Valorant patch 2.03 is right around the corner, and with the introduction of the official notes, Riot will be looking to bring in some significant changes to the weapons meta.
Frenzy and Stinger will be made a bit more expensive this time around. And though this will only be a band-aid to the “Run and Gun” exploit that these weapons boast, it’s still the first step in the right direction for the Valorant devs.
The Marshalls will also be made cheaper and will be made much more viable in the early rounds when players often hesitate to invest in armor.
Some of the champions will also be getting some changes this time around. Reyna will be receiving some balance updates, which might seem like a nerf. Yoru, Brimstone, and Phoenix will get some tweaks.
Valorant fans looking for a detailed description of the patch can look up Riot Games' official website.
For a brief overview, here are all the major highlights.
Valorant Patch 2.03: Official Notes
#1. Valorant Agent Update
Reyna
● Maximum Devour and Dismiss charges reduced 4 >>> 2
● Cost of Devour and Dismiss charges increased 100 >>> 200
● Slain enemies that Reyna has damaged in the last 3 seconds now drop Soul Orbs, even if Reyna does not land the killing shot
Yoru
Gatecrash
● Gatecrash now displays the range at which enemies can see the tether while moving on to the minimap
● The range that enemies can hear the audio of a Gatecrash teleport is now displayed on the minimap
Dimensional Drift
● While in Dimensional Drift, Yoru’s minimap is now visible
● Enemies within Yoru’s vision range, while in Dimensional Drift, are now revealed to ally minimaps, as well
● Dimensional Drift can no longer block enemies.
Brimstone
Incendiary
● The audio of the Incendiary’s lingering fire zone will be easier to hear when other actions and sounds occur nearby.
Phoenix
Hot Hands
● The audio of the Hot Hands lingering fire zone will be easier to hear when other actions and sounds occur nearby.
#2. Valorant Weapon Updates
Marshal
● Movement speed when zoomed in is now at 90% of unzoomed movement.
(previously, the zoomed movement speed was 76% of unzoomed)
● Price decrease 1100 >>> 1000
● Zoom magnification increased 2.5x >>> 3.5x
Stinger (full auto fire)
● Price increased from 1000 >>> 1100
● Full auto fire rate was reduced from 18 >>> 16
● Full auto fire now reaches max spread at bullet 4, instead of bullet 6
● Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoil curve for full auto, recoil climbs more aggressively
past the 3rd bullet
Stinger
● Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoils to be more aggressive after the first burst.
● Added more errors on bursts after the first one
● Improved recovery time on burst mode from .45 >>> .4
Frenzy
● Price Increased from 400 >>> 500
#3. Valorant Mode Updates
Escalation goes live.
Competitive Updates
● AFK-ing in competitive games for a prolonged period (currently defined as 6 or more rounds) will now result in a penalty of 8 ranking rating points.
● Act Rank Badges will now be based on your highest rank win instead of your ninth-best win.
Quality of Life
● All sprays will now be destroyed on round start. Death sequence improvements and updates.
● Timing
○ Fade to black start time decreased by 1.75 seconds after death >>> 1.5 seconds after death.
○ Time spent on a full black screen increased ~0 seconds >>> 0.25 seconds.
○ The total time of the death sequence has not changed. It remains at 2.75 seconds.
● Camera movement smoothed significantly, especially for those under poor network conditions.
○ Before patch 2.03, any of you (but especially those with high ping or packet loss) could experience a camera jitter during the death sequence.
○ Based on our investigations of this issue, you can rest assured that this camera jitter did not impact combat performance—anyone experiencing this issue was already dead during the unsmooth movement.
○ Now everyone, regardless of network conditions, will have smooth camera movement during the death sequence.