Radianite is a substance which has served as a technological catalyst for the world, allowed significant advancements in Science, Technology and Medicine. The central conflict of the game is based upon Radianite
A Diorama found in Bind, B Hall, depicting the extraction and refining of Radianite
Radianite as a Substance[]
Radianite is a wonder substance that is central to all conflict in VALORANT’s world. Through utilizing it, mankind has been able to progress exponentially far ahead in the fields of science, technology, medicine, and the like.
Some Radianite Crates in Fracture
Origins[]
Radianite's origin is currently unclear, but there are several theories that try and explain it. One says that it arrived on Earth in a Meteor[1]. This is mainly supported by some art released in VALORANT's alpha period[missing 1], but that has since been retconned and is no longer Canon. Alongside this, the in-game maps Bind and Fracture lie on meteor impact craters, and it is possible that the Facilities were set up there in order to access the Radianite that supposedly crashed there along with the meteor. However, without any solid proof backing it, this theory cannot be considered confirmed.
Some others are that it is an artificial substance that man created at some point, or that it was placed into our world by some other entity. The lack of solid proof behind any one of these theories causes the topic to be shrouded in speculation, with almost nothing being known for sure.
Radianite and Ancient Japan[]
The notion that the First Light brought Radianite to Earth has been contradicted - Radianite has been present on the Earth for a long time before the First Light, which we know thanks to a Japanese Warship that washed up on the shores of Icebox (it can be seen from B Site).
The Crashed Ship at Icebox
The ship and its contents are dated to the Edo Period of Japan (1603 - 1867)[2]. Because it is impossible for a ship built in this time to have managed to sail the distance from Japan to Siberia, it is speculated that it got there by accidentally traversing a Dimensional Rift. Yoru later went to Icebox and inspected the ship for himself, and found Dimensional Scarring on the sides (as evidenced by a voicemail, sent to Brimstone, which can be heard at Brimstone's office), which furthers this theory.
The people who sailed aboard that ship were aware of Radianite and its amazing properties, and were possibly even able to manipulate it to an extent. A suit of armour was found on board the ship, which had Radianite in it, complete with various Radianite-related properties. On discovery, Kingdom excavated the Ship, extracted the suit, and began to research it.
Yoru's lost samurai ancestor is believed to have been on the ship when it ran aground on Icebox. Because of this, Yoru broke into Icebox shortly before he joined the PROTOCOL in an effort to uncover he secrets of his ancestry. While he was at Icebox, he also stole the Facemask from the previously specified suit of armour (this being the same mask he uses when he activates Dimensional Drift).
Wearing the mask seems to greatly enhance his Radiant powers. The fact that the mask seems to be designed for this exact purpose could imply that Radiants with similar abilities to Yoru's may have existed long before the First Light (this is, however, all speculation)
Usage[]
For a full discussion of radianite technology, head over to its official page here.
As stated previously, Radianite has greatly enhanced all the technology seen in the VALORANT Universe. From the gear that Agents use[3], to trains and TV Screens; cookies and consumer goods to the Spike and its Defuser, almost everything in the world has Radianite (in some form) at its core.
Radianite is also capable of producing a massive amount of energy, and through Kingdom's Radianite Power Program, it is responsible for powering over 3/4ths of the world[4]. Radianite is also used in a smaller scale to power everyday appliances, in the form of Radi-Cores (as seen in the DUALITY cinematic), and as Fusion Cells (which Breach uses to power his arms). Aside from all this, Radianite itself is also seen in various places, such as the many green boxes that are littered around the Maps (see Occurrence below)
Thanks to its incredible versatility and near-magical properties, Radianite's value is unprecedented. Kingdom, a company, has managed to sink its teeth into the Radianite market and achieved a Monopoly (making themselves the richest company in the world while at it). Kingdom participates in producing, storing, and selling Radianite for the whole world. It is also responsible for most of the Research and Development that has gone into Radianite. Their immense wealth has made Kingdom a major world power. While holding a clean front, Kingdom isn't afraid of using its power to exploit people for profit, as can be seen in Bind.
The Mirrorverse Conflict[]
As is natural with such a wonderous resource, over time mankind has become immensely dependent on Radianite for all their needs. At the time of the game, if the world's supply of Radianite were to run out, over 3/4ths of the world would instantly go dark - and this is only 10 years after the First Light. As times will pass, the possible negative effects of such a Radianite Shortage will compound exponentially.
This is exactly the problem that the people of Ω-Earth are facing. They are believed to have advanced technologically much further than α-Earth, but in doing so have depleted through most (if not all) of their Radianite reserves.
Desperate for more, the people of Ω-Earth have taken to raiding the Radianite stores of α-Earth in hopes of satisfying their needs. This fight between the two VP's is the basis for the conflict that is seen in the game.
Occurrence[]
The Radianite Crystal Gunbuddy
Radianite occurs in 3 major forms that we know of: Unprocessed, Processed, and Superheated.
Unprocessed Radianite:
This form of Radianite has an Inky Black colour, and is hard and crystalline, similar to the Radianite Crystal Gunbuddy. This is the form that Radianite is in when it is extracted. Very little is known about Unprocessed Radianite.
Processed Radianite:
This form of Radianite is green in colour, and is the most widespread of the 4 forms. It is the form Radianite takes after is has been sufficiently refined (the process in which this is done is illustrated in a set of dioramas present in B Site, Bind. Images can be found at the beginning of this page).
Processed Radianite seems to be the most stable of all the forms, and as such is the medium in which Radianite is stored and transported. This form of Radianite is seen stored in Green Boxes/Crates (Orange on Ω-Earth, likely due to different processing methods) that are scattered around the maps.
Superheated Radianite:
This form of Radianite is also black in colour, and has a viscous, fluid nature. Superheated Radianite seems to be the most volatile and unstable form of Radianite, while also being capable of producing the most energy. An important distinction to make is that Superheated Radianite and Orange Radianite are not the same substance.
We first saw Superheated Radianite in the DUALITY cinematic, where Phoenix took a Radi-Core and heated it so that it would produce enough energy to power Killjoy's Defuser. It was seen earlier in the cinematic in a news broadcast, where Kingdom researchers were seen heating a Radi-Core and studying the effects. Although unconfirmed, the Radianite present in the Reactor on Bind A is likely a form of Superheated Radianite as well.
Each from can also be manipulated into different states to a certain extent - for instance, Processed Radianite is a hard, stable solid in the crates in which it is so commonly found, yet it is also a viscous gas when it is leaking out of the Pipes on Breeze. The effects of large-scale Radianite activity on the environment can also be observed, as with the tears and gashes in the sky over Ascent, and the basalt-like pillars in Haven's Defender Spawn.
Orange Radianite[]
This form of Radianite is (obviously) Orange, but is similar to Processed Radianite in all other aspects. In Fracture, the attackers don't differentiate between stealing 'normal' green or Orange Radianite, further suggesting that Orange Radianite is functionally similar to Processed Radianite.
Currently, Orange Radianite can only be found in two places - in the Omega Sector (A Site) of Fracture, and in Pearl. Both of these places have a strong association with Omega Earth; the first was the part of Everett-Linde Facility that Omega Earth controlled, and the second is a map that is physically in Omega Earth.
During the game's Beta, all Radianite Crates that are currently Green were Orange too. It is unclear whether there is any canonical relation between these two, or if the similarity of the colors is purely co-incidental. Some players take this relationship as an implication that the Beta took place in Omega Earth, however this remains unconfirmed and unlikely.
References[]
- ↑ Meteor Theory explored in depth by former lore enthusiast Cynprel - Youtube
- ↑ Yoru's mask (and, by extension, the ship it came from) is from the Edo Period - @playvalorantofficial lore Instagram Story Go
- ↑ The Tech Users' gear is powered by Radianite - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go, responding to a question posed by DuckTime#9623 Go
- ↑ Kingdom's Radianite Power Program powers 3/4ths of the world - the DUALITY cinematic
Missing References[]
- ↑ Art implying Radianite's Cosmic Origin Go