New Abyss teaser points at escaped prisoner, is it agent 8?

The prisoner in Abyss’ giant hourglass is on the run, leaving Sova all stressed out about the potential return of agent 8 to Valorant.

Hourglass has been a pivotal element in Valorant’s lore, closely tied to the mysterious agent 8, who is now suspected to be the upcoming new character. The release of the lore-rich Abyss map, featuring an hourglass-shaped cell holding an unknown entity, further fueled speculation. Notably, the number 8 resembles the hourglass symbol, leading players to believe that agent 8, not 26, may be the next character to be revealed.

If true, the latest developments in Abyss would signal a seismic shift in Valorant’s lore, because our detainee is on the run.

Agent 8 could solve the Valorant lore

In the latest patch update, the cell in Abyss is open with metal branches wrapped around the edges. It’s evident that it wasn’t unlocked from the inside, implying that someone broke into it. Coincidentally, all teasers of the upcoming agent have the same metal branches. The break has also been confirmed by Sova in a call to Brimstone.

“Brimstone pick up. Listen. Somethings happened! The containment cell has been smashed open by whatever was inside. There’s metal everywhere,” said Sova.

When players ghost-mode inside the cell, they only see a metal mask of sorts and nothing more. Whoever was inside was crucial to the story and the Hourglass kingdom but is now loose.

If our theory that this individual is agent 8 proves correct, players should brace themselves for significant lore developments. The current Valorant lore has a major unresolved question surrounding the whereabouts of agent 8. If the next character is indeed the metal-bending wildling, it would not only shed light on Omen’s mysterious past but also reveal Iso’s true allegiances, answering two of the lore’s biggest questions.

For those unaware, Iso previously worked for the mysterious Hourglass kingdom, and apparently, Omen did as well. However, the latter has lost all memories of his past, including his work history. Where Iso refuses to share more intel about Hourglass, he also swears he’s loyal to Valorant.

All of this will unfold when the next agent joins the agent pool in August.