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How to dominate VALORANT's 2026 meta with Brimstone
Brimstone is a beginner-friendly agent with oodles of hidden depth. Here is how you can make the most of his ballistic prowess.
Brimstone embodies that old gaming adage: easy to learn, hard to master. His toolkit is deceptively simple, but players who take time to master his ballistics can effectively control the entire battlefield, creating space for your team-mates to dominate fights. Brimstone gives you the ability to execute onto sites and lock down rounds after the spike has been planted, but you’ll need to have strong timing and positioning to make the most of his kit. Here’s how you can dominate with this fiery controller.
01
Brimstone’s abilities
Brimstone’s abilities make it easier for you hold down and control space, while creating opportunities for big pushes. Here’s Brimstone’s loadout and how you can use it effectively.
Stim Beacon
Throw down this boosting beacon and your team-mates will get additional movement speed. You’ll get the best results from this by saving it for close-range fights but don’t be afraid to use it to help yourself when separated from team-mates.
Incendiary
Brimstone’s molotovs create a damaging area on the ground. This can, of course, be a great offensive tool, but its real value comes in controlling space and buying time. You can use it to stop (or at least stall) an enemy push, clear a hiding spot, or force enemies out of position.
Sky Smoke
This is by far Brimstone’s most important ability. Sky Smokes allow you to drop smokes directly from the tactical map, allowing you to block multiple sightlines in an instant. This is an invaluable tool for repositioning or executing.
Orbital Strike
Brimstone’s ultimate calls down a devastating laser strike, which is perfect for flushing out defenders in entrenched positions or stopping defuses. Aim this squarely at choke points to stop enemy advances, and combine it with allies’ crowd control tools like Killjoy’s Lockdown or Fade’s Seize to lay waste to your opponents.
02
Smokes and positioning
Brimstone uses his smoke to cut off sightlines
© Riot Games
Brimstone is most effective from just behind the front line. Your ballistic power will be the backbone of your team’s attack or defence, so don’t get picked off early – instead, support your team-mates with Stim Beacon and take cautious moves at the start of the round to build up your utility.
Use your smokes to cut off sightlines and block paths for entry. The key here is to make fights winnable for duellists and keep yourself alive until you can unleash your Orbital Strike. Don’t throw your smokes before your team is ready to act – coordinate with your team-mates and facilitate their pushes with maintained pressure.
Brimstone’s Sky Smoke, gives him the unique ability to drop three smokes at once – so consider how to use this to best help your team. This is ideal for repositioning or executing, allowing you to block sightlines, isolate defenders and create safe movement paths all in one fell swoop.
03
Advanced Brimstone tips
Feeling comfortable with Brimstone’s basics? Here are some advanced moves to try.
Fake out executes – Brimstone’s Sky Smokes are perfect for confusing the enemy. When you’ve readied a strike on one site, you can drop smokes onto the other to force a rotation, allowing you to take advantage of their disorientation.
Incendiary choke hold – It might be tempting to toss your incendiary into a choke point and then fall back, but often enemies will try to push through in desperation. Hold your position and use your utility to make the teamfight more winnable.
Ult for space – It might be tempting to go for kills with Orbital Strike, but it can be equally effective at creating space for your team. If your opponents are entrenched, use Orbital Strike to force them into unfavourable positions and create winning scenarios for your duellists.
Buy wisely – Brimstone’s utility is some of the most costly in the game, so consider carefully what the situation calls for. Incendiaries are particularly expensive and have limited use-cases, whereas Stim Beacon is rarely a bad call. Sky Smokes are most useful on attack, so consider these your first must-buy.
04
Common Brimstone mistakes
Smoking too early – The most common mistake Brimstone players make is to randomly smoke at the start of the round. This is where communication is essential. Make sure your team is ready to attack before you smoke.
Smoking the wrong angles – There is a temptation to smoke any angle that appears dangerous, but the most effective Brimstone players will find angles that will force defenders to split up, where they can be dispatched by your duellists. Isolate defenders, rather than making them take the teamfight to a different position.
Don’t sit on Stim Beacon – Many players save Brimstone’s healing utility for after a fight has taken place. Stim Beacon is most effective when used during fights, so don’t hesitate to throw it down when the bullets are flying.
Poor positioning – Brimstone may be a powerhouse, but he is not a frontline agent. You need to stay alive long enough to put your utility to effective use, so keep an anchored position where you won’t be picked off. Don’t stop checking your TacMap, not only for enemy advances, but to keep track of your team-mates and how you can position yourself to support them.
05
What Brimstone mastery looks like
Think of Brimstone’s loadout as tools to control and shape the battlefield, rather than to push deep and get kills. Don’t use Brimstone’s smokes to hide from enemies, use them to confuse, disorient and block enemies' sightlines. Communicate with team-mates and deploy your utility at the right moment, and you’ll be the MVP of your squad.
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