CHARACTER + COSTUME
Hailing from the snowy heights of the Andes, Tempest controls the battlefield with a uniquely Peruvian radianite artifact, allowing him to manipulate freezing storms and avalanches to slow his enemies. Once a world-renown mountaineer, his encounter with the artifact has left him a cocky but reluctant participant among the other agents.
Tempest’s original conceit came from a lack of “cold weather gear” agents in the roster. His original ethnicity was Scandinavian, though the release of the agent Deadlock soon after checked both of these boxes. A switch to Peruvian origins allowed for more interesting influences and ultimately, a more unique final design.
Most game’s take the “frost ability” archetype down the ice route with more crystalline structures. With Tempest though, I wanted to lean into powder snow and the various forms it can take. As a controller, area denial is the focus of his kit. WHITEOUT and SNOWDRIFT are takes on standard Valorant mechanics (smokes and cover) but with new interactions. The former give both vision and movement impairments while the latter can be shot through. Finally, FROSTFALL allows Tempest to control an entire site with a large avalanche that slows all enemies caught inside.
ABILITY VISDEV
ABILITY PROPS
This cryo-infused artifact is the source of both the SNOWDRIFT and WHITEOUT abilities. With it, Tempest can create concentrated blizzards that take various shapes. It needed to be visually clear when an ability was primed for use, so the artifact opens up and emits more light when active. Blender animation test below!
Tempest’s trusty ice axe has received retrofit upgrades from the Valorant team, allowing it to split into blade and handle. Once separated, the blade can be thrown into a further wall, which then locks Tempest in place. The detached handle must then be plunged into a nearby wall within a radius to the blade. Once both are deployed, a zipline is created between the two points which he and his teammates can use for 20 seconds.
The rest of Tempest’s kit is fairly standard for a controller role, but SUMMIT allows him more efficient horizontal movement across sites. Since it can be used by teammates, it allows the team to lockdown various angles of a site more quickly. Additionally, it allows his kit to take some inspiration from his mountaineering origins, rather than just the radianite artifact.
Tempest infuses the net’s center with cryo energy from the palm of his artifact. He can then deploy it onto any wall, prompting it to expand into a large moisture net that accumulates snow. When remotely activated, the built-up snow cascades down in a large freezing avalanche, trapping foes.
