October 5, 2023
Jett is an agent that requires plenty of practice. Still, if you’re willing to put in the time to learn how to use her on specific matchups and on different maps, you can become an efficient entry fragger and a reliable defensive anchor.
She is built around speed and can easily throw opponents off balance with her quick movements and vertical abilities. She can launch herself upwards of forward, and her passive allows her to glide rather than fall to the ground.
Jett has a lot of versatility, along with her dynamic movement options. Her abilities include a smoke ability and a dominating knife-throwing ult. In addition, her setup options give her sightliness that no other agent can take advantage of. Here is what you’ll need to know to start top fragging with Jett.
Tailwind (E ability)
This ability instantly propels Jett in the direction she is moving. If Jett is standing still, she will propel forward. Her dash puts her in a unique position. It can be a solid counter to an enemy Cypher. Jett can lead the charge if the enemy has a Cypher and you figure out where they like to drop their wires.
Tailwind can also be used to take aggressive sightlines and peaks while avoiding getting traded. Once a site is locked down, and you set up your shot, if you get the kill and more enemies appear, or even if you can’t confirm the kill, you can use tailwind to make a quick escape and regroup. Even if your position is given away, you can adjust your gameplay accordingly if you survive the initial fight.
As long as you push through angles and learn how to escape masterfully with Tailwind, you can play aggressively with almost no repercussions. Some of the best places to use this would be long pathways or hallways. That way, once you peek through, you have a long way to walk through to get out. Always keep in mind which direction Tailwind would push you. Using it ineffectively could cause you to hit a wall while you’re trying to escape, and it could lead to you being an easy kill. Tailwind is best used as an escape tool, as using it aggressively can put you in a rough position because it will take time to pull your weapon back out. However, combining Tailwind[1] (#_msocom_1) with an updraft can close the distance on the enemy team with expert precision.
Cloudburst (C ability)
This ability allows Jett to throw a projectile that expands into a brief vision-blocking cloud on impact with a surface. If you hold the ability key, you can curve the smoke in the direction of your crosshair.
Cloudburst is best used to deter pushes after aggressively peeking. This can be used in combination with Tailwind to allow Jett to move more aggressively. She can push angles with longer pathways and get away by throwing a Cloudburst and then using Tailwind to boost her escape.
This ability differs from other smokes in the game. Being able to throw them out and curve them gives Jett the ability to block lines of sight that you may not be able to approach from your position. With its quick cast time, Cloudburst can also be a great tool to avoid trades. You can drop the smoke on yourself when you’re in a tough spot to throw the enemy off your scent after a kill or plant.
Pushing through smokes with Jett can be a valuable strategic move. With her dash, she can reliably get a pick since players are not usually expecting a push. You can use an ability out of smoke or quickly get away after reappearing. On defense, like other smoke abilities, Cloudburst can be used to smoke entry points to make the enemy decide between waiting it out or pushing through.
Updraft (Q Ability)
This ability allows Jett to propel herself high into the air instantly. Jett can use updraft to position herself in unique angles that force enemies to check more locations when pushing. This ability can be used to gain more tactical information as well. You can spot players for your team and then use your dash ability to fall back from the high ground safely.
Updraft is a great offensive ability to gain site advantage. If you were to take the risk of updrafting into a fight, you can easily split the enemy’s focus giving your team a poush advantage while the enemy is distracted. Being a duelist sometimes means taking one for the team.
On defense, you can give yourself a better angle on the attacking team. You can use this ability to see over a Sage wall and get unexpected picks. You can fake-out the opposing team by using Updraft for its noticeable sound effect. If the enemy team is close and hears this sound, it may cause them to look up in search of you even though you never left your original position.
Jett’s passive glide ability can also come in handy when using Updraft. Pressing the spacebar in mid-air lets Jett hover and lose altitude slower than she normally would. This can be used to gain intel and scout above enemy smokes or to open up a play for her ult.
Blade Storm (X Ability / Ultimate)
Bladestorm equips a set of highly accurate knives that recharge on killing an opponent. Fire to throw a single knife at your target. Alternate Fire to throw all remaining daggers at your target.
This ability requires a lot of mechanical skill and is highly technical to use. Even if you’re floating in the air, the blades are still precise, which can put you at a slight advantage when dueling. The alternate fire has a huge spread, and it would take at least three body shots or one headshot to take an enemy down.
When using this ability, keep track of how many daggers you have before using your alternate fire. If you have fewer than four daggers left, it may be better to refrain from using alternate fire. If you use alternate fire and miss or your target remains alive, you will be defenseless and disadvantaged.
Combining your Updraft ability with Blade Storm can set up angles no other player can hit. You can fly over walls on certain maps and land a quick pick to decide a round before your team has even begun their push. This can also give you a complete aerial view of a good portion of a site which will grant valuable intel for you and your team.
Tips and Tricks
- Use tailwind to escape after aggressively pushing
- Shotguns or Operators are your best friend in combination with Tailwind and Blade Storm
- Updraft for unique angles
- Cloudburst to quickly cover your tracks
If you’re just starting out with Valorant, Jett can be quite the difficult character to pick up. However, with practice, Jett can easily help dominate a map. Once you know how to use Jett in creative ways, you can potentially wipe an entire team with just her ultimate in combination with her other abilities.