Valorant's new Indian agent Varun Batra gets new official video trailers; Here's everything we know till now on Agent 21
Riot Games and Valorant have released new teasers for its upcoming agent, the Indian-origin Varun Batra. We've exhaustively compiled all the information that's now out on Batra to tame your excitement for the first Indian representation on Valorant.
After months of teasers pointing at an Indian agent incoming on Valorant, Riot Games has given us the first cinematic trailer for the same. Along with it, came two new videos on Twitter on 10th October, and they all point at Captain Varun Batra. Though we still haven’t got to see our new agent, Valorant seems to have successively developed an impressive backstory rooted in India for Batra. So without any further ado, let’s dive straight into the details.
A brief background
Here’s some important information that will help you better decode the new trailers and teasers from Riot. The first official update from Riot Games goes back to earlier this year in August. Operatives received an email from Fade, where she reported on Varun Batra, describing them as “Legion’s New Advisor”. Digging deeper into the lore, Batra used to work for the Realm at some point of time, before he “stole” a mysterious “historical artifact”. The artifact now serves as the main power source for Omega Earth. Fade raised the question as to why Legion might be in need of recruiting this Varun Batra, an antiquities expert.
Indian Agent is coming to VALORANT!
— VALORANT Source (@ValorantSource) July 31, 2022
This update comes from a new email from Fade that can be found in the Range (probs in patch 5.03, PBE). #VALORANT #GamingNews pic.twitter.com/C63PtD68wR
Later in August, an update in the form of a message from a Captain Greaves sent to Fade was shared. Captain Greaves described Operatives Batra as a “fugitive under investigation for the theft of a priceless artifact”, who therefore “is no longer employed with REALM”. The message ends with an order for Fade to drop the inquiry.
🍃 An email from another REALM 🍃 #VALORANT
— Disturbo (@NotToDisturb) August 19, 2022
Get the pun?
It seems Batra is not on good terms with REALM. A new face, Captain Greaves, informs Fade that he is a fugitive.
Also, Fade's name!
Hazal Eyletmez pic.twitter.com/IKDVWXqiqL
A leak from ValorantLeaks shared earlier this month revealed a recording from the Range featuring a conversation between two operatives we don’t get to see. They are getting ready to take down Varun Batra, their target, who they describe as a “legend”. The recording reveals that Batra worked alongside Captain Greaves, before he “stole” the mysterious artefact. However, one of them also raises the question, as to what if Batra wasn’t in fact a traitor and did not actually steal this object, unlike what Greaves says.
Spotted on The Range—catch Cypher with intel on the next Agent. pic.twitter.com/PkUsscEx0i
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) October 5, 2022
Cypher has been added to the Range and has a new audio recording in his room where two REALM agents discuss their mission to eliminate Varun Batra! | #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/BDK8qYqRlj
— VALORANT Leaks (@valorantleaksEN) October 4, 2022
| #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/ibzpvRKJNx
— VALORANT Leaks (@valorantleaksEN) October 4, 2022
Other speculations
Fans from around India pointed out that the very name Varun might be a reference to the Indian God of Rain, from Hindu mythology. Therefore, it is suggested that their powers might have to do something with manipulating water.
Valorant New Agent: Latest Updates
Let us now connect the dots with the latest official updates from Riot and Valorant, starting with the cinematic trailer. The video opens with Brimstone and Astra speculating, as we see a visual of their tracker, looking at the map of India. An artifact has been located, and the duo is planning to get to it for themselves along with Batra who can use it. However, they must reach them before Realm, who are close behind Batra. Additionally, Astra describes Agent 21, as “water boy”.
Next, we are informed of the power of Batra, who is currently on the run to the West from Bhutan. He can face a dozen of men at once, and create waves and floods, even without any water source nearby. Which implies, he cannot just manipulate water.
The next sequence hints at his location. We get a glimpse of the mangroves of Sundarbans and the Royal Bengal Tiger, and finally, the “chai-samosa”, the quintessential tea-time combination of India. We get a better look at this scene in a poster published on the official Twitter handle of Valorant, where we can also spot the Gateway of India. There’s a notepad on the table with the iconic Nataraj pencil placed in between the pages. Some illegible scribbles are also visible, possibly of the artifact, and a map with two locations marked and connecting someplace on the East Coast in West Bengal, to Mumbai on the West Coast.
Our Agent design team goes in on today’s Agent meta with a thorough look at the major lenses we use to decide balance changes.
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) September 13, 2022
Check out this teaser image then go read the latest State of the Agents: https://t.co/1BhZktFPcO pic.twitter.com/oJ5iIfWxiE
As for more teasers, short videos have been posted on Twitter. One shows a possible chase through the skies of Varun Batra, that’s been caught on camera in front of a Pagdi Wala Dhaba. The second shows Astra and Killjoy tracking Agent 21.
A curious sighting… pic.twitter.com/Prf6RpqSlS
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) October 10, 2022
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) October 6, 2022
We see a message at the beginning of the trailer, produced by Valorant Hub. It informs that the video is a depiction of “potential future events” and DLCs in Valorant, as understood by the Valorant lore community. It has reportedly been produced in “anticipation for the new Act in mid October based on Episode 5 Act 2 “TIME REMAININING” data. Therefore, they are probably hinting at a drop coming very soon this month itself.
