VALORANT Shares First Look at Neon and Shotgun Nerfs Coming in Patch 12.09

Just hours after announcing the much‑anticipated Neon nerf in VALORANT, Riot Games has offered a glimpse of how it will look in‑game, along with a few additional details. As a bonus, we're also getting a shotgun nerf. Given that shotguns complement Neon's aggressive playstyle, the combined changes are likely to have a meaningful impact. Both updates will go live with Patch 12.09 on May 12, 2026. Below is everything Riot has shared so far about the Neon and shotgun nerfs.

Neon’s Mobility Takes a Hit in Patch 12.09

Riot Games will nerf Neon's sprint and fuel regeneration mechanics in the upcoming patch. In an article on X, VALORANT developers explained that Neon's High Gear ability lacked meaningful resource constraints, while her ability to bunny‑hop into a slide allowed her to take more space than intended. As a result, they reduced her in‑air mobility and introduced a greater resource trade‑off for using High Gear.

Below are the exact nerfs Neon will receive in Patch 12.09, as outlined by the developers.

• Jumping with High Gear active no longer provides any speed bonus while Neon is airborne. Instead, Neon’s air speed while sprinting will match melee speed.

• Fuel will only regenerate with a kill when Neon's ultimate is active.

• Fuel will still regenerate passively.

• Improved VFX to more clearly communicate the direction and origin of her slide.

The highly anticipated changes to Neon certainly don't disappoint. While some players may feel underwhelmed, these adjustments appear sufficient to fine‑tune the Duelist without rendering her unplayable. Furthermore, when combined with the nerfs to shotguns, a popular weapon choice among Neon users, the agent's gunplay will also receive meaningful balance tweaks. 

Shotguns Are Now Less Accurate

A nerf to Neon wouldn't be complete without dialing back shotguns. Starting with Patch 12.09, the Bucky, Judge, and Shorty will be less accurate while moving and shooting. Additionally, the inaccuracy values for running, walking, crouch‑walking, and jumping have been standardized across all shotguns.

Interestingly, crouching will now provide a 15% accuracy multiplier for all shotguns. As a result, the Bucky receives a slight buff, while the Judge and Shorty are toned down:

• Bucky: Crouched accuracy modifier increased from 10 to 15%

• Judge/Shorty: Crouched accuracy modifier decreased from 25 to 15%

According to the developers, both the Judge and Bucky have been overperforming slightly. Hence, their minimum spread when stationary has been increased:  

• Bucky: Minimum spread increased from 2.6 to 3.0

• Judge: Minimum spread increased from 2.25 to 2.5

Additionally, Bucky pellet damage in the 0-8 m range has been decreased:

• Head: 40 >>> 34

• Body: 20 >>> 17

• Legs: 17 >>> 14

These adjustments tune shotguns just enough to remain useful in the right situations, without being overpowered. After a couple of weeks of live gameplay, we'll be able to fully gauge how these changes affect the meta.

When Will VALORANT Patch 12.09 Arrive? 

Riot Games has confirmed that VALORANT Patch 12.09 will be released on May 12, 2026, in line with the game’s standard patch release schedule. 

The changes to Neon and shotguns were initially scheduled for Patch 13.0 but were moved up to improve the current in‑game combat experience. Patch 13.0 will bring additional changes; specifically, Sentinel buffs and adjustments to Initiator cooldowns. Both are currently in development and have been confirmed to arrive on June 23, 2026. 

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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games

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