Reyna guide: How to play Valorant's vampiric soul harvester

valorant reyna abilities
(Image credit: Riot Games)

Reyna, Valorant's latest agent, is a tough cookie. Having joined the roster just in time for the game's full launch, her soul-harvesting skills quickly cemented her place as a formidable character. Armed with abilities that make her a powerful threat on her own, Reyna's antics on Valorant's bomb sites have even permanently lowered Evan's self-esteem. Whether you're struggling against the unstoppable agent, or want to get the most from her in battle, I'm here to help. 

Slotting into the Duelist class, Reyna makes use of her vampiric strengths to thrive in clutch encounters. As Riot outlines in her bio, she "dominates single combat, popping off with each kill she scores". This makes Reyna a particularly difficult agent to master as her abilities demand quick reflexes and consistent performance on your behalf. So, before you start spending time or real-life money on Valorant's new agent, let's keep your self-confidence intact by exploring Reyna's abilities, role, identity, and viability in the game's current meta.

Valorant Reyna abilities

Reyna is unique in that her utility is completely reliant on her ability to score kills. Of her three main abilities, two require absorbing a Soul Orb from eliminated opponents.

Devour (100 creds)

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Devour is one of two abilities that Reyna can choose to cast upon consuming a Soul Orb left behind by an enemy she kills. Devour harnesses the Soul Orb to heal Reyna for up to 100 points. The ability can also overheal Reyna, though her maximum health can't exceed 150. Any healing over 100 is temporary and will wear off after a set amount of time.

The healing will only work while Reyna remains in line-of-sight of the Soul Orb. Devour can be cast from very far away, though enemies can estimate Reyna’s location by the purple tether line visible while healing. Both Devour and Dismiss use the same pool of charges.

Dismiss (100 creds)

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Dismiss is Reyna's other Soul Orb ability. Casting Dismiss instantly makes Reyna an intangible phantom immune to damage for a few seconds. Reyna is also faster during this time, but she cannot use any weapons or other abilities. Both Dismiss and Devour use the same pool of charges.

Leer (200 creds)

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Leer is Reyna’s only ability that isn’t tied to her soul harvesting. Casting Leer throws a ghostly eye in the air that inflicts near sight on any enemy within its line-of-sight. Enemies under Leer’s effects can only see a few meters around them.

The spell automatically dissipates after a few seconds, but it can also be destroyed by dealing 100 damage to the eye. Allies are completely unaffected by Leer and Reyna can send it through any wall, as long as the destination is within the ability’s range.

Empress (Ultimate - 6 points)

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Empress transforms Reyna into a super-powered, glowing version of herself. While in Empress mode, Reyna’s reload speed, equip speed, and fire rate are all increased. Harvesting a Soul Orb while using Empress will activate both Devour and Dismiss at once with the added bonus of turning Reyna completely invisible for a few seconds. Enemies are also highlighted in red from head to toe.

How to play Reyna

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(Image credit: Riot)

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Like other Duelist agents, Reyna is best played aggressively. Though even more than other agents in her class, Reyna relies on the ability to secure at least one kill before she can reach her full potential. The power of Leer and her ability to overheal after a kill means that she should be at the front line of any site push.

She’s not packed with as much team utility as Phoenix, but a well-timed Leer can effectively initiate a firefight. Her ability to stay alive with Devour and scout dangerous corners with Dismiss are some of the best abilities you can ask for in the face of uneven odds. Don't worry about keeping all four charges of Dismiss/Devour to hand. If you're low on cash, prioritize your Leer stocks.

Reyna tips

Use her to assist Operators

Reyna is the perfect companion for challenging a corner with or against an Operator agent. A well-placed Leer tossed around a corner can give your Operator the edge against enemies, especially if they've already used their first shot to take out the Leer eye instead of shooting your teammate. A flash ability from Breach and Phoenix or Omen’s Paranoia can have a similar effect, but using Leer is risk-free and easy to use.

Pack a shotgun

Few other agents make a better argument for a shotgun save round than Reyna. As long as you can score the first kill, Reyna can pop her Empress ultimate, completely disappear, and reappear within shotgun range of her next target. Her consistent healing mitigates the risk of closing the distance on enemies, though it's an aggressive strategy. If you're already trying to catch enemies off-guard with a shotgun, Reyna's play style fits the bill.

Is Reyna viable in the current meta?

As powerful as Reyna can be when she’s on a streak, she's not necessarily the best pick for an organized team of five. In a challenging match against evenly-skilled players, you might get more consistent results from a Duelist like Phoenix (who can flash, molotov, and block vision) or Raze (who can just straight up kill with her abilities).

That said, Leer is one of the strongest individual abilities in the game. In the hands of a confident player that’s having a good day for headshots, she can be exactly what you need. She’s not a safe pick, but always a fun one.

Reyna contract

Like all agent contracts, Reyna’s functions like a mini-battle pass that also lets you unlock her to play in-game. Here's everything offered in the Reyna contract:

Chapter One

  • Tier 1: Leer spray
  • Tier 2: Valorant Reyna card
  • Tier 3: Empress title 
  • Tier 4: Marked for death spray
  • Tier 5: Reyna

Chapter Two

  • Tier 6: Soul Capsule buddy
  • Tier 7: Reyna spray
  • Tier 8: Savage title
  • Tier 9: Revenge for life card
  • Tier 10: Vendetta Ghost skin
Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.