress wastes the window. If you want to test your Empress performance under real competitive pressure, Amber.gg Valorant ranked ladders put you against matched opponents where every kill chain matters.
Reyna is not always the right pick. Knowing when to avoid her is as important as knowing how to play her.
Suppression counters her passive completely. KAY/O's Null/cmd ult suppresses all abilities in a wide area, including soul orb usage. If KAY/O is on the enemy team and has his ult up, your kit shuts down for 8 full seconds. You become a duelist with a gun and nothing else.
Losing rounds break her snowball. Reyna needs kills to function. On eco rounds or when your team is behind, she brings zero utility: no smokes, no flashes for teammates, no information. The gap between a fed Reyna and a kill-starved Reyna is enormous, making games feel swingy and hard to stabilize.
She cannot fix bad team fundamentals. Mastering Reyna mechanics will not compensate for poor positioning or uncoordinated utility usage. If this sounds familiar, our guide on Valorant ranked impostor syndrome breaks down exactly why your rank sometimes lags behind your actual skill level.
Reyna performs best on maps with tight corridors and predictable peek angles where she can isolate 1v1 duels.
KAY/O: His Null/cmd ult suppresses every ability in range, including soul orb usage. If you know KAY/O has his ult, play through kills quickly and avoid holding soul orbs when he is alive. His 0/NULL/KB knife also silences on hit.
Breach: Fault Line (E) and Aftershock (C) pass through walls and can punish Reyna mid-Devour. His flashpoint blinds through walls before she can Dismiss, giving his team free trades. Breach is arguably the hardest agent for Reyna to play around.
Cypher: A well-placed Trapwire (C) near common post-kill Devour spots interrupts the heal animation and can get Reyna killed. Good Cyphers know exactly where Reyna wants to stand after a kill and place trips accordingly.
Omen: Dark Cover (E) blocks her sight lines and forces uncertain angles. His repositioning via Shrouded Step makes it hard for her to chain angles predictably. Omen does not counter her outright but consistently neutralizes her flow.
Omen: His smokes can set Reyna up for isolated 1v1s by blocking enemy sight lines while she pushes a site. The combination of Dark Cover utility and Reyna aggression is one of the most common duos at all ranks.
Skye: Her healing lets Reyna skip Devour when taking chip damage, saving the soul orb for Dismiss in the next fight. Trailblazer (Q) also provides information before Reyna commits so she is not peeking blind.
Sova: Recon Bolt reveals enemies before Reyna peeks, removing the guesswork that usually gets aggressive duelists killed. Information is the one resource Reyna cannot generate on her own.
For full meta context on which agents pair best with Reyna in the current episode, see our Valorant Act 2 2026 ranked meta guide. And for a complete breakdown of every duelist's kit, check the Valorant agent abilities guide.
Reyna is high risk, high reward. Get your kills, chain the snowball, and never Devour while bullets are still flying. Once you internalize those three rules, she becomes one of the most satisfying carries in the game.
Put your skills to the test: join Valorant ranked ladders on Amber.gg and compete for real cash prizes based on your performance.
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