As a sworn controller, I was thrilled when Riot unleashed a waterbender who spoke my language. I was all for this guy to dominate, but after forcing it on my teammates for five months in my FPS gaming adventures, I had to wave the white flag. It’s embarrassing to say, but Harbor should be the biggest flop in Valorant controller history.
Do you remember patch 2.06 for Valorant? This update changed everything for drivers. Viper had about four secondary actions because there was nothing significant in her toolbox, but then Riot made the effort to put her at the top of the picks table. Profit 2.06 marked a turning point for the driver network, and it looks like history is repeating itself.
Five months after launch, Harbor is a D-Tier Operator at max level. Without niche or specialty, the waterbender follows in the footsteps of the viper. Except her abilities are much harder to upgrade. In its current form, the port is useless, perhaps even worse than the pre-2.06 Viper.
What exactly is wrong with Harbour?
Every Valorant agent specializes in something. Players choose Reyna for her self-sufficiency, Raze for her movement tactics, and Gekko for her support. So why would anyone choose Harbor over Viper or any other driver? Anyone can do what Harbor does, and that’s the problem.
The actual purpose of the controller is to slow down enemies and help speed up attacks, two things Harbor Toolkit simply wasn’t designed to do. omen, sulfur, astra, viper; all can slow down enemy movement; Why no port? He doesn’t have a single skill that can do his job effectively. His cove isn’t exactly smoke, so even though players initially referred to him as a hybrid, his pick frequency wouldn’t look too bad if he was one of them.
Harbor Cascade remains active for seven seconds and can only be used once per turn. You can of course change it at will, but the slow effect is unlikely to benefit anyone in long-range duels. By comparison, Toxic Screen Viper lasts for 15 seconds and can be used again after an eight second cooldown. It also deals lure damage, which is valuable at all dueling ranges.
Harbor was added to the non-smoking list and it didn’t seem to be a problem at the time. But the controller needs smoke; Harbor’s decline in popularity proves it. Being a hybrid, his toolkit doesn’t add much to the game. Even a single adder smoke can be the saving grace Harbor so badly needs.
Riot could easily make Harbor a suitable option by adding Stunning or Slippery Water Slope to its toolbox instead of Cascade. The moving wall helps create new angles, but it’s nothing special. Finally, his Reckoning is the most disappointing last thing in Valorant. In the battlefield rush, no one has time to search for ethereal traces, and therefore the concussion occurs too slowly.
Harbor is a difficult agent to value
Harbor is no longer a new agent, so there’s no way to defend his low pick percentage. In competitive Valorant, only 1.1% of players play Harbor. Even Gekko’s selection rate is higher than his, and he barely competed for a month. Stats show that Harbor is the worst agent in the current Valorant meta and there’s not much Riot can do about it.
When Viper was fighting, all the players had the same idea: just add a little more poison to his poison screen. So Riot drastically increased the smoke drop and wall hitbox, and voila! You have a high level controller. The Viper was simple, but the Harbor toolset is different. Even with Riot’s attempts to improve, Harbor could still end up in Tier D, just like Yoru.
The use does not cause any harm. His toolbox is slowing down, and the slow buff is unlikely to convince players to pick it up. Cascade is also a simple ability that only creates corners. His cove can improve health, but it may be too risky and break Valorant’s ability cycle. Her Reckoning, however, may need some tweaking as it changes the way Wisps work.
Harbor missed the mark, but Gekko broke the new agent’s curse on Valorant. Valorant’s newest character (or any non-Harbour agent, for that matter) is worth a try, but if India’s greatest thief has stolen your heart, then maybe you’ll lock on one of Valorant’s best crosshairs. to make things a little easier.
Source : PC Gamesn
