The Ultimate Guide: How to Ping in Valorant – Tips and Tricks

Have you ever wondered what pinging is in Valorant? Pinging plays a crucial role in communication and coordination within the game.

This article explores the importance of fixing high ping in Valorant, how to effectively use pings, the different types of pings available, and the benefits of incorporating pinging into your gameplay.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned player, mastering the art of pinging can greatly enhance your overall performance in Valorant.

What Is Pinging in Valorant?

Pinging in Valorant is selecting an object or spot on the map to communicate intelligence to your team. This helps everyone in matchmaking by providing knowledge in situations of minimal voice or text communication. This promotes teamplay and is especially useful when not everyone on the team shares a common language. In Valorant, you can ping a smoke location, a known opponent’s location, an enemy spike, request the spike, provide the location where to plant the spike, disable friendly fire, or simply provide the position of everyone on the team. Pinging shows the same purpose as a successful teamplay with voice communication. One player relays information to a different location to help teammates who are on the front lines.

Why Is Pinging Important in Valorant?

Pinging is important in Valorant because it provides a new form of communication that establishes teamwork during gunplay in VALORANT. Communication in professional sports, military services, and musicians is necessary in order to effectively participate and win. The same can be said for competitive first-person shooter video games. Therefore tools like pinging were added by the creators to help all types of gamers communicate and obtain the required information with minimal downtime.

Professional VALORANT player Oscar of Lingby explains it this way during a live game. “Pick up the AWP so you can drop it for me next round. Thank you.” This type of communication may seem excessively wordy to many players in the heat of battle especially when the enemy is not far away. Pinging the AWP along with text can invoke a faster response from the teammate and is far easier for a teammate to rally behind quickly than a wall of text in the chat that warrants multiple readings.

How to Ping in Valorant?

You can use the Z-time default key on your keyboard to ping in Valorant on the location where you are aiming or to mark your last Sova recon dart location. While holding down the Z key, you can move the mouse and press the left mouse button to activate the marker. The use of this ping system can be helpful for communication, but in games where verbal communication is possible, it is rarely used because it requires pressing a key and using the mouse. The instruction is that the left mouse button alone should be used to mark the location of an opp or to mark the location of an ability, such as Killjoy’s turret or Yoru’s gate.

The general function of pinging in Valorant is to communicate with teammates. This communication can relate to where an opponent is, where an enemy ability is, where teammates should move or defend, and where weapons or tools are located. When a teammate says in the voice chat Jett is pushing from A short a lot, but does not know any specific information on her location for the remainder of the push. Pinging the area where Jett was last seen could provide that

This video explains the different ways to ping on Valorant.

Using the Ping Button

Pinging is used in Valorant to signal threats such as enemies, request help, notify your team about important activities or decision-making, and suggest strategies concerning buying. You can use the G key at the center of your keyboard to use the ping feature based on movement direction according to default key bindings. Players have the capability to toggle their ping settings during movement. In the key binding section of the Settings Menu, there is an option to change the bind for the contextual ping placement modifier to Always On. By using the T button after selecting this option, players can ping/juggle even using the context-sensitive ping placement modifier (default is Alt). Doing this twice will set the modifier from the toggle setting to always on. This means you can insert another juggle ping with movement regarding people, encouragement, and location.

You can split away from your team and need to notify them of your regions or intentions to have a better defense strategy with your team or an alternate plan concerning getting the spike or attacking a common enemy. The ping system provides players with inbuilt mechanics to determine how likely it is that a different plan or strategy or action will prevail as compared to the player’s current tactical approach. Additionally, if you die and you have neither Sova nor Cypher on your team, you can ping the spike location and track it to the next person’s location. This allows a team member to find the spike quickly by creating a forward path.

Using the Map

There are two ways to view the map in Valorant: as a mini-map, which is turned on for players by default and not rotatable, and as a full map, which players are able to open with the 7 key by default.

Both mini-maps used for tactical and radio view on the escape menu give players a top-down perspective of the map, including their team members’ locations, the location of the spike, and information about their surroundings. Radio view defines where to go for the spike, while tactical identifies where to go to assist your teammates.

The following icons are available on the map. They are noteworthy as they are commonly mentioned during gameplay and the players should know how to read and recognize them.

1. V – Your agent
2. Spike – Objective-focused icon
3. 1(2) (3) (4) – Numbered icons representing your team’s agent
4. hole icon with message ‘the enemy’s remaining in the hole’

This image is a side-by-side comparison of the tactical view on the escape menu and a player’s map view. The tactical map includes the number of spots where the spike-holder can play, the number of planted spike status, and closely resembles the default HUD with various important navigational icons.

Using the Mini-Map

The mini-map is an essential interface element to understand how to ping in valorant effectively. It provides basic information to the player and helps to organize communication across the rest of the team. The mini-map displays relevant tactical information in various colors and shapes. Various objectives are displayed with colors and figures. Players, like Yoru’s decoy or Brimstone’s incendiary, will appear as colorful dots representing the fast tactic’s owner. The spy camera location and orientation also appear on the minimap. There is typically an opaque square highlighted around the player’s hero which updates as the player moves. An oval indicates the player’s field of view.

What Are the Different Types of Pings in Valorant?

Communicative pings are signals used for communication and not for specific identification. They can be radius pings, danger pings, or pings that offer suggestions. Danger pings are used for alerting team members as to where an enemy is or potentially could be. There are two types of danger pings. The half arrow that looks to the left and says danger means that an opponent is there. The full arrow that points forward and says danger implies that an opponent can be found in any area towards which the triangle is pointed. Even if it is used as the default ping, the radius ping shows a blue screen ring expanding outwards in a circle, but it does not show its origin. This type of notification is therefore selected when it is less important to identify the source. Communication pings for marking objectives are typically used at the beginning of the match. These are the two objectives: a temperature-controlled XY form, and a toxic ASTM bin. For the temperature controlled XY scanner there is a yellow location marker which means that this is the ideal path, ie. The fastest way towards the objective marker.

Enemy Ping

You Enemy Ping in Valorant to communicate threat locations you do not have clear vision of. 2 seconds of a red diamond-shaped icon representing the enemy outlines their last known location on the map for allies. To ping enemy locations in Egypt, Valley, Bind, Breeze, Translation, Icebox, Ascent, simply hold down your mouse and move your crosshair to the compass so that the icon with your target’s agent face is displayed and click the mouse once. You may linger on the map longer when pinging the enemy to help with precision mapwide callouts.

Location Ping

Location pings seem a new feature that Riot is currently testing (similar to what they have in Apex Legends), and players activating the ping system by default are only seeing hostile agent pings. When in-game and no key is pressed, holding the alt key shows how the ping and radio wheel is set up for attacking or defending. Players are only seeing the new icons in that image on the lower left middle (under the shop) of the screen if they are pinging. The location ping (spotted) system, once more fleshed out, will likely have a unique key binding although we can’t know what the default Valorant bind will be yet.

When a friendly agent is visible to you on the minimap, a player can click on that agent’s player icon on the left side of the screen. This initiates a location ping – the icon under the player’s icon flashes according to what they are saying and what map image has been clicked on that minimap. The icon can be located by flying back under the player’s picture (although it’s hard to manifest in text what it looks like visually). Until Riot releases its further implementation, fully functioning documentation for this feature (which is worth going over as there are no unique challenges with this one that are not covered in the other two types of pings), players will simply need to wait to find out more.

Ultimate Ability Ping

The identifier character’s Ultimate Ability is pinged by pressing X or the Agent-Specific Ultimate Bind (not set by default) and Left-Clicking on-screen or Ctrl + Left Click in the map. X can be held down on the scoreboard to ping the availability of the agent’s Ultimate Ability or the time left until it is charged.

In the image below, the agent King V dmir pings his Ultimate Ability. Pinging an agent’s Ultimate Ability affects the entire team since it is a special ability for each agent that requires time and energy to charge, usually taking the entire game to build and sometimes not activating at all (e.g., Astra). It is even more important to use this ping effectively to convey both positive and negative information, if the agent requested it (Z).

Ultimate ability pings are only available for your team. They will see the count-down time or power bar fill up to know 1) I will have my Ultimate soon, prepare your strategy around me, and 2) I do not have enough Ultimate Power yet so be careful and protect me.

Requesting Assistance Ping

Players can hold the Z button and move their mouse to hover over Requesting assistance to open the wheel. Placing the cursor at the center of the wheel sends a quick Requesting assistance ping to the last position of the previous location ping. Alternatively, players can use the Alt key with their mouse to quickly ping location again. This will also inform the team that the player was at the same location as before. That’s one way to signal that enemies have returned or that your location is once again clear.

What Are the Benefits of Pinging in Valorant?

The benefits of pinging in Valorant including conveying important information and team strategy in a fast and efficient manner as well as to initiate a defensive or offensive strategy. Between the natural APM limitations on ping usage and their fast communication, they have multiple benefits for improving teamwork and strategy by making callouts more informative and less obtrusive. While informative callouts are valuable, just as important are vague pings simply emphasizing points on the map.

An example of a ping that needs no further description is an attacking ping with the green go circle, which by itself on the deployable spike, will let other players know you are going that way without needing to say it verbally. Some of the benefits of pinging are increased map awareness, less typing and speaking time, simple info gathering, initiating a defensive or attacking strategy, and keeping alive teammates informed of events. Here are some simple ways to do such pings.

Improves Communication

Pinging in Valorant can improve communication on your team by helping your teammates understand your intentions. Not everyone feels comfortable talking during gameplay, and pings can be an alternative communication method. An article by SHABoChun on P ContentView emphasizes the importance of not only listening to, but actively following each other’s shots. This helps to avoid repeated ping usage. Especially in high-stress, fast-action game situations, the use of pings should be applied for even more simplified information transmission. Players should be able to respond to pings better, enhancing the effect of team communication.

Helps with Team Coordination

Team coordination is critical in Valorant, and pings are effective when used not only for general information dissemination but also to coordinate with your team. When IGLs and team members are unable to communicate with their microphones or there is excessive cross talk, pings can serve as a good substitute for calling things out loud.

The proper use of pings can assist in drawing lines of fire, allowing players to function as a single unit. This fosters the notion of a two-way street prorp where each player’s actions are inspired and executed. Execute and secure sites as a squad, rather than chasing flashy plays and operating individually.

Allows for Quick and Accurate Information Sharing

Ping radio commands can be slow or miscommunicated as they are words spoken in the heat of the moment that are not easily heard and understood. Hand signals require even more coordination than radio commands and can take your focus away from the task to physically indicate something. Pinging in Valorant can be quickly and easily done with just one key press, with how far away from you the target of the ping is shown directly on-screen – as well in the minimap. This allows for efficient sharing of information that helps keep your team focused on gameplay rather than communication channels. This ease of communication is helpful in busy games with lots of chaotic chatter. In these cases, keeping pings brief allows for a large volume of efficient information transfer.

How to Use Pings Effectively in Valorant?

By incorporating them naturally into your communication experience of using pings in Valorant. Never spam pings on the map for no reason as they will cluter your team’s communication and reduce their effectiveness for actually marking major events. Type shortly what the ping represents if you have time, but be sure to say the event out loud on your microphone.

Be Clear and Specific

When you ping in Valorant, remember to be specific and clear about what you want your teammates to understand. If you are pointing out the location of opponents, include numbers in relation to the nearest objects. For example, if you are in the B site of Haven and spot the enemy Marshall sniper in spawn, say ‘Sniper in their spawn at -3’ which indicates the other team’s spawn area with windows from which a Marshall could be used to look down into B site. Always remember that the opponent’s spawn is referred to as 0 on the mini-map extra context on what the opponent might be doing and their team’s positioning. Just saying that you hear them or see an opponent can result in miscommunication, which is particularly important when playing competitive games such as Valorant. Remember to only use strategic location-based information whenever possible.

Use Pings to Call Out Enemy Locations

Another key aspect of Ajeet’s message about how to ping in Valorant involves calling out enemy locations. Enemy locations can alter any team’s strategy drastically, so all team members need to be aware of pings. It is important to always use the correct one. Riot has given players a variety of options with a multitude of tools to exercise the correct strategy. This is a much bigger topic than this guide, but all of the tools are beneficial.

There are two main strategies where pinging enemy locations is advantageous:

1. Directly Where Attack is Happening: Ping on enemies to indicate their location if you see them or hear bullets hitting them.
2. Secure Path to Exit or Target: After spotting the enemies or leftover traces of them, ping enemy locations in common exit and shelter points. This heads off the enemies and gives your teammates the ability to plan their next move with more information.

Pros like Jonathan ‘EliGE’ Jablonowski are able to use enemy pings in these strategic chess moves. He is a professional player from Team Liquid, an esports organization based in The Netherlands. A very good guide on how to use pings in Valorant that talks about all types of pings can be found in the Outplayed article entitled How to Use Pings in Valorant written by George Salt. The article specifically touches on understanding pings, strategic value, tactical uses, do’s and don’ts, pinging where, and situation placeholders.

Use Pings to Request Assistance or Support

In Valorant, pings are used to request assistance or support by signaling to your teammates that you are moving one direction while you want them to move another. You might ping to indicate that you are going to look up while others should look down, or simply to request that the cell member sticks closer to you for better support during a push or defense.

Note that you cannot ping weapons or attachments in Valorant; assistance, support, enemies, and objectives are the only options available.

In Valorant, shift (Alt) is the default key for a ping. You can click to view ping categories, combined with movement or aim keys, followed by another click to assign the ping. You can also hold the ping button for continuous pings.

Use Pings to Communicate Strategy and Tactics

You can use pings to communicate strategies and tactics with your team on the best way to take and defend sites. You can ping a site to indicate you are going that way. Also, if you expect enemies to be at a location, ping that location so your team is aware and can help you. Strategize with team members on the best spot to hold once a site is taken using pings.

What Are Some Tips for Mastering Pinging in Valorant?

Some tips for mastering pinging in Valorant are practice, non-verb pitch control, and utilizing the pinging tool even outside of a competitive match. Pinging can be the answer you’ve been seeking for when you need to transmit a thought or coordinate without disturbing either yourself or teammates. We can all play better together while still pursuing different interests or using music, so try using pings in casual play to let your teammates know you aren’t listening, ‘I have the bomb’ ora you are on your way.

Practice Using Pings in Custom Games

Practice using pings in custom games to get comfortable and confident with them without affecting your team in real matches. If possible, organize a game where all players agree to use pings only. This makes everyone involved better at using them and does not put the team at a competitive disadvantage. It will make everyone using them more sensitive to when and where they are useful, and players can work on the skill in competitive matches later.

Practice pinging seldom-used items and callouts during this time to ensure you have a comprehensive vocabulary for when you will eventually need it. If you don’t want to recruit your custom game participants for this, simply practice surveying and scanning areas where opponents are likely to be hiding and ping similar areas to put them in your muscle memory.

Communicate with Your Teammates about Pinging Strategies

Members of your team will have different playstyles and preferences when it comes to using the ping system. An article by playvalorant.com says that communicating with your team when and where you ping will ensure that everyone is on the same page. Some players tend to be more talkative than others, but it is worth it to push past your natural inclination and communicate your pings with your team, as they will be able to enhance your information with their own perspectives.

Pay Attention to Your Mini-Map

Be aware of any surroundings on your mini-map. When you see a range of locations from which an enemy might attack, report it. Your teammates can react accordingly with their own position or readiness to take on the threat quickly and easily only because they had that information.

If you notice that the surrounding area on your mini-map is empty and your teammates are themselves creating noise (firing guns, running, or going through an alleyway loudly), take your eyes off whatever area you are trying to defend for a few seconds. You need to be prepared because that is when the enemies will choose to advance, and you need a micro view to react to that since your own running and shooting is making it impossible to hear the enemies advancing.

You should always be aware of what is going on with your surroundings through awareness of map noise and through teammate callout/discussing future gameplan. For example, Taimou sees a group of enemies moving in from the backside of A bombsite. He quickly calls it out so that the other teammates are aware, and can keep an eye out. Whether the attackers come in or not is irrelevant, the goal is to block all potentially hiding locations so that the damage quickly piling up on the walls to your back is kept to a minimum. This awareness from a single teammate can determine early whether a livestock of 1 or 5 will come to an end.

Use Pings as a Backup Plan for Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is the most efficient form of communication in the Valorant game. If you need to get information across quickly, it is typically faster to just call out intel rather than taking the time to ping an exact location. Spoken communication is also more context-rich, allowing for subtleties and nuance in one’s thoughts and intentions that are difficult to express through pings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I ping in Valorant? To ping in Valorant, press the “Z” key on your keyboard while aiming at the desired location on your screen.

Can I ping specific objects or enemies in Valorant? Yes, you can ping specific objects or enemies by hovering your crosshair over them and pressing the “Z” key.

Is there a limit to how many times I can ping in Valorant? No, there is no limit to how many times you can ping in Valorant. You can continuously ping to communicate with your team.

Can I customize my ping options in Valorant? Yes, you can customize your ping options in the game settings to change the keybind for pinging or adjust the ping volume.

How do I ping while using a controller in Valorant? To ping while using a controller in Valorant, press the “Left” button on the D-pad while aiming at the desired location.

Can I ping while in the buy menu in Valorant? Yes, you can ping while in the buy menu by using the same ping keybind, “Z”. This can be helpful for communicating with your team about which items to buy.