This page documents the Lore behind the VALORANT Protocol. See the Timeline of Events for a compilation of all their notable actions, along with a chronological list of all other major events in VALORANT's plot.
This page only discusses Alpha Earth's VALORANT. Omega Earth has a separate organization, the VALORANT Legion, which is discussed in its own page.
The VALORANT Protocol is a covert organization that was formed in response to First Light and its repercussions. The Protocol is continuously recruiting new Agents in order to fight various threats thrown at them both by the Mirrorverse and α-Earth.
Formation[]
Not much is known of the events that lead up to the formation of the Protocol, although multiple theories about its specifics have emerged. We know that it was made to fight back against the threats that originated after the First Light[1][2], though why and by whom remains unclear.
Out of the Agents in our current roster, we know that Omen had a central and definitive role in its origins[3]. However, since we know so little about Omen himself, the foundation of the VP still remains just as shrouded.
We know that Brimstone and Viper were the first two Agents to be in the Protocol[4][5][6][7]. Various hints sprinkled throughout the lore, such as the MMXX Founders playercard (see below), and the fact that both of them hold high positions in the VP, have lead to many accepting that they are also its founders.
The MMXX Founder card shows Brimstone and Viper in their VALORANT card poses.
However, in all their communication, the Devs have specifically refrained to label them as such, only referring to their positions as 'leaders' or 'earliest members' when discussing the topic[5][6][7]. As such, we must conclude that this role cannot be put upon them, at least not yet, as we simply lack any solid evidence to back the claims.
The funding behind the VP is also the point of some debate. We know that the Protocol possesses a considerable budget - all their tech, the expansive VPHQ, the V-03, none of this comes cheap. It was hinted at by Creative Director David Nottingham that, while the VP is an independent body, they derive their funding from someone else[5].
The identity of this mysterious backer remains unknown. Some theories place this role onto Kingdom, or world governments, or some other entity with similar powers, but all of these remain unconfirmed speculation. For now, we have to accept that we simply don't know the answer.
The role of leadership for the Protocol has been entrusted to Brimstone[8]. Soon after its formation, the VP began to recruit new members. The first to come in, after Brimstone and Viper, were Omen and Killjoy (as evidenced by Agent numbers being 3 and 4 respectively).
Functioning[]
The Protocol's Size and Scale[]
Over time, the Protocol has grown into a large-scale organization, with 20 members hired from across the world. The VP handles threats of a truly global scale, working for the greater good of the Earth (or, at least, of α-Earth).
This is evidenced by how Skye was willing to leave her 'post' in Australia, where she fought as the 'Great Reclaimer' in the name of Nature and Environmental Protection, because she understood that she was needed more in the Protocol. She accepts that the overall good that she can do in the Protocol is greater than what she could do staying in her home territory[9].
VALORANT does, however, remain a 'shadow organization'. It is a covert, secretive organization (or, at least it tries to be), with a heavy emphasis on remaining hidden from the general public. The reason behind the insistence on secrecy is unknown. Some theories say that it is to protect the identities of the Agents, or to allow themselves to function unimpeded by public accountability.
VALORANT before the Rise of Venice[]
The Protocol didn't always function in the manner that we see it today. Indeed, the level of cooperation and teamwork that is seen in the Protocol today is relatively novel for the organization.
Originally, the Protocol's mode of operation was more reliant on the Agents working as individual units, with them going on battles and missions alone[10]. We saw this is play during the DUELISTS cinematic, where Phoenix was sent to handle Ω-Jett all by himself. He failed at his role, catastrophically so, with Ω-Jett being able to plant her Spike at the end of the cinematic (this caused the Rise of Venice, and the formation of Ascent).
This old method was also much more hierarchical, both in terms of information and administration. The relatively 'high-up' members (such as Brimstone, Viper and Sage) were the only ones who were aware of the entirety of the information entrusted to the Protocol, while the 'lower-down' members (such as Phoenix) were left clueless about certain sensitive aspects, such as the Mirrorverse.
Aside from going on missions alone, the Agents were also not fully aware of each-other. Going back the the example of the DUELISTS cinematic, we know for certain that Jett had already joined the VALORANT Protocol of α-Earth by this time, but Phoenix had not met her yet because of the disintegrated organization of the VP[11].
This all changed after the events of DUELISTS. The threat posed by Ω-Earth was something on a completely different level to anything that the Protocol had seen before, and major changes were in order if they were to withstand it.
The DUALITY cinematic (which took place the day after DUELISTS[12]) was the first time that Agents were dispatched to a mission in teams instead of alone[13]. We can see how this was a wise choice, as the ingenuity and skills of all of the 3 Agents sent there (Viper, Phoenix, and Killjoy) were needed to safely defuse the Spike.
Over time, the Protocol has settled down into its current system of operation, with Agents now being sent in small Strike Teams[10] (usually of 5 Agents[14]). In the WARM UP cinematic, we also saw that the rules on Agent interaction had also been relaxed, with many of the team now hanging out together in the VPHQ commons.
It does, however, seem that some remnants of the old system still persist within the Protocol. We saw, in the Protocol's operation with capturing Fade, that Brimstone left the rest of the Protocol mostly in the dark about Fade. Her interrogation, and then her hiring, were both subjects that the team knew nothing about until Brimstone had finished with them.
Rules and Regulations in the Protocol[]
Naturally, for an organization with as great a scale and as high standards as VALORANT, there are a set of strict rules that the Agents must comply to. The Protocol's official manual (yes, that is a thing[15]) has a list of stringent regulations that must be followed.
For example, the Protocol heavily discourages fraternization between Agents[15][16], effectively denying the Agents the privilege of any form of romantic relationships. This is assumedly done because relationships with others, especially in the context of a dangerous gunfight, could cause complications in the Agents' efficiency and decision-making[17]. The first duty of the Agents is on the battlefield, and anything that comes in the way of that must be removed.
Despite the Protocol's regulations on fraternization between Agents, Killjoy and Raze share a lesbian relationship[18]. This suggests that the Protocol's guidelines on relationships and fraternization may not be as strictly enforced as previously thought. It seems that the two Agents have found a connection with each other, despite the potential complications in the field that the Protocol seeks to avoid. With Viper's email to Brimstone in 6.01, this rule is now very likely revoked[19].
At the same time, however, we know for certain that Killjoy is a League of Legends player, Phoenix has a console, and Neon may have a presence in the pro gaming world[20] - which would imply that the Protocol has much more relaxed guidelines on gaming.
Weaponry[]
The VALORANT Protocol has a specific set of 18 weapons which we commonly see used, both in-game and otherwise. These constitute a standard loadout that makes up the Protocol's armory.
There are currently five known manufacturers who produce these weapons, each with their distinct logo.
- Bulwark Armory, producer of the Ares, Judge, Guardian, and Phantom.
- Falcon Firearms, producer of the Bulldog, Classic, Frenzy, Odin, and Spectre.
- Kodiak Steel, producer of the Melee.
- Teknika Firearms, producer of the Ghost, Operator, Stinger, and Vandal.
- Frontier, producer of the Bucky, Marshall, Sheriff, and Shorty.
We learned the names of four of these through a series of playercards, released in the battlepasses of Episode 3: Act 2, Episode 3: Act 3, and Episode 4: Act 2. The fifth one, Frontier, had its name hinted with the Neo Frontier skinline[21] and explicitly confirmed later in a Discord QnA[22].
The Bulwark Armory card shows a Judge with the Bulwark Armory logo in the background.
The Falcon Firearms card shows a Frenzy with the Falcon Firearms logo in the background.
The Kodiak Steel card shows a Melee with the Kodiak Steel logo in the background.
The Teknika Firearms card shows a Stinger with the Teknika Firearms logo in the background.
Each of the three silenced guns (the Ghost, Specter and Phantom) have a different logo on their suppressor, suggesting that the suppressors are manufactured separately, by another company. We do not have any hints about their name so far.
In Harbor's Reveal Trailer, we see REALM also using some of these weapons: namely, the Spectre, the Ghost, the Phantom, and the Classic (in order of appearance). From Harbor's comment about how he had access to "world-class" tech while under REALM, it is possible that the guns used by the Protocol are the international standard of top-tier weaponry.
Callsigns and ID numbers[]
The VALORANT Protocol follows a system of callsigns, where the individual Agents are referred to by a short word representative of themselves, instead of by their own name[23]. This is another layer of the Protocol's insistence on secrecy, devised in order to ensure the security and privacy of the Agents[24].
These callsigns are generally a short word, not more than two syllables long, designed for quick and efficient usage both at home and at the battlefield. While the Agents are issued their callsign by the Protocol when they join[25], they are known to have some influence as to what it is - for example, Killjoy chose her own callsign, based on the team's response on first meeting her[26].
It is important to note that the callsigns are not the Agent's own names. Not only has this been proven multiple times already, but it is simply counterproductive, undermining the reason for having callsigns used in the first place. The Agent names are a completely separate section of the Agents' personal lives, which are revealed much more cautiously.
The callsigns are also not to be confused with the Agents' Dev codenames. Aside from the callsigns, each Agent was referred to by a short name representative of their abilities or character during development. For example, Viper was called 'Pandemic' before her callsign was settled on. Killjoy, Phoenix[27] and Breach[28] are the three exceptions to this rule[29], being the only Agents whose Dev Codenames and callsigns are the same.
On joining the Protocol, each Agent is also assigned their own ID Number. These Numbers are representative of the order in which they joined the Protocol[30][31] - for example, Brimstone and Viper were the first Agents to join, and so they are VP-01 and VP-02 respectively. Deadlock was the 23rd Agent to join the Protocol, and so her ID Number is VP-23.
In the REVELATION cinematic, it was shown that Ω-Sage's ID number was VL-10, as compared to α-Sage's VP-07. This tells us that the VALORANT Legion has a different recruitment order to the Protocol's, thus resulting in the difference in ID numbers. Due to a lack of sufficient information, we cannot assume anything about the recruitment order for Legion as of yet.
VPHQ[]
Almost all that we know of the VPHQ comes from the WARM UP cinematic. For more information, consider checking out its page.
Naturally, with an organization on the scale of the Protocol, there has to be some designated area where the Agents live and take breaks - they can't be expected to stay in gunfights 24/7. The VPHQ serves this role, being a sort of 'break area' for the Agents[32].
Size[]
The first (and only) time we have seen this place was in the WARM UP cinematic, where we saw the Agents taking downtime between missions. While the clips we got were brief and only explored a few locations, we still gained a lot of information from them.
The Headquarters are situated on a remote, volcanic island, with the infrastructure built underground into the rocks. As we only got a 3-second long clip of the island, it is hard to discern if it is based off a real one, and if so, where it is located. On stream, former lore enthusiast (and now Riot employee) Cynprel came to the conclusion that the nearest match was White Island, located off the coast of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty; however it is uncertain whether the VPHQ Island was actually based on it or not
We do, however, get a much better look at the Headquarters themselves. They are an expansive complex, built deep underground on the Island. The main focus of the cinematic was in a Common area, populated by all the Agents, bordering a large training room. The training room gives us the best insight as to the sheer scale of the Protocol's Headquarters. It is a massive room, large enough to have several Agents and an angry robot running around in a gunfight with room to spare.
The bare floor and walls are able to expand to raise platforms of various heights, forming a modest arena. The scoreboard (which is reminiscent of The Range) and the various references to 'target practice' imply that the room also has an alternative function to morph into a shooting range. One can only wonder what other forms the room can take.
The biggest single bit of information we get, however, is also the most well-hidden. For a few precious seconds in the cinematic, we get a clear view at the back wall of the Room, where the words 'TRAINING ROOM 3' are boldly plastered. This is implies that there are at least 2 more rooms, of this same grand size, somewhere within the facility.
We get another hint at this in the common room: on the side wall, a row of lockers are placed, one for each Agent, marker by their ID Number. However, there are only 11 lockers in the room, with the last Agent who is accommodated here being VP-11 (Reyna). Obviously, there must be some place where the lockers for the other Agents are stored, implying that there exists (at least) one other such common room in the VPHQ.
Usage[]
We can conclude that the VPHQ serves as a sort of 'Break Area' for the Agents, being a place where they can relax together and just hang out. In Spark (Neon's Agent Trailer), we also see that the Protocol has a large set of rooms to live in.
Going from the fact that Neon's room was operated by her Biometrics, we can assume that such rooms are present for individual usage by the all the Agents. Considering the Protocol's fairly liberal policies on redecoration, we can also assume that the Agents are expected to live in the rooms, and are thus allowed to make their surroundings as comfortable as they wish.
We do know, however, that the Agents don't spend all of their downtime in the Headquarters. Indeed, we know that the Agents do have their own houses and living areas from the Agent Takeovers and the Home Again playercards. These include Chamber's home in Paris, Phoenix's home (which looks to be a repurposed Fire Station) in England, Raze's home in Salvador, and Viper's apartment in Seattle.
This raises the question: how is this handled in the Protocol? Given VALORANT's insistence on the Agents being battle-ready and prepared at all times, it seems very odd that the Agents are allowed to lounge around at home. Perhaps the Protocol allows for hybrid living conditions, with Agents taking 'breaks' to go home, taking time off from their job at the VP?
Going further, would this mean that the Agent Takeovers (which happened in quick succession, one after the other) were all a collective 'vacation' taken by the Agents? Given that VALORANT was just on the cusp of going on their first offensive against Ω-Earth, it seem unlikely that the Agents would be allowed to just take a few days off. For now, it all remains a mystery, with little being known for sure.
Agents[]
Notes[]
- In all of the Protocol's missions, civilians and non-combatants are expressly evacuated from the area before any fighting starts[33].
- Breach, in particular, had a rough introduction into the Protocol[34].
- The Protocol relies on their Airships and VTOLs to get the Agents to and from mission sites, as seen in various cinematics.
- In both the cinematics, the one we see used is labeled 'V-03' (implying that there are at least two others).
- One of the VTOLs is also referred to as the 'VLT/R' (see below). In a voicemail to Brimstone, Sova abbreviates this to 'Vulture'.
The VLT/R Schematic card shows a schematic diagram of one of the PROTOCOL's VTOLs, which is named the 'VLT/R'
Sources[]
- The 'Story of VALORANT so far' Article Go
- The Reddit Lore AMA, organized the 3rd of June, 2021 Go
- Various QnA sessions organized with the Devs, on the VALORANT Lore // Art Discord Go
- The DUELISTS cinematic Go
- The DUALITY cinematic Go
- The RETAKE cinematic Go
- The WARM UP cinematic Go
References[]
- ↑ "[...] Eventually in response to the events that occur around First Light, a new organization called VALORANT is created by secretive backers [...]" - Polygon Article with Creative Director, David Nottingham Go
- ↑ "[...] In response to First Light, a shadow organization founds the VALORANT PROTOCOL, which pulls together Agents from all over the world [...]" - Gameinsider Article made prior to VALORANT's Launch Go
- ↑ Omen has a central place to the origin story of the VALORANT PROTOCOL itself - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ "It all started with Brim and Viper" - Discord QnA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The VP work for themselves, headed by Brim and Viper, with from whom they get their money - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "[Brimstone and Viper] are two of the earliest members of VALORANT PROTOCOL" - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Brimstone and Viper were two of the earliest VALORANT Agents for sure" - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ Brimstone has earned his leadership role in the PROTOCOL - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Skye's reasons for joining the PROTOCOL - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Agents were deployed individually for assignments earlier, and the PROTOCOL only switched to its current 'team-based' mode of operation after DUELISTS - Discord QnA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Phoenix had not met Jett (yet) at the time of the DUELISTS or DUALITY cinematics - Discord QnA with Creative Director David Nottingham Go
- ↑ DUALITY takes place the day after DUELISTS - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ DUALITY was the first time that the Agents worked together as teams - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ The Agents break up into Strike Teams when going on missions - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Fraternization between Agents is actively discouraged, as per the PROTOCOL's official manual - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ PROTOCOL guidelines state that the Agents are discouraged from Fraternization - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Workplace relationships are discouraged because they can cause 'complications' in the field - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PlayVALORANT/status/1601970067356491776
- ↑ The email sent from Viper to Brimstone in 6.01 from Kingdom Archives
- ↑ The canonicity of this is uncertain. See Neon's Agent Page for more information.
- ↑ The base variant of Neo Frontier skins have Frontier's 'Cowboy Hat' logo present on them; they were intended as a hint for the company's name - Discord QnA with Narrative Writer Riot Cynprel Go
- ↑ "Frontier is the name of the hat logo gun manufacturer" - Discord QnA with Narrative Writer Riot Cynprel Go
- ↑ The Agents are primarily referred to through their callsigns - Discord QnA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Callsigns are used by the PROTOCOL to protect the Agents' identities and privacy - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ The Agents' callsigns are issued to them by the Protocol - Cynprel's interview with Creative Director David Nottingham Go
- ↑ Killjoy chose her callsign based on the team's response on meeting her - Gamestar Article with Zach Betka Go
- ↑ Phoenix may have been called Apollo for a short time in development, but his true codename has remained Phoenix.
- ↑ There is a misconception that Breach's codename was 'Crusader'. This is wrong - Crusader was a scrapped Agent, whose ability ideas were eventually passed on to Breach. The two aren't, and never have been, the same character.
- ↑ Killjoy, Phoenix, and Breach were Agents that kept their Dev Codenames as their callsigns - Discord QnA with Narrative Lead Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ The Agent Numbers signify the order in which the Agents joined - Reddit AmA with Lead Narrative Writer Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ The Agent Numbers signify the order in which the Agents joined - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ The VPHQ is the place where Agents live when not in gunfights - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ People are evacuated from the area before the Agents fight - Discord QnA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
- ↑ Breach's induction to the VP wasn't a smooth affair - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go