Valorant PBE 5.03 notes: All expected changes coming next week

Valorant is currently in the process of testing Agent changes and UI adjustments on their PBE server ahead of patch 5.03. Riot Games is expected to implement these changes in-game with the arrival of the patch on August 9, 2022.

After reigning over both ranked and competitive Valorant for a long time, one of Valorant's most broken Agents can finally expect a fix. Every utility from Chamber's toolkit has been hit with a massive nerf in PBE patch 5.03. Agents like Jett and Neon have also been subject to minor changes.

In addition to Agent changes, a new UI is set to replace the existing Agent preview screen, bringing in a more interactive element to the game. Valorant's Public Beta Environment (PBE) playerbase will test out the changes before they officially roll out next week.

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All expected changes coming to Valorant in patch 5.03

Riot Games has completed upgrading the game to Unreal Engine 4.26, a process that initially delayed the arrival of Patch 5.03. This change has been reflected on the PBE server.

The upcoming Chamber nerf is one of the game's most crucial changes. The nerfs to his arsenal will definitely change the way the Sentinel Agent is played across all modes.

The developers at Riot Games stated:

"As players in both ranked and pro play have mastered Chamber, his strengths have started to overshadow his weaknesses, making the counterplay to Rendezvous and his arsenal not as effective as we’d hoped. Chamber’s overall power has also felt outsized, and we believe that we can reduce the overall power of his kit while still keeping him competitive with the rest of the roster."

The changes that have been made to Chamber in PBE patch 5.03 are as follows:

Rendezvous (E)

• Base Cooldown increased from 20s to 30s
• Recall Cooldown increased from 20s to 30s
• Cooldown set to 45s whenever a Rendezvous anchor is destroyed
• Radius Size decreased from 21m to 15m

Trademark (C)

• Slow Duration decreased from 9.5 to 6s

Tour De Force (X)

• Ultimate Points Required increased from 7 to 8
• Slow Duration decreased from 9.5s to 6s

Headhunter (Q)

• Bullet Cost increased from 100 creds to 150 creds

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Ability regional damage breakup

Apart from Chamber, Jett and Neon will also be hit with minor changes to their abilities. Valorant is expected to diversify the regional damage for all abilities that affect various body segments.

The ability regional damage breakup that is set to be introduced in PBE patch 5.03 is as follows:

Neon

• Damage per shot reduced from 22 to 18
• Killzone increased from 15m to 20m
• Leg shot multiplier reduced from 1.0 to 0.85
• Headshot multiplier increased from 1 to 3

Chamber

• Tour De Force (X) leg shot multiplier reduced from 1.0 to 0.85

Jett

• Bladestorm (X) leg shot multiplier reduced from 1.0 to 0.85

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Abilities like Neon's Overdrive and Jett's Blade Storm currently affect enemies proportionately throughout the body, unlike weapons, which inflict multiplied damage depending on the area of contact (leg, body, head).