Valorant patch includes new Temporary Charge feature

Valorant's recent patch 1.11 is finally being reimplemented. It was previously removed after a number of bugs and glitches were found just before a Valorant competitive event.

This is reminiscent of Fortnite's decision to keep the Infinity Blade in the game right before a large LAN competition.

According to Valorant Game Designer "rycou" on Twitter, the reimplementation will include something that was added "to the patch notes too late".

1.11 Patch introduces Temporary Charges for Killjoy, Cypher, and Skye.Temporary charges will be applied for any abilities that are re-usable within the round whether it's to be recast or be repositioned. These charges aren't carried over into the next round.

— rycou (@rycoux) November 1, 2020

The included feature is called Temporary Charges. These Temporary Charges are for agents like Killjoy, Cypher and Skye.

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Temporary Charges in Valorant

Some Valorant agents have abilities that recharge over time. Some key examples of this are Sova's Recon Arrow and Breach's Fault Line. These two agents are unaffected by this new addition. However, those that are affected are going to have to be used more intuitively.

The Temporary Charges will see agents who were meant to control Valorant sites with ease knocked down a peg. It won't largely affect gameplay but it will cause players to think twice about how they spend their creds and use their abilities.

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Abilities given Temporary Charges

Killjoy, Cypher and Skye will all see Temporary Charges added to a specific ability. The charges are not being added to their complete skill-set. However, the abilities that will be affected are the ones that can be recast or repositioned as the Valorant round progresses.

I made a booboo and added this to the patch notes too late, missing the cut off for localization. I figured I'd want to share this so that there is no confusion when the 1.11 patch drops. Sorry everyone but if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us!

— rycou (@rycoux) November 1, 2020

Killjoy's Alarmbot, Cypher's Trapwire and Skye's healing ability will all be given these temporary charges. While this is a slight nerf, it probably won't be too damaging to competitive players. The charges are free as a part of the Signature Ability system but unused ones do not carry over into the next round.

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Are future agents receiving Temporary Charges?

This could all very well be a test to see how Temporary Charges play out in matchmaking and during competitive events. Naturally, Riot Games implemented these Temporary Charges onto some of the higher-powered agents of Valorant. A Cypher or Killjoy is a must-have on every team, and Skye could easily take that route with her healing skills.

Correct, UNLESS it is recalled during the setup/buy phase

— rycou (@rycoux) November 2, 2020

If Temporary Charges actually work for the better, the aforementioned Sova and Breach could easily see this added to their abilities. Omen also has a cooldown ability with his Dark Cover smoke. It can be recast after a certain amount of time. Sage's heal is another ability that sees reusability as the round goes on.

This is worth keeping an eye on to see if other Valorant agents might get the same treatment down the line.