The biggest winners and losers of Valorant patch 1.0
The patch includes a new agent and map, five agent changes, and a whole lot of bug fixes to Valorant.
Riot has just released the first major patch for Valorant, which came with the game’s worldwide release.
In the patch, they’ve added inReyna as the game’s 11th agent. Players were also treated to a brand new map called Ascent, along with a new unique game mode called Spike Rush, which is set as a fast-paced alternative to Valorant’s standard match.
VALORANT is almost here! Here are a few highlights from Patch Notes 1.0. Read all about it here:https://t.co/0uC2MoG3B8pic.twitter.com/BB3FUceGLh
Most importantly, Riot has implemented balance updates to five Valorant agents. Here is a quick rundown of the winners and losers of Patch 1.0.
Winner: Jett
Jett’s utility abilities have received improvements, making her more of a valued agent instead of being just an agile damage dealer.
Loser: Sage
Sage’s Healing Orb and Barrier Orb abilities have been significantly nerfed with increased cooldowns and reduced wall health and duration.
Loser: Raze
Raze’s Blast Pack damage potential has also been reduced. Raze players would often stack Blast Packs together to deal large amounts of damage. In response, Riot has decided to decrease Raze’s Blast Pack damage radius.
Winner: Phoenix
Phoenix’s fire abilities have been adjusted so that the agent will no longer be as predictable. Whenever Phoenix casts his area of effect abilities, opponents would often predict where the agent would be in certain situations. By increasing the duration of most of his abilities, this gives users more options with the agent.
Reworked: Omen
Omen is one of the most unique agents in Valorant, but his relocation and utility abilities have been underwhelming. This caused Riot to rework Paranoia, Dark Cover, and Shrouded Step so that players could make the most of Omen’s unique skillset.
Patch 1.0 also introduced Ascent, Valorant’s fourth map. Ascent is set in Italy and has two Spike sites with a very open middle area, perfect for using agent abilities. Teams that are able to control the mid area will open up additional attack routes to the Spike sites or the attacker’s spawn location.
The Patch also restructured the mid chokepoint for Split and made the hallway wider. The choke point has been criticized by the closed beta players as being too narrow and worked towards making the map more favored for Defenders.
The patch also included performance updates, quality of life improvements, HUD and UI changes, and bug fixes fans can view onRiot’s official blog post.
For those interested in playing Valorant, the game is officially live now. Fans who want todownload and play the game can click here.
READ MORE:This is why Valorant is the FPS esport you’ve been waiting for
