Valorant Astra Guide: How To Play Astra Like a Pro [25 Useful Astra Tips You Should Know]

Updated:

08 Oct 2022

Have you ever wanted to use Astra but was overwhelmed with her complicated skills? Did you pick her that one time and was confused on what all of her abilities do? Or are you one of those who already uses her and wants to do better?

You've come to the right place because I'm here to transform you from an Astra zero to an Astra hero. Here are 25 tips to make you a pro with Astra.

25. Delay the Push

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5xlSZ2dT4Y&t=782s

One of Astra’s strong points is delaying the push of enemies coming onto the site. You can delay rushing opponents with either the gravity well or the nova pulse.

Gravity well is the better and more consistent ability of the two, as it has a longer duration, which makes it harder for opponents to push the site.

24. Star Management

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=867

All of Astra’s skills can only be used when you have stars, so managing them well throughout the round is essential for her to be effective.

You can put your stars down during the buying phase for easy use of skills when the round starts. Be sure to put stars only on the essential parts of the map. Also, with this in mind, be sure to save at least 1 star in your inventory to help other parts of the map during the round.

23. Combo With Your Skills

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=934

The best thing about Astra’s stars is that you can put them anywhere on the map with precision. With this in mind, it is best to combo your skills with each other to catch enemies off guard.

22. Use Your Ultimate Skill Efficiently

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1004

Astra’s Ultimate is one of the best in terms of retaking the site as it not only covers the other side but also prevents bullets from coming through it.

The best way to make use of your ultimate is when you and your teammates are retaking a site. Use your ultimate to divide the site in two to enter with your team more easily, as you will only have half a site to look for enemies.

21. Learn To Fast Wall

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1157

Astra's Ultimate is one of the hardest ultimates to cast in Valorant. Using your ultimate with speed and precision is the key to improving your Astra gameplay. Make sure to practice in a custom game on how to use Astra's ultimate ability and learn how to use it fast and the right way.

Mastering Astra's ultimate will help you retake the site or get out of sticky situations faster, and help your teammates as soon as possible.

20. Learn Post Plant Lineups

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1532

When you have already taken the site and planted the spike without using too many of your stars, you can instead use them to delay the defuse. There are several tricks you can do to stop the defuse depending on how many stars you have left.

If you have one star left, you can put your star near the spike and when you hear the defuse, use gravity well to stop the defuse. Beware that if you put it too near the spike, the enemies will not get pulled out of the defusing range.

If you have two stars left, you can put two stars near the spike and when you hear the defuse, use gravity well and nova pulse to both pull and stun the enemy for an easy kill.

If you only have three stars left, place three near the spike and, when you hear the defuse, use gravity well, nova pulse, and finally, recall the last star to confuse your opponent as to where you are coming from for an easy kill.

19. Be Mindful Of Going Into Astral Form

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1648

When Astra is in astral form, she is vulnerable and can be easily spotted and killed when you are not careful.

Be sure to always be in a safe place before going into astral form, as this will make it harder for your teammates to push without your help.

18. Use Astral Forms Momentum

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1664

When Astra goes into astral form, her momentum will continue to go for a short period of time and reposition you depending on the direction you are going.

This can be used to your advantage when you want to place a star fast and go to cover at the same time.

17. Use Gravity Well To Cancel Abilities

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1911

Astra's gravity well can not only pull in enemies but can also pull in other agent abilities. Using your gravity well can hinder opponents from getting information on the site and help you hold your position without the fear of enemies knowing your position.

Be cautious not to always use your gravity well for this, as enemies can now enter your site without fear of being drawn in by the gravity well.

16. Use Stars Aggressively

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=1980

Astra's star can also be used aggressively to catch enemies off guard. You can use your stars and recall them to get a short smoke and surprise your opponents for a kill.

Stars can also be placed on common spots where enemies peek from, so you can use gravity wells or nova pulses for easy kills. Stars can also be used to scare enemies off of common angles, as they will be wary of your skills being used.

15. Combo With Your Team

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=2017

Astra's abilities are powerful on their own, but when combined with other agents, they become even more powerful. Communicating is key in Valorant, and asking for teammates to combo your abilities with theirs will be devastating for the enemies.

14. Use Stars Creatively

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=2064

Astra's star can be used creatively on certain parts of the map as a cover. Astra is a very versatile agent, and her skills can be used in different ways. Experiment in certain spots and maps to catch enemies off-guard.

Be warned that this tip has a downside wherein you will lose a star to use on other spots in the map, so use this only when you are sure that the other site is safe.

13. Fake With Your Ultimate

https://youtu.be/M5xlSZ2dT4Y?t=2137

Astra's ultimate has a lot of uses, and one of those is faking a site. You can use Astra's ability on the other site to throw enemies into rotation and then push the other site freely.

This strategy is good as it will make it harder for enemies to retake the site as you will still have all your stars to stop them from pushing.

12. Learn To Put Stars Fast

https://youtu.be/7zNrGR3psi0?t=161

One of the best things to learn as an Astra is to put your stars as fast as possible on attack. When you push, your enemies will be caught off guard and will have no time to react.

Make sure to head into a custom game and practice placing your stars with speed and precision.

11. Learn Default Setups

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=118

Learning default setups is a must if you want to improve your Astra gameplay. Learning these setups will help you and your team get information and make site pushes easier.

Be sure to learn the default setups for every map, as every map will have different ways for you to set up your stars.

10. Learn Site Hold Setups

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=206

Learning site hold setups is a must if you want to improve your Astra gameplay. Learning these setups will help you and your team hold off your enemies, rundown the clock, and win the round. Site hold setups also make it harder for opponents to rush the site, making it easier for your team to rotate and help you.

Be sure to learn the site hold setups for every map, as every map will have different ways for you to set up your stars.

9. Learn Retake Setups

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=331

Learning retake setups is a must if you want to improve your Astra gameplay. Learning these setups will help you and your team enter the site easier as it will cover common angles where enemies are hiding and coming from.

Be sure to learn the site retake setups for every map, as every map will have different ways for you to set up your stars.

8. Stay Alive

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=843

I know this is a no-brainer, but trust me when I say that staying alive with Astra is beneficial not only to you, but also to your team. Astra is a controller agent who helps with controlling the pace of the game. If you die too early in the round, your team will have a harder time holding or pushing the site as they will have no smoke to cover them or protect them.

But this doesn't mean that you will only stay in the back and wait for things to happen. You can play with off-angles, keep changing your spot to make your opponents think about where you are, and so much more.

7. Learn To Use The Killbox Setup

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=1029

Deeper into the game, you will notice how your opponents play the game. You will know how they push the site and how they defend the site. This is where the Killbox setup comes into play.

When you read where your opponents will try to push you from, you can use the killbox setup. You can set this up by placing two stars in front of your smoke. And when the enemies push the smoke, you can go ahead and activate the gravity well and nova pulse to pull them in and stun them at the same time for easy kills.

Be warned that this will leave the other site vulnerable to pushes as they will see that no stars are set up. Only use this if you are sure that the push will be coming your way.

6. Learn How To Use Skills In Astral Form

https://youtu.be/F-RTFelTLqc?t=1126

One Astra trick that everyone doesn't seem to utilize is using skills while in astral form. While in astral form, you can set up stars and use your skills without getting out of astral form.

This is most useful when you want to execute a site as fast as possible without wasting any time.

5. Skill Cooldown Management

https://youtu.be/iDMoOjYU3t8?t=66

With the previous Astra nerfs, her cooldowns are now longer than ever. This is why you need to manage your stars and skills well. You should only use stars when it is necessary, as recalling them will make them go on cooldown. The same goes for your gravity well and nova pulse.

4. Learn To Fake Cross

https://youtu.be/Hs7d7dOQggw?t=213

One of the skills Astra has is dissipate. Dissipate recalls your star and leaves a trail of smoke for a few seconds. You can use this smoke to fake out opponents and catch them off guard for an easy kill.

One of the best ways to use this is when you want to fake a cross to the other side. To keep your enemies guessing about your location, place a star in a common location and dissipate it to either cross or not.

Dissipate can also be used defensively; for example, place a star where you believe an enemy is watching and dissipate it to cross to the other side without being shot at.

3. Learn The Recall Rush Strategy

https://youtu.be/Hs7d7dOQggw?t=578

One of the best ways to rush a site is to learn the star recall strategy. Place your stars in a straight line where you want to rush and dissipate all of your stars one after the other. This will confuse your enemies as there will be lots of smoke in the area.

This strategy is good when you want to plant the spike with ease. The recall strategy is also good if you are on a save round to surprise your enemies.

To add to this strategy, you can also use the other stars as real smoke and only the others as fake smoke to confuse them even further.

2. Bait Smokes

https://youtu.be/08lRS7E62o8?t=336

Astra is one of the best at faking a site push because she can place her stars anywhere on the map. Learn to bait stars to the other site by leaving stars on the other site, then recalling them to fake a smoke, then placing your real smokes on the site that you are pushing from.

Be creative with your star baits, as your opponent can read your play if you use them repetitively.

1. Learn To Smoke Properly

https://youtu.be/08lRS7E62o8?t=154

And here, the last and the best tip for you to be an Astra main is to learn how to put your smoke properly. Learning how to place good smokes will be essential in playing Astra, as a slight error in your smoke can be beneficial to the enemy team's push.

Be sure to practice how to put good smokes on every map, as this will help not only you but also your team to victory.

That’s it! Those are the 25 tips that can elevate your game with Astra. Be sure to always practice and put in the work, and you’ll be radiant in no time!