Viper is one of the best controller agents in VALORANT, who can win you many games if played effectively. This article will cover all the essential setups an aspiring Viper main needs for the map Haven.
VALORANT is a tactical shooter, with each player properly fulfilling a specific role in the team. So, while picking Viper, you must first know about her abilities, role in the team, playstyle, and how you can utilize her effectively to secure victory for your team.
Viper
Introduction
Viper is classified as a Controller agent. Viper’s kit focuses on taking control of the battlefield, emphasizing supporting the rest of the team by blocking the enemy’s vision, and delaying the enemy with her poison.
In a tactical shooter like VALORANT, maps have open sightlines and multiple points of entry, making both defending and attacking hard because of so many angles. While defending the site, Viper can block off the choke and alternate pathways to disadvantage them. While attacking, she can split the site with her toxic screen, denying enemies vision from their secure positions. She can also use Snakebite lineups to pull off some big-brain plays.
Abilities
- Snake Bite (Basic): When C is pressed, it equips the Snake Bite. Fire to launch a projectile that explodes into a pool of poison on contact with a floor. Damages as well as debuffs enemies with Vulnerable.
> Cost: 200 credits
> Damage: 12.5 HP/second (Vulnerable enemies take double damage)
> Duration: 5.5 seconds (Vulnerable 2 seconds)
> Charges: 2 - Poison Cloud (Basic): “Q” Equips a device that releases an activatable gas cloud when thrown. It can be used with some lineups to make one-way smokes.
> Cost: 200 credits
> Duration: 10-15 seconds (Depends on Fuel)
> Cooldown: 8 seconds in between activations - Toxic Screen (Signature): “E” Equips a line of gas launchers that stretch across large portions of the map, blocking enemy vision and applying toxin when activated.
> Cost: Free
> Duration: 10-15 seconds (Depends on Fuel)
> Cooldown: 8 seconds in between activations - Viper’s Pit (Ultimate): “X” Equip and activate a big cloud of toxin that severely limits the enemy’s line of sight and applies toxin damage. Leaving the cloud for too long or pressing X deactivates it.
> Cost: 8 ult points
> Duration: Indefinite whenever Viper is within, 8 s timer if she exits
General Playstyle
As a Viper, while defending, your job is to set up your wall and poison cloud across key chokes in the map. While the enemies are rushing, use your snake bites or ultimate defensively. While attacking, use your wall to split a site or location your team wants to push. You can use your poison cloud to cover an extra region your wall does not cover or use it on the spike to play post-plant. You can use your ultimate on-site. Use your snake bites to clear cubbies or prevent enemies from retaking a site. They can also be used post-plant with lineups to prevent defuses.
Viper Strategies: Getting Started
Viper’s signature ability is very strong as it can cover wide areas of the map but needs to be used carefully. While casting her toxic screen, note that it travels through walls outward in a projectile motion dropping gas emitters as it goes. So if you aim low, the wall will not reach its full length even if it is shown on the map.
This is why it is always suggested to aim high while casting her wall.
Best Viper Strategy for Haven
Now that you know about Viper’s abilities and general playstyle, let’s dive into the details of playing Viper in Haven. While defending, use your smokes to cover multiple chokes and while attacking, use your wall to split sites. Poison clouds can be used in arch or short to control short. Snake bites can compromise enemy defenders’ positions and prevent them from defusing with cheeky lineups.
We will talk about a few basic strategies, which will be all you need in most scenarios while playing Viper in Haven. This will include a basic attack and defense strategy for each site and snake bite lineups. Viper is a solid pick for this map, and if you can utilize her correctly, you’ll secure the victory for your team.
So let’s get started on the attack and defensive setups for Haven, including post-plant lineups you all know and love. We will show an easy-to-follow but highly effective setup that will work in all general scenarios and combo well with your teammates.
Attack
Viper Haven A site Attack Setup
A site has good vantage points, including heaven, back site, cubby, and defenders’ base. So you’d want to use your abilities to block vision from as many of these angles as possible. Use your wall just after the round starts from A lobby. Use it to go through the right edge of short and trunk. This wall will effectively split the site in half, leaving you fewer angles to worry about.
After clearing aggressive angles with your team, go into this corner to prep the Poison cloud. Aim at the 2nd hanging light bulb from the left and Jump-throw. (Press space, immediately followed by LMB.) Make sure to practice this one before heading into a game.
The Poison cloud will land perfectly in heaven, blocking it off. You can push A long with your team.
Viper Haven A site post-plant lineup
Let’s talk about what you guys love: Viper’s snake bite lineups. After planting in A default, head back to A lobby and stand in the corner as shown. Make sure that you do not jump on the sandbags.
This might be tricky, but all you have to do is find the two edges of the rocks sticking out, as shown below. Imagine a line connecting them and place the HUD icon in the middle. Then just press LMB when you’re about to hear a defuse.
After a few seconds of delay, fire the second one. You can peek back in from A long if there is a lot of time remaining. Make sure not to wait too long, or else the opponent might defuse the spike.
You can get kills on the defuser in multiple rounds with this lineup.
Viper Haven B site Attack Setup
While attacking B, get started by casting your wall from the inside corner of window. Then aim high and keep an eye on the mini-map, so your wall covers the right edge of B main and the default plant position. With your team already pushing in, use and activate this wall. It will block enemies from playing on the right of the site. Make sure a teammate is watching for garage pushes.
Push in behind your team, and after you clear, any enemies holding aggressive positions, get into this corner. Aim high and throw a Poison Cloud for A link.
Go in and clear left as well as boost. Plant default and use your poison cloud. Head back to window to set up for the posts-plant lineup.
Viper Haven B site post-plant lineup
For the plant at B site, default, head back to window for the post-plant lineup. You can jiggle peek at this angle and throw your snake bite on the spike without any lineups. You can also opt to play at a closer angle on grass and throw your snake bite from there by bouncing off the doorframe.
The snakebite will kill/distract enemy defusers, and you can swing in as well if required.
Viper Haven C site Attack Setup
While attacking C, get started by casting your wall from the boxes in C lobby. Then aim high and keep an eye on the mini-map, so your wall covers Garage and Defenders’ base but does not cover logs. This is because logs are also covered with the common wall, which can mean enemies are hiding there.
Push behind your team and place your Poison cloud on the spike after the plant. This will assist you with the post-plant lineups.
Head back to C long to set up for the post-plant lineup.
Viper Haven C site post-plant lineup
For the plant at C site, default, head back to C lobby for the post-plant lineup. Stand facing right up against the fence on the 2nd railing from the right, as shown. Aim up and use your HUD line to line up the shot. Press LMB to fire.
This will land on C default.
When it’s a plant for C long, head into this corner in C long. Align the fuel gauge with the left pole and fire.
The snakebite will land perfectly on the planted spike, killing enemy defusers.
Defense
Viper Haven A site Defense Setup
Throw a basic poison cloud for A long. Stand on the left edge of A short and fire your wall so that it reaches the right door of garage. This wall will cover A short, sewers, mid, and garage.
Play site and activate your wall if your mid/garage teammate asks.
For a defensive ult at A, cast it from here. This will block off the entry points to A.
Viper Haven B site Defense Setup
B site is usually not where you want to be as Viper, but if the enemy team is hard focusing on B, you can play on this site. Throw your Poison cloud using your mini-map. Place the wall from the right edge of the doorframe up to A short and A long.
You can also cast a defensive ult from this specific position. It will cover all the access points, B main, A link, and C link, while giving you space behind the site to play around.
Viper Haven C site Defense Setup
Enemies love rushing C site, and it’s almost always the first thing enemies are likely to do in the initial rounds. A simple B-site setup is shown below, including a one-way smoke.
Start by standing on the right edge of C main and casting your wall to cover garage doors and mid.
Stand in this corner, aim under the black support structure, and throw your poison cloud. This will land on the doorframe creating a one-way into garage.
So now that you’re equipped with all the knowledge regarding Viper’s setups for Haven, make sure to try them all out and practice them in Custom matches before heading out into a competitive match. These will cover the basic setups, which you can bring variants to as you accumulate more experience playing Viper.
Continue Reading:
- VALORANT: Best Viper Lineups and Setups for Ascent
- VALORANT: Best Viper Lineups and Setups for Bind
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- VALORANT: Best Viper Lineups and Setups for Fracture
- VALORANT: Best Viper Lineups and Setups for Icebox
- VALORANT: Best Viper Lineups and Setups for Breeze
