ATLAS is an organization on Ω-Earth that has ties to Kingdom and the VALORANT LEGION.
Functioning[]
Some wanted posters issued by FORCE ATLAS
ATLAS is described as operating outside of the public sphere, though they are by no means a secret organization on Omega. The organization can be heard being mentioned in a couple of PA system messages at Pearl's Metro Station, including one that is linked to a couple of wanted posters displayed opposite the station of Oran McEneff and Rúben Pontes. These posters were also created by ATLAS, displaying their name and logo. Their logo is also displayed on the buildings they use in Pearl, including a storage area containing Alpha and Omega radianite crates. Whilst often referred to simply as "ATLAS", there is also a specific division within the organization known as "FORCE ATLAS". What difference there is that sets FORCE ATLAS apart from the rest of the organization is not exactly known right now, though based on the links between its appearances they may specialize in enforcing security.
ATLAS also appears to be an Ω-only organization, with no Alpha equivalent, as certain events suggest inhabitants of α-Earth have no familiarity with ATLAS from their home world. Agents of the VALORANT Protocol were surprised when confronted by a squadron of ATLAS soldiers on one of their first journeys to Ω-Earth, not knowing who was trying to kill them. It then took the beginnings of an investigation by Cypher into the organization for the Protocol to even discover their name.
ATLAS's activities appear to be related to security, especially inter-dimensional travel. Like many on Omega, they also appear to believe that α-Earth poses a threat, and one of their PA system messages encourages citizens to learn how to identify Alpha intruders. In known cases of intrusions from Alpha so far, ATLAS has always been involved, with their investigations into Oran McEneff and Rúben Pontes, and the squadron of FORCE ATLAS soldiers they sent to face an incoming VALORANT Protocol strike team in an attempt to "suppress" them. Their latest venture in dealing with Alpha agents culminated in the discovery of their presence on the map Lotus, a supposedly sealed temple of Astral Guardians before the events of the REVELATION cinematic. A dossier is present on the map in Defender Spawn, written by ATLAS personnel.
Loadouts[]
FORCE ATLAS soldiers have been seen in battle with body armor and full-face helmets with air filters and two small eye slits. Squadron commanders specifically have more distinctive helmets, which have a much larger air filter and cover their entire face with a red screen instead. Soldiers are equipped with a Bulldog modified with a mounting bracket for projectile launchers to be attached to and fired from the gun. These include:
- A disc that could shut down devices it came into contact with. It was used to deactivate the Alpha-Omega teleporter the VALORANT Protocol used to travel to the Kingdom Industries Data Center in Lisbon, Portugal.
- An explosive charge. They appear to have to undergo high impact in order to detonate, whether that's from the charge itself being fired at something or from a bullet being fired at the charge - a charge could safely drop to the floor or be kicked without exploding. Its detonation appears to be non-lethal, as it only destroyed Neon's surge protector on impact with her back, and Ω-Viper was able to walk away from a charge that exploded right at her feet.
Presence on Lotus[]
On Lotus's Defender's Spawn is a collection of crates and a small laptop labeled with ATLAS's logo. Before a match starts, the laptop can be accessed during certain patches. Starting in patch 6.0, the ATLAS terminal became available, with a new email appearing in subsequent patches.
The first email details an ATLAS team led by Lt. Delacroix arriving at Lotus and setting up alongside the VALORANT Legion. The lieutenant notes the team is to keep their presence to a minimum, hence why the crates don't extend far beyond Defenders' Spawn. This email also reveals that the Legion has an ambassador that they use to communicate with ATLAS and hints at the two organizations having something of a shaky relationship.
The second email from a character named Capt. Montrose reveals that the report the Legion sent to ATLAS had sections omitted, including the activation of The Nexus that occurred in The Flower Blooms YouTube short. This email also suggests that ATLAS has some data on Lotus separate from the information the Legion has, further cementing that the two are not fully cooperative with one another.
The third email is a direct message from Capt. Montrose to Lt. Delacroix. In it, Montrose notes difficulty with obtaining the full report from the Legion and suggests Delacroix should use a contact he has to obtain that information. From the email, it seems as though ATLAS is interested in having a direct companion or informant planted in the Legion so they are better able to obtain information on the organization. Outside of this, the email also mentions a group called The Regulators, which are phrased like they are some kind of organization within ATLAS. Even if they are not, it is clear that the group is a higher power than either Montrose or Delacroix, and that they are yet another organization interested in the actions of the Legion.
The fourth email is from a dependent of Lt. Delacroix. Given the formatting of the email, it is likely that its writer is a partner or lover of the lieutenant as they refer to Lt. Delacroix as "mon cher", which is a French term of endearment used for a masculine person. As for the content of the email, it seems that the problems on Omega in relation to their reality distortion have grown worse. As a result, now another part of the world is considering building domes like Pearl has, though this speaker does not think highly of this idea. This email also makes mention of "Valerie and the little ones" which may refer to Lt. Delacroix's children, pets, or other family members. Currently, these NPCs are not mentioned outside of the ATLAS emails.
The fifth email is from a generic sender to multiple actors in the ATLAS agency. In this email, ATLAS makes recognition of the events that took place just before Harbor and Astra entered Lotus in which Skye fought a team of ATLAS agents--Titan Team--in the Western Ghats.[1] As a result of this encounter, ATLAS encourages its members to donate to the families of those who died in the confrontation, and notes that there is a 'dependant advocate' designated to each ATLAS unit. At the end of the email is what appears to be ATLAS's slogan: "Fortitudo sine lacrymis. Vindicta sine misericordia." which is Latin for "Strength without tears. Revenge without mercy."
The sixth email is from a sender marked as the 'Legion Liaison' to Lt. Delacroix. This email appears to relate to the third email from Capt. Montrose in which the Captain asked Lt. Delacroix to get in contact with someone inside the Legion who he knew from an assignment he had working in a lab. Based on this information and the email mentioning "my direct tactical support" likely referring to the SHATTERED cinematic, the Legion Liaison is most likely Viper. From this email, it's clear Viper is suspicious of the motivation behind Lt. Delacroix apologizing to her. Despite this suspicion, Viper appears to be more trusting and willing to work with ATLAS than other members of the Legion. She says that she wants to give the Lieutenant an unredacted version of the report on the Legion's fight with Alpha at Lotus, and that 'the boss' of the Legion is uncomfortable with ATLAS's agenda while she is content to offer them her tactical support. It is unclear if this 'boss' of the Legion is Brimstone. While Brimstone is the leader of the VALORANT Protocol on Alpha, less is known about the dynamic of the relationship between the agents of Omega, and the vague, less casual tone does not necessarily address the history Viper and Brimstone appear to share even across their respective dimensions.
The seventh email is once again from Lt. Delacroix. In it the Lieutenant states that since they cannot access the full report from Legion regarding Lotus's activation, he is assembling an investigative team to understand what happened on the site. This team is to include a celestial cartographer: a kind of astronomer who specializes in mapping starts. A radiullurgic physicist: while this does not exist in reality, it is likely this position is similar to metallurgy for radianite specifically. As metallurgy is the material science and chemistry of metals, this position then would be someone who studies the same for radianite. A musicologist: someone who specializes in music as an academic study. Apart from this team, one other element stands out in this email. This is the mention of extra-natural elements of the beam activated on Lotus. It seems to suggest that the beam contains some kind of deliberate trace or sound from the Astral Guardians, though what this means is unclear.
The eighth email is from an entrant called AOAS. This email appears to come from someone higher up in ATLAS as it is essentially an advertisement calling for ATLAS soldiers to apply for the position of Titan Lead. While it isn't clear if the Titan Lead is a single position, or a position that spans across multiple ATLAS units, there is a prior mention to a Titan Lead found in the voice comm[2] leading up to the release of Lotus where Skye fights a group of ATLAS soldiers on her own. Most notable in this email is the frequent use of military language regarding obligated service and active duty, and the darker undertones carried through the email as the organization reminds its potential recruits that their "failures will be forever".
The ninth email is from Lt. Delacroix to 'Delacroix Dependent', presumably the same one who wrote the fourth email. In it, the Lieutenant reveals his intention to apply for the Titan Lead position. While doing so will likely cause him to miss the holidays with his family, he believes it important to apply for the position as it would allow him and his family to potentially secure a future outside of 'dome life'. From this email, it also seems the Lieutenant was able to secure the specialists he mentioned in the seventh email. The tone of this email does not appear to match the long-winded and formal tone Lt. Delacroix has in his other emails, implying this email was possibly rushed, forced, or perhaps even has a lot more the Lieutenant actually wants to say.
The tenth ATLAS email is particularly vague. Once again it's from Lt. Delacroix in which he reports someone on Lotus (likely from his team) has lost a hand, and another person is in a coma from an unspecified event. In the next few sentences, he goes on to explain that his team has collected particle samples from some kind of blast, implying that the event causing the injuries was a kind of explosion. One possibility with this email is that it's indicative of ATLAS attempting to activate Lotus for themselves, though this is not yet confirmed.
The eleventh email comes from ATLAS command, reminding people not to post their opinions on public forums. From the previous emails regarding the Titan Lead position, it seems that the election mentioned in this email is in regards to that. That ATLAS does not want its members to share opinions on elections, nor does it want its soldiers to question orders suggests that ATLAS may utilize something of an authoritarian leadership over the people it employs. Again at the end of this email is the ATLAS slogan: "Fortitudo sine lacrymis. Vindicta sine misericordia." ("Strength without tears. Revenge without mercy.")
Links to scrapped content[]
During development of older versions of VALORANT lore, ATLAS was used as the name of the organization that would go on to become Kingdom in the current lore. The name can still be found attached to some game files related to Kingdom, and also appeared in a datamined script known as The Rise of Venice Short Story. However, it is not thought that these uses of the name have anything to do with the current iteration of ATLAS seen in the current lore. Whilst ATLAS does have some dealings with Kingdom Industries, they are regarded as separate businesses.
Sources[]
- Cypher's initial investigation into ATLAS Go
- Pearl Metro Announcements Go
- The SHATTERED cinematic Go
- ATLAS dossier on Lotus Go
- ↑ The voice comm featuring Skye's fight with a team of ATLAS agents in Patch 5.12 from Kingdom Archives
- ↑ Skye's voice comm from Patch 5.12 found on Kingdom Archives