Valorant dev update confirms Sunset Map changes, Agent tweaks, and more
Valorant has just dropped a dev update, revealing major changes coming to Sunset. The map will be receiving changes to make it more competitive. Furthermore, Agents like Phoenix, Cypher, Gekko, and Sage will receive well-deserved upgrades soon. Riot Games is also working on a Ranked Rollbacks system for the game.
Numerous changes were announced for the FPS title in the latest dev update. This article will cover everything Riot Games has confirmed in the update.
All Valorant Agent balance updates announced
Continuing off the Agent balance updates that started with Episode 9, Riot Games will be tweaking Controllers and Sentinels next. Talking about the changes, Dan Hardison, Game Designer at Riot Games, said:
"The updates we made to Iso, Neon, Reyna, and Raze have helped us hit our goals overall. While we did overswing and Iso initially, after the follow-up patch, the Duelist ecosystem is in a pretty healthy and varied state for the most part."
Hardison also said they are yet to round up the Duelist balance updates. Below is the summary of all Agent balance updates planned:
- Phoenix and other Duelists are still in the works and will receive an update soon
- Harbor needs a lot of rework and changes will take some time to arrive in-game
- Riot Games is tracking Vyse for balance updates following her release
- Players can expect changes to Sage, Cypher, and Gekko soon
- There might be some other fun things in store for Patch 9.10
Also Read: Valorant Agent tier list
Valorant Sunset receives major tweaks
The new map rotation is still scheduled to take place with patch 9.08. Icebox and Lotus will be rotated with Split and Pearl entering the active map pool. In the dev update, Riot Games also touched upon the tweaks made to Sunset.
Here is the list of changes Sunset will be getting with Valorant patch 9.08:
- B-Site is altered to make it more defensible at baseline
- The unbreakable Cypher Trapwire spot in the B-site was also removed
- B-Main upgraded to allow more post-plant gameplay options
- Minor changes to Mid to allow defenders more options when defenders opt to contest it
Developers also claimed the schedule and cadence of map rotations will be updated with patch 9.08.
Also Read: Valorant Sunset Map Guide
Valorant working on Ranked Rollbacks system
Cheating is a major issue that many players have to deal with in-game. Talking about Vanguard, Brittany Perez, Anti-Cheat Analyst at Riot Games, said:
"Vanguard is a delicate tango of prevention and detection. We strive to block cheats outright, but when immediately blocking a cheat would make our techniques too transparent, we detect the intrusion and delay our response."
This delay in response is necessary for Riot Games to analyze how the cheats are being used. However, the downside of the delay is borne by honest players. To counter this, Riot Games is working on a Ranked Rollback system. In this system, if you played and lost a game with a cheater on the other team and that cheater was later banned, you'll receive a refund of any RR lost.
Along with this, developers are hard at work for a better player environment. They are working towards voice chat monitoring, with testing ongoing in the NA region. However, this process is still in its early stages and will take significant time to arrive.
Valorant competitive and ranked resets explained
Many players were ranked lower than their previous ranks following placement matches. This was thanks to the new ranking system by Riot Games. Talking about these changes to ranks, Stephen Kraman, Product Manager at Riot Games, stated:
"We're currently looking into ways to keep the benefits of resetting ranks while providing more opportunities for upside to balance against the feels bad."
He also chimed in that both the console and PC will reset rank at the same cadence moving forward. This move will level out the playing field for both platforms.