New agent Harbor has officially joined the Valorant Protocol.
In a new trailer released by Riot Games, Harbor is thrown off his motorcycle in a street pursuit, only to be rescued by none other than Brimstone.
Harbor provides the voiceover for the trailer, which plays out like an action-comedy sequence. Varun Batra is witty and irreverent, oozing a charismatic swagger even when he’s got a horde of REALM operatives on his tail.
Harbor’s wall looks like it can also block bullets
As it turns out, Harbor’s water-bending abilities came from the artifact that REALM is now after. While on a mission in Mumbai, India to secure the artifact with Captain Greaves, it inadvertently latches onto his wrist, giving him the power to manipulate water.
Greaves then turns on him, demanding the artifact. When Batra doesn’t hand over the bracelet, Greaves fires, but his shots are blocked by a wall of water that protects Batra.
The trailer dispels some of the mystery behind Batra. He is no thief or villain, and he didn’t actually try to kill Greaves. Instead, it is the captain who seems to be pursuing the artifact for his own agenda.
We also get a glimpse of Batra ensconced in a bubble, which also deflects bullets. It’s not clear what this will look like in-game, but it appears Batra may have two different ways to block incoming fire.
The bubble presents interesting possibilities as well, especially if Harbor is able to also protect teammates with it.
During the street chase scene, Batra deploys a line of water from his bracelet, which then activates to become a solid wall that his pursuer slams into. This may point to a wall that works similarly to Viper’s Toxic Screen, with the main difference being that bullets and players cannot pass through it.
Another still shot shows a giant wave tripping up enemies. The purpose of this ability is less clear, but it could be some sort of stalling ability that can slow or disrupt enemy movements.
The final freeze frame has Batra charging up a disc-like device while his opponents are mired in a pool of water. This may or may not be his ultimate ability, but it’s anyone’s guess at the moment what it does.
You won’t have to wait long to find out. Harbor drops next week in Valorant Episode 5 Act III.
READ MORE: First look at new Valorant agent Harbor and never-before-seen ability