So, you've downloaded VALORANT, a free-to-play tactical shooter that feels like a caffeinated chess match with guns. You look at the roster of Agents, those gloriously edgy heroes, and realize you can only pick from five. The rest are locked behind a system that, at first glance, makes about as much sense as a self-assembly IKEA wardrobe with no instructions. Don't worry, I've been there. After spending way too many hours deciphering what Contracts even are, I can help you navigate this digital labyrinth without needing to fund Riot’s next yacht.
From the start, the game gifts you five instantly playable Agents: Sova, Jett, Phoenix, Sage, and Brimstone. They're like the house salad at a steakhouse—perfectly serviceable but you know the prime rib is waiting in the back. The other five—Raze, Viper, Omen, Breach, and Cypher—are the ribeye. To sink your teeth into them, you need to grind, or swipe your credit card. But let's focus on the grind, because nothing says "I'm a dedicated gamer" like stubbornly refusing to pay.
The first two extra Agents are basically handed to you as a warm-up. After completing the tutorial, the game gives you a "new player experience" reward track. Grind your account level to 5, and you get one free Agent unlock token. Hit level 10, and you bag a second. This process is smoother than butter on a hot pancake and teaches you the rhythm of daily missions and match XP. If you're sharp, you can nail both unlocks within a few days of casual play. I personally used my first two on Raze and Viper—because explosions and poison gas are definitely the answer to "what should I bring to a gunfight?"
Now comes the part where the game stops holding your hand and instead hands you a tangled ball of yarn called Contracts. After those first two free unlocks, you still have three Agents left to obtain. The game will never, ever explicitly tell you how to proceed. It’s like being given a map of the stars and told to find your house. But once you know the trick, it’s hilariously simple.
Head to the main menu and click on the "Collection" tab at the top. Underneath that, select "Agents." On this screen, pick any locked Agent you covet—let's say Cypher, because surveillance is creepy yet effective. Look toward the lower right corner and you'll see a button that says "View Contract." Click it, and a branching line of reward tiers appears, like a subway map designed by a minimalist. At the bottom, another button says "Activate." Press it. That's the entire ritual. From this moment, every match you play and every daily mission you complete feeds experience into that Agent's Contract, slowly baking your progress. Think of it as a very lazy bread maker that only produces baguettes at tier 5.
The pace can feel glacial. Unlocking a single Agent through a Contract requires completing the fifth tier, which demands a hefty chunk of XP—roughly equivalent to about a week’s worth of dedicated playing for a normal human with a job, or one all-nighter for a committed gremlin. If patience isn't your virtue, you can buy tiers for 200 Radiante Points (RP) each. Since the Agent unlock sits at tier 5, you can essentially buy them outright for 1000 RP, which is about $10. That’s slightly less than the cost of a movie ticket in 2026, and you’ll probably get more entertainment hours from Omen teleporting behind enemies than from any sequel-laden blockbuster.
But what if you already unlocked an Agent and still see their Contract? Yes, even the freebies and your first two unlocks have Contracts. The first five tiers of their tracks are already completed, leaving you to grind the remaining tiers for extra goodies. These higher tiers award stuff like Gun Buddies—tiny adorable trinkets that dangle off your weapon like a keychain on a backpack—and unique weapon skins with thematic flair. Getting that Sova-themed Vandal skin gives you a sense of smug superiority that no amount of aim training ever could.
One of the smartest features, and something I wish real–life commitments allowed, is pausing Contracts. Suppose you’re halfway through grinding Breach, but you suddenly develop an urge to unlock Cypher’s spooky weapon skin instead. You can pause Breach’s Contract, activate Cypher’s, and chip away at that. When you miss the big Swedish man’s arm flashes, you can switch back, and your progress will be waiting faithfully, like a dog that never ages. This system invites you to dabble, experiment, and collect rewards at your own fragmented pace.
By 2026, VALORANT has added several new Agents beyond the original ten, but the Contract system remains the same old steamboat chugging along. The only difference is now you have more Contracts to juggle, which feels like trying to keep ten dinner plates spinning on sticks. Each new Agent release is accompanied by an eager scramble of players activating that fresh Contract and grinding until they either unlock the Agent or break their mouse in frustration.
If you’re just starting out, don’t let the opaque interface fool you. Unlocking the full roster is a marathon through good design buried under poor explanation. Follow the breadcrumbs: play until level 10 for two freebies, then manually activate a Contract, and watch the XP trickle in. Before you know it, you'll have the whole crew, and perhaps a newfound appreciation for how video games train us to endure delayed gratification—a skill that, ironically, you could also use to not buy skins. But that’s a guide for another day.