Valorant runs a kernel anti-cheat. Here's how we handle it.
- Vanguard runs in kernel mode (ring-0).
Riot's anti-cheat loads as a signed driver (vgk.sys) at Windows boot and stays resident. It can see every process, every loaded module, and every memory region on your system from the moment your PC starts.
- Detection is permanent and hardware-bound.
If Vanguard flags your machine, the ban is HWID-locked to your CPU, motherboard, and storage fingerprints. A Windows re-install will not clear it. Use a separate or temporary Windows install if that's a concern.
- Nimbus is built around how Vanguard actually scans.
Our drop pattern places the payload in Valorant's CRT search path AFTER Vanguard's pre-launch scan window closes. The disk stays clean during the scan; the game then loads the overlay via Win32's normal search order before the lobby renders.
By purchasing, you acknowledge that competitive multiplayer software carries detection risk. Use at your own discretion; all sales are final and a ban does not entitle you to any remedy. Questions before you buy? Ask in Discord.
Why we mention a kernel-driver hint
The Valorant installer may mention a sidecar driver fallback. The short version: the default Nimbus build runs entirely in user mode — the fallback only exists for hardened Windows images. The details below explain when, why, and how.
Why does Nimbus mention a kernel-driver fallback at all?
Vanguard is ring-0. When the game is running, every user-mode trick our overlay would normally use (read process memory, install hooks, write to internal buffers) is visible to a kernel driver that the game itself ships. We don't ship a driver in the default Nimbus build — the Vanguard-aware drop pattern keeps us in user mode by riding into Valorant's process via Win32's normal CRT search. The hint exists because, on a small subset of hardened Windows images (custom IT builds, certain enterprise SKUs with Device Guard or HVCI on by default), Vanguard's scan window leaves us no clean user-mode window. On those rigs only, the installer asks if you want to enable the sidecar driver fallback. The default answer is No.
When would the sidecar driver fallback actually run?
Only if you explicitly enable it in the installer, AND the user-mode drop fails twice in a row at Launch time. The loader writes a short forensic log to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Nimbus\launch_diag.log on every Launch attempt — if you ever see the sidecar message, that log will tell you exactly which probe failed. The fallback is signed with our own driver-signing certificate, loads as a single-shot user-initiated module (not a boot driver), and unloads when Valorant exits. It does not stay resident after the game closes.
Can I just leave the sidecar fallback off?
Yes. The vast majority of customers do. The user-mode drop pattern is the supported, recommended, and default path. The sidecar exists as an option for advanced users whose Windows image is locked down past where user-mode tricks can work — on a normal gaming rig with HVCI off and Memory Integrity off (the default), the fallback is never engaged. If you've never disabled either of those, you're on the user-mode path.
Choose your beta tier
Every tier ships the full Valorant feature set. Beta customers get rolling-channel access and a permanent founder discount when Valorant moves to general availability.
Bitcoin · Ethereum · USDC via SellAuth. Card checkout follows the Marvel rollout. Beta cohort is Discord-supported with a dedicated channel.
The Month pass is the beta sweet spot.
Thirty days of full access. Monthly costs less than two Weekly passes but covers four-plus weeks of play. Priority Discord queue + rolling beta channel access included.
- Tac-shooter tuned — not a generic FOV slider repurposed for hitscan
- Information ESP — abilities, cooldowns, spike math — not just boxes
- Vanguard-aware deployment — built around how the AC actually scans
One license model. Three titles.
Each Nimbus title ships on the same loader, the same dashboard, and the same dedicated Discord. Buying one tier on one title doesn't entitle you to another, but the workflow you learn carries across all of them.
The Valorant beta lives in Discord.
Patch status, Vanguard-window timing, launch troubleshooting, and direct access to the build engineer — all in a dedicated channel for beta customers.
All sales are final. License keys are HWID-bound and non-transferable except via the in-dashboard HWID-reset flow. Detection risk is inherent to ring-0 anti-cheat; a ban does not entitle you to any remedy.