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VALORANT Patch 12.05 Arrives With New Agent Miks, Yoru & Clove Nerfs, and More
VALORANT Patch 12.05 ushers in V26 Act 2 and introduces a brand-new Controller agent: Miks. The update also marks the return of Fracture and Lotus to the map pool, replacing Abyss and Corrode. Additionally, three agents have received balance adjustments. Riot Games will begin rolling out the patch following server maintenance on March 18 at 10 am PST. Below is everything you need to know about the new update.
Agent Updates
Miks
Miks enters the VALORANT Protocol as its latest Controller. The Croatian Radiant becomes the 29th character to join the roster, bringing a fresh playstyle to VALORANT with abilities that can buff and heal teammates, concuss opponents, and deploy smokes. You can learn more about Miks in our article.
In addition to Miks joining the team, we have a bunch of crucial updates to a few popular characters. There are also a couple of visual updates.
Sage
A new update to the game's Ally Targeting UI/UX introduces a widget above targeted allies' heads, along with an additional highlight around the agent's model when Sage uses her Healing Orb on an ally. Here's how it looks in-game:
Additionally, crystal growths have been added to Sage's model and key art to reflect her evolving status in the game's lore. In the Season 2026 cinematic, Sage was shown pushing the limits of her power, and this visual change carries the damage she sustained in the story over into the game itself.
Skye
Initiator players have reason to celebrate, as Skye's flashes are once again rechargeable. Patch 8.01 in January 2024 had removed Skye's ability to regenerate her Guiding Light flashes. Now, over two years later, the flashes are being buffed. This is a welcome change for an agent whose pick rate has notably declined in recent months. However, the recharge comes with a trade-off:
- Guiding Light now carries a 60-second cooldown.
Yoru
After years of struggling to find a foothold in competitive play, Yoru had finally stepped into the spotlight in 2025. But his kit proved too strong, quickly making him a staple in both ranked matches and professional tournaments. Patch 12.05 introduces necessary nerfs to the Duelist, halving both the active duration of his Gatecrash and the number of charges on his flash.
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Gatecrash: Beacon’s active duration reduced from 30s to 15s.
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Blindside: Charges reduced from 2 to 1.
While the changes may seem severe, they were warranted given how deeply Yoru has influenced the current meta. Gatecrash allowed him to take considerable space with minimal risk, rotate across the map in an instant, and have the upper hand in 1v1 scenarios. This nerf curbs that unfair impact while preserving the ability's core identity.
Yoru's flash was similarly overtuned. It allowed teams to deploy him as a pseudo-Initiator in addition to his Duelist role. This not only made him overpowered but also encroached on the viability of other Initiator agents as well. Patch 12.05 attempts to restore that balance. The coming weeks of ranked play will reveal whether these adjustments hit their mark.
Clove
Since their introduction to ranked play, Clove has undeniably been a popular pick. A temporary heal, a self-resurrection ultimate, and the ability to deploy smokes even after elimination created the perfect formula for ranked success, and their win rate reflected it. With Miks joining the roster, the following adjustments to Clove should open up more options for Controller players:
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Ruse: Smoke duration reduced from 14s to 6s when cast while dead.
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Meddle: Area of effect reduced from 6m to 4m.
The nerf to Clove's post-death smoke feels significant. The number of smokes was already reduced from 2 to 1 in Patch 11.10, and this latest change chips away further at what made their kit unique. That said, Clove remains a strong Controller, and the rest of their abilities should still be potent enough to absorb the impact of these adjustments.
Breach
No nerfs or buffs. Breach just received new voicelines in this patch.
Gameplay System Updates
Assist Banners
Similar to Kill Banners, VALORANT has introduced Assist Banners. Given how crucial assists are to winning matches, it's only fitting that they receive recognition on par with kills. Now, when your abilities or damage contribute to a teammate's elimination, an Assist Banner will appear at the bottom of the screen, as shown here:
The banner will display your specific contribution to the kill and be accompanied by an audio cue.
Killfeed Updates
Your team's killfeed will now show the assisting player's agent icon, along with the ability or damage type that set up the elimination. This information will only be visible to your team.
Status Effect Tags
Previously, when multiple status effects were active, such as Slowed, Healing, etc., they would stack on the same side of the screen. Now, buffs (like Healing) will appear on the left side, while debuffs (like Slowed, Deafened, etc.) will be shown on the right side.
Map Updates
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LOTUS and FRACTURE are IN the Competitive and Deathmatch queues.
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ABYSS and CORRODE are OUT of Competitive and Deathmatch queues.
Lotus returns with several design changes as part of Riot's ongoing effort to reduce weapon spam at the start of rounds. The update includes a substantial reduction to the A-site's plant zone. Additionally, A Lobby has been adjusted to limit the defender side's ability-spam potential at that chokepoint. We have the complete map changes detailed in our article.
New Limited Time Mode: Knockout
Patch 12.05 also introduces a brand-new limited-time mode: Knockout, replacing All Random One Site and Skirmish: 2v2. In this round-based tactical elimination mode, every kill resurrects a fallen teammate. Teams stage at a center line and coordinate pushes into enemy territory across escalating weapon stages, aiming to wipe each other out. For a deeper dive, check out our full breakdown of the mode.
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Featured Image Credit: Riot Games
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