The latest Valorant patch has arrived, bringing much needed changes to Viper and Yoru, two of the least-used agents in Riot's tactical shooter. Players have been requesting for buffs them up to make them more playable, and thankfully, the latest patch comes with updates for both agents.
The most substantial update in the latest patch is for Viper. The developers have buffed her poison to now instantly inflict 50 decay (temporary damage) as soon as an enemy comes into contact with it. Viper's Toxic Screen wall now streches further than it did before, and she can also now pick up her Poison Cloud grenades from slightly farther away.
Killjoy can now also pick up deployed Nanoswarm grenades during the buy phase to get the charge back, but that's a minor update compared to Viper and Yoru's changes.
In addition to the agent updates, Riot has also nerfed the Bucky in the latest patch. The weapon has been considered to be one of the strongest weapons for several patches, but the latest patch aims to fix that. After the patch, the Bucky's right-click shot (its long-range attack) shoots 5 pellets instead of 15, which should reduce its power.
For a full look at all of the changes coming in Valorant patch 2.06, check out the full patch notes below:
AGENT UPDATES
VIPER
Toxin (passive)
Enemies that cross through Viper's Poison Cloud, Toxic Screen, or Viper's Pit are
instantly inflicted with at least 50 decay. Their decay level increases the longer they
remain in contact with toxin.
While in cloud, Decay over time decreased 15 >>> 10
When out of Viper's cloud, delay before health regen decreased 2.5 >>> 1.5
Poison Cloud (Q)
Can now immediately be redeployed when picked up, but grants a temporary charge instead of a permanent charge
If active when Viper dies, Poison Cloud now remains up for an additional 2 seconds, or until Viper runs out of fuel.
Pickup distance increased 200 >>> 400
Toxic Screen (E)
If active when Viper dies, Toxic Screen now remains up for an additional 2 seconds before deactivating
Full blind distance from the wall increased to better match the blind distance from the edge of smokes
Snakebite (C)
Equip time decreased 1.1 >>> .8
Practice Tools
In custom games with cheats and infinite abilities enabled, Viper can hold down "activate" on Poison Cloud and Toxic Screen to recall them
In custom games with cheats and infinite abilities enabled, Poison Cloud's landing location is shown on the minimap while equipped
YORU
Blindside (Q)
Flash activation time decreased 0.8 >>> 0.6 seconds
Flash duration increased from 1.1 >>> 1.5
Gatecrash (E)
Gatecrash is no longer refreshed on kills and is instead replenished every 35 seconds
Lifetime of the Gatecrash fragment increased 20 seconds >>> 30 seconds
The range at which the Gatecrash fragment is revealed from stealth decreased 7m >>> 4m
Visuals for visibility range added to the moving fragment
Dimensional Drift (X)
Ult Points reduced 7 >>> 6
Yoru can now reactivate Gatecrash while in Dimensional Drift
KILLJOY
Nanoswarm (C)
Killjoy can now pick up deployed Nanoswarm grenades during the buy phase to get the charge back.
WEAPONS UPDATES
Bucky
Primary fire (left-click) bullet spread decreased 3.4 >>> 2.6
Decreased spread on Alt-fire (right-click) 3.4 >>> 2.0
Updated damage curve for both primary and alt-fire
0m–8m is 20dmg per pellet
8m–12m is 12dmg per pellet
Beyond 12m is 9dmg per pellet
Reduced amount of pellets in a right click shot from 15 >>> 5
MODES UPDATES
Escalation
Abilities
Raze's Showstopper now comes with two Blast Pack Charges which refill when you touch the ground. Practice those boosts!
Snowball Launcher now comes with Skates—the increased mobility should give you an edge against the generally more lethal weapons.
Big Knife now comes with one Tailwind (Jett Dash) charge which refills on kill. Close all the gaps!
Loadout variations will be a bit of a surprise, and they'll show up rarely. Let us know which ones you like!
COMPETITIVE UPDATES
You can now view a person's career from the in-game Leaderboard
If you are on the the Leaderboard, but don't want to give away who you are, you can leverage our in-client toggle to label yourself a ‘Secret Agent'
QUALITY OF LIFE
To improve legibility, the megamap now consistently uses a mouse pointer instead of a crosshair for map pings
Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF)
[An HRTF video demo will go live to coincide with the notes]
Added an audio toggle located in the Audio settings panel to enable HRTF
HRTF allows players wearing headphones to play audio in a simulated surround sound audio space.
Currently, only footsteps, reloads, and Deathmatch respawns will be rendered in 3D with HRTF enabled.
It's recommended that players please turn off any other "3D Audio" processing while using this feature.
BUGS
20 assorted bugs for Agents, QoL, Competitive, and more fixed for this patch
Related: Valorant Magepunk Bundle Leaked: New Weapon Skins, Melee, Finisher & Variants
With the agent buffs, do you think players will choose to play Viper and Yoru more in competitive matches? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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