VALORANT REYNA GUIDE: PLAYSTYLE, ABILITIES, AND STRATEGIES

To reign over your competition in VALORANT, there’s no better Agent than Reyna, the dark empress herself! Here is everything you need to know about Reyna playstyle, including tips, tricks, and secrets for all her abilities.

The notorious Reyna has long maintained a frequent presence in VALORANT. She was the first new Agent to be added post-Beta, making her debut with the game’s official launch. Reyna’s gothic yet straightforward design has made her one of the game’s most popular Agents. She is tailor-made for both solo queue-ing and high-level matches. 

Zyanya Mondragón, Reyna’s real name, originally hails from Mexico. She was born a Radiant with the power to harvest souls from the people she kills. Due to a traumatic past event, she has a strong disdain for humanity and its obsession with technology. 

Reyna strikes cold-blooded fear into her enemies but is a philanthropist and community protector of those less fortunate. She joins the VALORANT protocol to save her younger sister Lucia with help from the team’s scientists. 

Before we go on and reveal all the tips and tricks to play Reyna like a pro, did you know that Stryda has daily VALORANT competitions you can join for free? With Stryda free Battle Pass you can get rewarded for your GGs with Tokens, Coins, and XP that you can redeem for gift cards in our Shop. 

Reyna’s role and playstile in VALORANT

Duelists are the most classic of VALORANT’s four roles. These Agents specialize in finishing off enemies and racking up kills. Compared to other Duelists, Reyna’s entire gameplay revolves around her kill numbers. 

Reyna plays like an assassin picking off as many enemy Agents as she can in a given round. Her victims leave behind Soul Orbs. If she reaches it in time, Reyna has the option to Devour or Dismiss a Soul Orb. Devouring provides healing, while Dismissing gives her a short burst of invulnerability. 

Though she has a cozy learning curve, Reyna can be considered one of VALORANT’s most difficult Agents to play. This is because the success of her team depends on a Reyna player’s individual performance. They can not play passive and must take charge when attacking. It is a must to have consistently high damage output and kill totals. If a Reyna isn’t piling up enemy Agents, she can’t take advantage of her Signature Abilities. 

Reyna is perfect for players who have great FPS fundamentals, pinpoint aim, and regularly lead their teams in kills. Her kit is very no-nonsense, and Soul Orb buffs grant extra vitality during aggressive pushes. 

A summary of all Reyna’s Abilities

Reyna Passive Ability

Soul Harvest

Enemies killed by Reyna leave behind Soul Orbs. These will remain active for three seconds after the elimination. Reyna can either Devour or Dismiss Soul Orbs if she reaches them in time. Soul Orbs are also left behind if Reyna damages an enemy within three seconds before they die. Should you Devour or Dismiss? Learn more below in the tips and tricks section.

Reyna Basic Ability

Leer

• Cost: 250 Creds

• Command key: C 

• Function: Blind

• Charges: 2

• Duration: 1.6 seconds

Casts an ethereal eye that travels forward at a fixed distance. Any enemies that see the eye’s pupil are nearsighted and have their audio muffled. This lasts until the eye is no longer in their point of view. 

Reyna Signature Abilities

While separate abilities, the cost and charges of Devour and Dismiss are shared.

Devour

• Cost: 200 Creds

• Command key: Q

• Function: Heal

• Charges: 2

• Duration: 3 seconds

Creates a tether to a nearby Soul Orb to quickly heal for a short time. If Reyna hasn’t taken any damage, she will gain extra health that decays over time. 

Dismiss

• Cost: 200 Creds

• Command key: E

• Function: Intangibility, Mobility

• Charges: 2

• Duration: 2 seconds

Dismiss a nearby Soul Orb to gain invulnerability for a short time. Reyna also gains invisibility after Dismissing Soul Orbs when Empress is active. 

Reyna Ultimate Ability

Empress

• Cost: 6 Ult points

• Command key: X

• Function: Empowerment

• Duration: 30 seconds

Reyna enters a powered-up state that increases the rate of her casting, firing, reloading, and recovery. All enemy Agents in her field of view are outlined in red. During Empress, Reyna automatically Devours Soul Orbs and can also dismiss them, allowing her to receive both buffs from one kill. 

Strategies, Tips, and Tricks for Playing Reyna

To make the most of Soul Harvest, Reyna players need to stay aggressive throughout an entire match. They can’t sit back and let their teammates do all the dirty work. Scoring kills is the only way to use Devour and Dismiss. The trick is balancing this aggression with composure. Don’t mistake staying active as an excuse for careless play. Taking risks is necessary when playing Reyna – just make sure that they are calculated ones.

To Devour or to Dismiss?

Reyna is the only Agent that has two Signature Abilities. While they must be bought, one charge can be used for either ability. In other words, you don’t have to buy separate charges for Devour and Dismiss. But in which scenarios is it best to use each ability?

It is usually better to Devour Soul Orbs over Dismissing them. This is simply because regaining health better serves Reyna and her team more times than not. Keeping players alive is the biggest key to victory in VALORANT. Even if her health is full, Devour gives Reyna temporary health that essentially acts as extra armor. The one drawback to Devour is it leaves a trail from the Soul Orb from which enemies can track her location. 

Dismissing Soul Orbs is more of a defensive option when in need of a quick escape. In fact, it is one of the game’s best panic options. If Reyna secures a kill in a 1v2 scenario, Dismiss the orb to gain invulnerability and dash away to safety. Due to a lengthy unequip time, starting fights after using Dismiss is rarely a wise option.  

Avoid getting caught in lopsided firefights. Reyna excels in 1v1 situations. She is at her best when stalking victims and isolating them before securing the elimination. Then she can reap the rewards left behind from the Soul Orb. Reyna players should make a point of emphasis to not engage when they are outnumbered. 

How to Use Reyna’s ability Leer

Reyna has a unique blind ability in Leer. Unlike other flashes, it must be fully visible to enemy Agents to trigger. Leer also travels through walls and doesn’t blind allies, making it a great ambush tool. Use it to surprise victims hiding in rooms, hallways, or around corners. Once they are blinded, take them out and consume the Soul Orb left behind. 

Upon reaching its destination, Leer has a 0.4 windup time before the eye blinds enemy Agents. Enemies can damage the eye and destroy it during this time. Make it hard for them to shoot the eye in time by angling Leer above their heads. 

Try to place Leer at the top of an enemy’s field of vision so they have to aim up to shoot at it. Enemies are still vulnerable even if they manage to destroy the eye before the flash activates. In solo fights, Reyna can follow up with an easy kill while her foe has their crosshairs to the sky. 

How to use Reyna’s Ultimate Ability

As far as empowerment abilities go in VALORANT, few compare to Empress. Reyna’s Ult buffs her weapon’s fire rate, reload speed, and recovery time. It also shortens the time it takes to cast abilities. All enemies are outlined in red, making it easy for Reyna to track down targets and eliminate them.  

Furthermore, Reyna gains unlimited access to both Soul Harvest abilities after kills. She automatically Devours all Soul Orbs and can also Dismiss them by choice. Dismissing orbs turns Reyna invisible, but also stops all healing effects from Devour. Empress lasts 30 seconds, but this timer resets every time Reyna consumes a Soul Orb. 

It can be tempting to use Empress as a way to play hero or pop off on an enemy team while they’re weak. However, it is actually best used when the odds are stacked against you. Empress is an explosive attacking option but possesses even greater comeback potential. Opt to save Reyna’s Ult for the moments where your squad most desperately needs it.  

Ready to play Reyna in your next VALORANT game?

Now that you have all this knowledge, it’s time to try it for yourself! Join Stryda now for an extra VALORANT free Battle Pass that rewards you as you ace daily Missions and compete in Ladders.