Phoenix buffs make their way to Valorant PBE 5.01 cycle; changes hit Curveball, Blaze, and more

Valorant Episode 5 Act 1 was released with patch 5.0 bringing the new underwater-themed map Pearl, and Battlepass to the game, but no agent changes. Riot Games have preserved those for the upcoming patch 5.01, as the PBE 5.01 test released on June 24, 2022 revealed.

Riot Games have introduced some significant changes to Valorant agents like Phoenix, Yoru, and KAY/O in PBE 5.01. These experimental alterations are undergoing tests to identify bugs and errors before they finally make their way to Patch 5.01.

Phoenix is expected to receive a massive buff in the upcoming patch. The agent has been there in the game since its beta; however, his pick rate saw a gradual downfall as Valorant's meta kept changing with every update.

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Phoenix will get a massive buff in upcoming Valorant patch 5.01

The Valorant duelist agent was barely seen being picked in competitive matches and tournaments like the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT). Soon after changes to Yoru were brought in Episode 4 Act 2, the community's eyes shifted Phoenix.

The Valorant players have been demanding a Pheonix buff, especially when it comes to his ultimate, Run It Back (X) ability. This puts the agent in a vulnerable situation if not executed well, exposing his respawn location to the enemies.

However, the wait seems to be almost over as his buffs have already been added to the PBE 5.01 buffs. Riot Games developers might introduce these in the upcoming patch if the PBE test runs well.

Below are the following changes that were brought to his ability toolkit in PBE 5.01:

Curveball (Q)

• Flash Max duration increased 1.1s >>> 1.5s.
• Flash Windup decreased 0.7s >>> 0.5s.

Blaze (C)

• Phoenix will now equip his weapon earlier if he stops bending his wall.

Run it Back (X)

• Phoenix will now spawn at the marker with the amount of shields he had when the ability was cast.

Phoenix's Curveball (Q) allows him to flash the enemies and jump into a fight. The developers are planning to bring changes to his flash ability in the next patch update. To this end, they stated:

"We believe Phoenix's Curveball is the cornerstone of his kit, and as we explored adjustment options it became clear that Curveball being more powerful unlocks his kit as a whole. So we wanted to assess Phoenix in a world where Curveball is more competitive with the rest of the ecosystem to get a sense for the impact of the changes."

They further elaborated on the reasons behind the changes in his Run It Back (X) and Blaze (C) abilities:

"We view Phoenix as an aggressive entry Agent, so the additional Run It Back and Blaze changes are intended to support his proactive intentions when taking space or fights early on into rounds."

The PBE 5.01 was released on June 24, and will be available untill 11 am PDT Monday, June 27, 2022. Soon after that, players will find out if Phoenix's buffs will make their way to the final update with the release of Valorant patch 5.01.