In the latest Dev Update, the VALORANT devs discussed the changes coming to the game with the upcoming patches. This includes new game modes, agent changes, improved ranked experience and rewards, and more. 

Let’s take a deeper look at what the devs have in store for us for the next quarter.

Game Balance Changes

The agent balance changes shipped late last year have fundamentally changed how the game is played. While these were intended to simplify late rounds, the unintended consequence of these changes was Initiators and Sentinels taking a back seat in the game strategy. 

Not to mention how some of the Duelists, including Yoru, Waylay, and Neon, dominated the lobbies at every level, including the pro scene. The devs have addressed this by nerfing the Yoru and Waylay in a previous update. 

More adjustments will come to the game with the upcoming patches, these are:

• Today’s Patch—12.09—will include the long-overdue nerfs to Neon and Shotguns. You can read about these [here]
• With ACT 4 (Patch 13.00):
  • Targeted Sentinels buffs to improve their stalling power
  • Initiators Signature Cooldown reduction
    • 60s >>> 50s
  • Bandit buffs aimed at making the weapon a viable alternative to the Sheriff

More details regarding these updates will be revealed closer to their release. 

New Game Modes

VALORANT’s latest game mode—Skirmish—has taken the community by storm. Skirmish: Ascension, the ranked alternate for the new mode, boasts 1.37M participants, highlighting how much the community enjoys new game modes. 

As a response to this, the devs have teased a few new modes coming to the game in the upcoming months. 

• Act 4 
  • Patch 13.00 - New 3v3 Spike mode
  • Patch 13.02 - New All Random One Site: Replication Mode
• Act 5 
  • New Kay/O-Ult based Experimental Game mode

More details regarding the new game modes will be revealed closer to their release. 

Improving Ranked Experience

At the start of the year, VALORANT devs shipped changes to the MMR system to better account for individual player impact and improve the match quality. While this resulted in a more balanced contribution across teams, it has also resulted in matches where there are visible rank disparities between the team members. 

The dev team will continue to tweak the MMR system to ensure the visible ranks more accurately represent the actual player level. For now, the immediate updates would focus more on refining the reward/penalty awarded for individual performance. 

There will be changes coming to the Immortal/Radiant lobbies, which are aimed at rewarding skill over grinding and improving the competitive integrity. Moreover, Riot Games will continue to invest in systems to mitigate cheating, win-trading, and disruptive player behaviour. 

With V27, Ranked Rewards will also see changes, and you will receive the reward on day 1 of the Act, and it will continue to evolve throughout the Act. More details for the ranked rewards will be discussed in the September Dev Update. 

Watch the full Dev Update below: 

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games

Read More:

Neon and Shotgun Nerfs are here! VALORANT Patch Notes 12.09