Valorant Neon Guide: everything you need to know from abilities, story and tips

Key art for Valorant agent Neon
(Image credit: Riot Games)

Valorant's Episode 4 Act 1 is here and with it comes a whole bunch of balances, map changes, and more. However, the star of the show is undoubtedly set to be the latest agent to join the Valorant Protocol, Neon. 

Neon looks like she could be a major player in Valorant. With her speedy electricity-based abilities being a huge part of her identity, she could well run rings around other Agents. She also looks poised to take on Jett, another movement-based agent who has sat on top of the meta for nearly a year now. 

One thing seems certain, though, things are going to change once Neon finds her groove, one way or another. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know to keep up with her blistering pace. 

Neon’s story and background

Neon hails from Manilla in the Philippines. She's found herself on the Valorant team and like some other members of the organization, she is Radiant. She gained superhuman abilities thanks to the First Light event, making her an insanely powerful individual. This event saw multiple individuals gain these abilities through exposure to Radianite, Valorant’s mysterious material that seems to be linked to Dark Matter. 

In Neon’s case, her abilities manifested in the form of electricity-based powers which also assisted her speed. She can also summon electricity from within her, creating bolts, as well as dense walls of static electricity. 

She’s one of the youngest Agents on the Valorant roster, but that won’t stop her. Neon has just joined the Valorant Protocol, helping protect Earth from dangerous Radianite incidents. Her reasons for doing so remain unclear at this point. 

Valorant Neon breakdown


Neon has access to a whole host of powerful abilities that give her a frenetic and speedy kit. Her abilities are High Gear, Relay Bolt, Fast Lane, and her ultimate is Overdrive. Neon is an Agent that looks to run rings around opponents. Her kit comes together to make her the most mobile character in the game, and in Valorant, that speed goes a long way. 

Neon is a Duelist Agent like Jett, Phoenix, Raze, Reyna, and Yoru. Jett has remained on top of the meta for the best part of a year now, but with Act 4, Neon looks like she might be ready to give Jett a run for her money.

Signature Ability - High Gear

Neon using her High Gear ability

Neon activating her High Gear ability (Image credit: Riot Games)

Description: Allows Neon to channel her ability to gain a burst in speed. Once Charged, Neon can then trigger a slide. After two kills, the slide ability resets.

Cost: Free.

Charges: Movement on duration meter, 1 slide per round (reset after two kills).

High Gear tips

  • High Gear makes Neon run 35% faster
  • Neon moves faster than any other agent in the game while this is active, making this exceptionally good for quick rotations
  • High Gear oddly functions like Viper’s toxic gas in so much that it exists on a regenerating meter at the bottom of your screen
  • While this ability is active, if you hit alternate fire, you'll perform a slide, giving you quick re-equip times and a huge element of surprise. Use it to slide around corners when opponents don't expect it
  • You can only slide once per round unless you get two kills. Doing so will replenish the slide, not unlike Jett’s dash.

Basic Ability 1 - Relay Bolt

Neon using her Relay Bolt

Neon's Relay Bolt casted and creating two stun circles.  (Image credit: Riot Games)

Description: Throws an energy bolt that can bounce up to once, leaving a concussive blast. The bolt eventually drops, causing another concussive blast when it hits the floor. 

Cost: 200 credits.

Charges: 2

Relay Bolt tips 

  • The bolt can bounce once before it ends its trajectory
  • Relay bolt can place up to two areas to stun. The first will be where the bolt first bounces. The second will be the bolt’s final destination
  • The bolt is a stun rather than a flash. You won’t be blinded like from a Skye bird, but you will become "woozy" like from a Breach ultimate. 
  • Neon can absolutely stun herself, so be careful about how you bounce it
  • The stun affects people behind walls. The area of the effect circle will penetrate walls and hit anyone on the other side. This is unlike something like a Killjoy grenade that functions with a line of sight.

Basic Ability 2 - Fast Lane

Neon using her Fast Lane ability

Neon casting her two Fast Lane walls. (Image credit: Riot Games)

Description: Brings up two walls on either side of Neon. These Walls will erect forward, blocking vision and damaging anyone who walks into them.

Cost: 300 credits.

Charges: 1

Fast Lane tips

  • The walls are similar to Phoenix, and behave very similarly. They however will not heal Neon
  • The walls last for around six seconds
  • They will cover vision as you walk through the walls, much like Phoenix
  • The Fast Lane walls may seem like they can’t pass through obstacles but they can. The cast of the ability acts as a projectile. If your crosshair goes past a surface in front of you, the walls will too. If your crosshair is on a surface when you cast, the walls will stop on that surface
  • The walls can do up to 170 damage during their entire duration
  • Fast Lane can do damage to some objects like Sova’s drone, Cypher’s camera, and Skye’s dog. It won’t, however, do anything to a Killjoy ultimate or her gadgets

Ultimate - Overdrive

Neon using her Overdrive ultimate

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Description: Neon speeds up for a set duration. During this time she can shoot electricity from her fingers, which has a high mobility accuracy. The duration then resets after every kill. 

Cost: 7 ultimate points.

Overdrive tips

  • The ultimate uses the same fuel as the sprint, so will eat through it quickly if paired with High Gear
  • Neon will get 40 “bullets” for her electricity beam. It will however recharge after a short break not firing
  • If you run out of ammo, Neon will do a small animation to indicate it. To avoid this, try not to let your ammo hit 0
  • Every kill will replenish the fuel bar by a quarter
  • There are no criticals with the ability. It will do the same damage no matter where you hit an opponent.

That's everything you need to know to get the basics of Neon. The character looks like she has been designed to give Jett players another option, but her kit isn't purely reactive. The Relay Bolt and Fast Lane walls show she still needs brains to succeed in order to control space. 

So get out there, and ruin a Jett main's day by taking over the server as the speedy menace.

Patrick Dane
Gaming Guides Editor

Patrick Dane is TechRadar Gaming's Guides Editor. With nearly a decade in the games press, he's been a consistent voice in the industry. He's written for a plethora of major publications and travelled the world doing it. He also has a deep passion for games as a service and their potential to tell evolving stories. To wit, he has over 2000 hours in Destiny 2, over 1000 in Overwatch and is now deeply into Valorant. 

Read more
Arcane's Mel Medarda looking up at something off-screen in League of Legends' 2025 season 1 cinematic
New League of Legends video might have set up Arcane's sequel series, and now I'm even more desperate to see the hit Netflix show's first follow-up
Pulchra Fellini in Zenless Zone Zero.
Zenless Zone Zero Version 1.6 will finally let you play as a furry gunslinger
Valorant gameplay
How high do you want your frame rates? Nvidia boasts that RTX 5090 GPU can drive Valorant at over 800 fps with jaw-dropping low latency
Promotional art for Marvel Rivals.
Marvel Rivals review: more than an Overwatch clone
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Naoe will be 'the fastest Assassin' in series history says Assassin's Creed Shadows creative director
The player engages a flying drone enemy in Metal Eden.
Metal Eden is an exhilarating mix of Doom and Ghostrunner, and my hands-on preview left me craving more
Latest in Consoles & PC
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
Future PlayStation games could have AI-powered characters, if this leaked prototype of Aloy is anything to go by
The artwork for The Last of Us Limited Edition DualSense controller
I can't wait to pre-order The Last of Us Limited Edition DualSense and if you're a fan too then I've got all the the information and best links to bookmark right now
Playing games on the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma without an external display.
The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma offers Steam Deck owners a premium design and, of course, plenty of RGB
Image of GTA 6 protagonists and PS5
GTA 6's console-only launch reminds me of how much I despise console exclusivity - is it worth waiting years for PC ports?
The Hori Split Pad Pro attached to a Nintendo Switch OLED and placed on a colorful desk mat.
I've used the Hori Split Pad Pro with my Nintendo Switch for years and it's still great, but there are some better options in 2025
A tattoo studio in The Sims 4.
The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies expansion pack looks like the small business overhaul I've always wanted
Latest in How Tos
Lunar eclipse
I'm a pro photographer – here's how I'm shooting the total lunar eclipse blood moon with my camera and phone
Photoshop CC logo on a screen
How to make an image background transparent in Photoshop
Glasgow Rangers' Nigerian forward Cyriel Dessers runs with the ball during a UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg football match in March 2025
Rangers vs Fenerbahce live stream: How to watch UEFA Europa League online
Tottenham Hotspur player Lucas Bergvall participates in the match at the AFAS Stadium for the UEFA Europa League
Tottenham vs AZ live stream: How to watch the Europa League online from anywhere
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United celebrates after scoring their side's first goal during a Premier League match in March 2025
Man Utd vs Real Sociedad live stream: How to watch the Europa League game online
Cheltenham racing festival 2024 day four: Paul Townend on Galopin Des Champs crosses the finishing line for victory in the Gold Cup
Cheltenham Festival 2025 live stream: How to watch world-class horse racing online