Level Up Your Agents: A Deep Dive into Earning XP for Valorant Contracts

Want to unlock all those cool Valorant agents and their associated gear? The key is earning XP towards their respective contracts. You gain XP primarily by playing matches and completing missions. Every round you play contributes to your XP total, with winning rounds granting bonus XP. Daily and weekly missions offer significant XP boosts, making them the most efficient way to progress. Let’s break down the specifics and explore some helpful strategies!

How to Earn XP in Valorant

The core of agent contract progression lies in understanding how Valorant rewards your in-game efforts. Here’s a breakdown:

• Rounds Played: This is the most consistent source of XP. You receive 100 XP for every round you participate in, regardless of the match type.

• Round Wins: Victory is sweet, and it comes with an XP bonus. You earn an additional 200 XP for each round your team wins. This incentivizes teamwork and strategic play.

• Daily Missions: These are smaller, easily achievable tasks that reset every day. Completing them provides a substantial XP boost, often in the thousands. Check your missions regularly!

• Weekly Missions: These are more challenging, requiring a greater time investment, but offer the largest XP rewards. Prioritizing weekly missions is crucial for fast contract progression.

• Match Type: Most Plant/Defuse modes (Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, Replication) reward 100 XP per round played. Spike Rush is the exception, awarding a flat 1,000 XP at the end of the match, regardless of the outcome.

Optimizing Your XP Gain

Simply playing isn’t always the fastest way. Here are tips to maximize your XP earning efficiency:

• Prioritize Missions: Always focus on completing your daily and weekly missions first. These offer the biggest bang for your buck.

• Play Plant/Defuse Modes Consistently: Game modes like Unrated and Competitive provide the best XP return per round. While Spike Rush is faster overall, you still have to win to maximize your XP gain.

• Play with Friends: Playing with friends can increase your enjoyment of the game, making it easier to grind through matches. Good communication and teamwork will also lead to more wins, thus more XP.

• Strategic Game Planning: If you have limited time, assess which missions you can realistically complete. Choose game modes that align with those missions.

• Consider Swiftplay: This mode offers shorter matches compared to Unrated or Competitive, making it a good compromise between speed and XP per round.

Understanding Agent Contracts

Before you can start earning XP for a specific agent, you need to activate their contract. Here’s how:

1. Go to the “Collection” tab in the main menu.
2. Select “Agents”.
3. Choose the agent you want to unlock.
4. Click the “View Contract” button.
5. Activate the contract using the button in the lower-middle of the screen.

Each agent contract consists of ten tiers. You only need to reach tier 5 (200,000 XP) to unlock the agent itself. Completing all ten tiers, requiring a total of 975,000 XP, unlocks all the agent’s cosmetics.

Alternative Ways to Unlock Agents

While grinding XP is the free route, Valorant offers alternative options for unlocking agents:

• Valorant Points (VP): You can purchase agents directly using Valorant Points, the game’s premium currency. This is the fastest way to unlock agents, but it requires spending real money.

• Kingdom Credits: This is a new progression system where you earn Kingdom Credits by playing matches and completing daily missions. You can then redeem these credits to unlock agents. Earning 8,000 Kingdom Credits allows you to unlock an agent.

• Welcome Contract: At account levels 5 and 10, the welcome contract will give you free agents you can claim.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some commonly asked questions regarding earning XP for agent contracts in Valorant:

1. What happens if I switch agent contracts mid-progression?

The XP you earned on the previous contract will be saved. You can switch back to it at any time and continue where you left off.

2. Does XP earned during special events count towards agent contracts?

Yes, XP earned during special events, game modes, and promotions will contribute towards your agent contract progress.

3. Is there a limit to how much XP I can earn in a day?

No, there’s no daily XP cap. You can grind as much as you want to accelerate your contract progression.

4. Do custom games contribute to agent contract XP?

Unfortunately, no. You must play in standard game modes like Unrated, Competitive, Spike Rush, etc., to earn XP towards contracts.

5. How do Kingdom Credits factor into unlocking agents?

Kingdom Credits are a completely separate way to unlock agents. You earn them simply by playing, and they act as an alternative to grinding agent contracts.

6. Is it more efficient to just buy Valorant Points (VP) instead of grinding XP?

That depends on your time and budget. If you value time more than money, buying VP is the faster option. If you prefer a free-to-play approach, grinding XP and Kingdom Credits is the way to go.

7. Do I earn XP faster on certain maps?

No, the map doesn’t influence the XP you earn. The game mode and your performance within that mode are the deciding factors.

8. Can I use XP boosts to accelerate contract progression?

Valorant doesn’t currently offer direct XP boosts purchasable with VP. However, they occasionally feature events that may provide bonus XP.

9. If I have multiple agent contracts active, is the XP split?

You can only have one agent contract active at a time. XP is applied only to the currently active contract.

10. Will Riot ever change how XP is earned in Valorant?

Riot Games frequently balances and updates Valorant, and the XP system is subject to change. Always stay updated with official patch notes and announcements.

11. How long does it really take to unlock an agent by grinding?

It depends on how much you play and how effectively you complete missions. Realistically, it can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks to unlock an agent through grinding.

12. What is the “Welcome Contract” and how does it help?

The Welcome Contract gives players rewards as you level up your account. At levels 5 and 10, you can use the welcome contract to claim free agents.

13. Can I refund an agent I purchased with VP?

Only unused in-game content and unused VP purchased within the last 14 days are eligible for a refund.

14. How do I unlock an Agent’s Gear?

An Agent’s Gear can only be unlocked when the player has owned or unlocked the agent. Players must unlock the current tier using Kingdom Credits before progressing to the next tier.

15. How do I learn more about Valorant’s game design?

For those interested in the deeper aspects of game design and learning mechanics, resources such as the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org offer valuable insights.

Mastering the art of earning XP for agent contracts is essential for unlocking the full Valorant experience. By understanding the various XP sources, optimizing your gameplay, and strategically prioritizing missions, you’ll be well on your way to collecting all the agents and dominating the battlefield. Happy grinding!