Valorant skins have never been cheap. Since Project: A, Riot Games has maintained a certain price for each edition, and after the initial shocks, the community came to terms. But players are again slamming the FPS game developer for asking too much for "lazy skin design", citing Soulstrife and the upcoming Abyssal pack as examples.
There are seven categories of skins in Valorant, but Exclusive, Ultra, and Premium are the most expensive lines. Prices for each class have remained the same since the game's release, but players have complained that the quality of the kits has dropped significantly in recent acts. According to the community, the developer is coming up with new designs using existing assets, which are prominent in all new kits.
Most premium bundles cost 7 Valorant Points, but players used to get five skins with multiple options, a VFX, plus a spray, a weapon buddy, and a map. However, in recent acts, many premium kits came with fewer options, no-kill banners, and didn't include a spray or gun buddy. As a result, different amounts of content for the same price are now causing dissatisfaction.
Soulstrife, Abyssal and Tigress are reminiscent of the Reaver collection. They are not an exact duplicate, but the theme looks eerily similar to the existing kits. However, these lazy designs cost as much as legendary Reaver skins, suggesting that Riot is silently jacking up the prices of good skins by pushing them into ultra and exclusive editions.
During the first year of Valorant's existence, Premium featured some of the best skins in the game. Simply put, players are concerned that the premium category is losing its value. This is the same edition that includes games like Reaver, Ion, Magepunk and more. But now the category is brimming with green screen, repetitive designs that encourage players to consider exclusive and ultra kits that are well outside the price range of the average Valorant fan.
Beyond that, the community as a whole is unhappy with the skins market. Valorant's in-game store has also been criticized for being small and fuzzy. Players are begging Riot to release pink handguns instead of the old handgun designs. Who knows? Perhaps the next package will have a pink paradise.
