Astra is an underrated Agent in the game with a decent pick rate. She was quite active in pro play before the introduction of Harbor. This Astra Guide for Valorant will show you how to utilize her the best in the game.
The current meta of Controllers suggests that Brimstone, Harbor, and Viper are the standard smoke Agents to play. However, with a little bit of team coordination and unpredictability, Astra can shine on her own.
Most notable players like Bryan “pANcada” from Sentinels Luna and Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky from NA’VI still play this Agent and dominate servers with her. Astra heavily relies on team coordination and it is important to understand that before playing her. That being said, let us take a look at how you can manipulate the battlefield like a chessboard using the Astral Guardian.
Contents
- Astra Valorant Guide: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies
- Abilities
- Attacker Side Strategies
- Defender Side Strategies
- Tips and Tricks
Astra Valorant Guide: Tips, Tricks, and Strategies
Astra can be one of the best Controllers in the game if one plays her right. There are multitudes of things she can do with her abilities that can debuff enemies and make for easy kills for the Duelists. However, as we mentioned earlier, it all depends on the team composition, timing, and execution.
That being said, we have to deeply understand her abilities and what it does to comprehend the capability of this Agent. For that exact reason, we will dive into her abilities and see what makes her a great Controller to have no matter the team composition.
Abilities
(Note: Astra has four stars so be careful before you spam her abilities in quick succession)
Q: Nova Pulse
After placing a Star on a spot on the map, press the Q button to trigger the Nova Pulse. It is a charged blast that concusses enemies in the AoE circle. This is a really useful ability to use when your teammates are entering the site or when you know someone is behind a corner.
E: Nebula
Astra’s smoke ability. After placing a Star on a spot, press E to smoke it off. This will place a Nebula and provide cover for your team to move onto the site or any location. You can also press F if you want to recall the smoke.
The recall puts out a fake Nebula that lasts for a second before dissipating. This will give you the Star back which can be used again. The new Star will appear Yellow in color on your HUD instead of Green.
C: Gravity Well
This ability is great for post-plant setups to either delay opponents or hold them in a spot for a lethal utility like a Viper’s Snake Bite or a Brimstone Orbital Strike. After placing Stars in the spot of your choosing and press C. It will pull enemies toward the center of the circle. Enemies who cannot escape are caught in an AoE blast that makes enemies vulnerable.
X: Astral Form/Cosmic Divide
This button is used for two things. One, you will enter the Astral form where you get a view of the whole map. Place Stars wherever you want to while in this form. You can also activate abilities in the Astral Form. Now, to use Astra’s Ultimate, the Cosmic Divide, place a Star where you want the divide, and then press the Alternate Fire button to begin aiming it.
Once you are done, press the Primary Fire button to use it. Enemies cannot shoot through the Cosmic Divide and the audio is faint on the other side.
Attacker Side Strategies
Now that we know what Astra’s abilities are, let us figure out how you can use her for the Attacker Side. The first thing you have to do is set a strategy in motion with your team. Plan on how you want to execute an attack and place stars accordingly.
Since Astra is lenient in her ability usage and can spare Stars for individual players, a team can play it slowly and let the opposition make mistakes by over peeking. Communicate with your Duelists on where they want Stars so it is easier for them to take fights. However, Astra is used best when she is paired up with another Controller who can provide more cover just in case her smokes fade.
Astra can be a huge distraction for the enemy team. Just you and a Duelist can compel them to rotate. This fake can help your teammates plant the bomb and take site aggressively before your opponents realize what’s going on. The Cosmic Divide and the Gravity Well are excellent tools for post-plant. Utilize them and communicate their usage with the team so they do not get caught off-guard.
Defender Side Strategies
The Defender Side is crucial because most of the time your team will rely on you to defend the site. You have the utility to do so. To prepare beforehand so you do not get caught, place some stars in the entry points of sites. This will ensure that when enemies enter all you have to do is press a button to either stun, pull, or smoke it off.
If your Duelists want to peek somewhere communicate on where they want to peek and place down some debuffing utility so that it is easier for them to get a kill. Helping your Duelists get a kill is one of the most important things when you play as Astra because it will give you the man advantage. Make sure you always trade your Duelists when it is possible.
In addition, most of the time you need to stay back and use your utilities to command the battlefield. Astra’s utility is really important no matter the situation. That is why, you must remember to not peek at enemies unless absolutely necessary. Do not be afraid to use your abilities solely for yourself to get kills. Sometimes that aggression can pay off in a big way.
Tips and Tricks
There are some tips and tricks you can utilize to play her better and give your team more opportunities. Let us look at some of them.
- Use your Fake Nebula to get enemies to overpeek. Enemies, a lot of times play inside smokes to get an easy kill. When you use a Fake smoke near an angle where you expect an enemy to peek, you can get them to over-peek easily to either gather more information or insight into their curiosity, use this to get a free kill.
- You can use a Star to farm orbs for your teammates. If you hear enemies take orbs, use your stars to debuff them and kill them. Then place a Fake Nebula to get your teammates to take the orb while you cover them.
- Combine your Nova Pulse and Gravity Well during post-plants to do lethal damage and delay enemies. After you use these utilities, prompt your teammates to use their explosive or damage-dealing abilities to separate the enemies and take advantage of their panic.
- Your Cosmic Divide can be used to sneakily ninja defuse. Make sure you have a teammate to cover angles that you can’t. In addition, if you have a Star left, place it on the bomb and use a Nebula just to protect you even if an enemy peeks through.
That is everything you need to know about playing Astra. We hope this Astra Guide helped you understand the Agent better in Valorant. If you liked this guide, perhaps you’d like some of our others. Click here to check them out.
