Valorant's support character Sage showcased in a new gameplay teaser

The latest character teaser for Riot's upcoming competitive FPS Valorant turns the spotlight on Sage, who unlike the previously-revealed fighters—Phoenix, Viper, and Sova —is focused primarily on defense and healing.

SAGE /// China"Let them try to get through me."#VALORANT pic.twitter.com/zJMeaaUi2PMarch 26, 2020

The video showcases two of Sage's "orbs": The Slow Orb, which creates a field that causes players moving through it to be slowed, grounded, and make noise when they're moving—faint echoes of Sub-Zero's Ground Freeze maneuver?—and the Barrier Orb, which creates a large wall that will hinder enemy movement.

Like all good support characters, Sage can also deploy a Healing Orb that will restore her or a teammate to full health over a few seconds, but her Resurrection ultimate ability is the real game-changer: It enables her to bring dead teammates back to life at full health.

We got some hands-on time with Valorant earlier this month and found it a "surprisingly traditional competitive shooter," but also one that "could forge its own identity in the details." It's currently expected to come out this summer, and will be free to play, with an in-game cosmetics store and battle pass but no loot boxes.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.