Valorant 8.0 Patch Notes: Deadlock Buff, Killjoy Nerf, Icebox and Lotus Changes

The patch notes for the Valorant 8.0 Patch are already out and it seems like they will alter the course of the game for good. Patch 8.0 signifies the start of the newest episode and with it, we might see a possible meta shift because Killjoy is getting her turret nerfed. Additionally, we have a few changes to maps like Icebox and Lotus, and this patch will also lock in the map rotation for another six months or so. Let us see what direction Riot has gone with this patch, shall we?

Contents

• Valorant 8.0 Patch Notes: Everything You Need to Know
• Agent Updates
  • Deadlock
  • Killjoy
• Map Updates
  • Lotus
  • Icebox
• Mode Updates
  • Team Deathmatch
  • Map Rotation
• Premier Updates

Valorant 8.0 Patch Notes: Everything You Need to Know

The Valorant 8.0 patch notes are out now and fans are ecstatic to see Deadlock get stronger. Riot followed up from their previous buff in patch 7.10 where they made the GravNet a little stronger and now they are trying to experiment with the rest of her kit.

However, which fans of Deadlock are rejoicing, Killjoy mains will be disappointed as their favorite Sentinel is getting a turret nerf with the new patch. This might not completely offset the meta but we might see an increase in Deadlock’s pick rate across all matches if all goes well.

In the previous VCT Season, Deadlock was not picked even once even though she was available in the Agent pool. Naturally, Riot is trying to find a balance, which is why they decided to buff her and nerf Killjoy, one of the strongest Sentinels in the game.

Agent Updates

As we discussed earlier, the only two Agents that are seeing changes in this major patch are Deadlock and Killjoy. We have already seen changes for the GravNet (C ability) let us take a look at what other changes Riot has in store.

Deadlock

For Sonic Sensor (Q), Riot is increasing the reliability of the concuss once triggered by
shortening its windup time, while also increasing flexibility by allowing players to recall and
redeploy it in the round.

• Sonic Sensor (Q)

  • Sonic Sensors are now recallable in rounds.
  • Sonic Sensor’s pickup distance increased by 12m >>> 27m
  • Decreased time to concuss once triggered 1.0s >>> 0.5s
  • Decreased time for enemies to destroy Sonic Sensor once triggered 0.65s >>> 0.5s
  • Deadlock and her allies can now hear Sonic Sensor’s audio lightly when
    they are in its area of effect.

For the Barrier Mesh (E), Riot increased the max length of the barrier walls to allow it to divide
much larger spaces than is possible with comparable utility and make it more reliable at
fully blocking chokes when deployed quickly.

• Barrier Mesh (E)

  • Increased the max length of Barrier Mesh walls by 6m >>> 10m

Killjoy

Riot Games explained that “The amount of coverage on Killjoy’s Turret (E) outshines other defensive recon tools when paired with the Turret’s other strengths, such as its autonomous detection and long-range vision.”

That is why, they are reducing the vision cone of the turret so that Killjoy players make clearer decisions on which angle to cover rather than blindly placing a turret on a flank. Riot has also updated the visuals about the vision cone so it can help players understand what areas the turret will cover.

• Turret (E)

  • Vision radius reduced 180 degrees >>> 100 degrees
  • Riot has added a representation of the Turret’s vision cone on Killjoy’s minimap when she
    is placing the Turret.
  • Riot also has added VFX and updated the Turret’s animations to communicate the Turret’s
    new vision radius

Map Updates

Now we move on to the map updates that feature changes to Icebox and Lotus primarily. Aside from the changes to those maps, we have some changes to retractable doors in general to make them smoother for player interactions. Let us see how.

Doors Refractor

Riot has upgraded the tech behind the interactable doors in order to polish some of the interactions with others and with Agent abilities.

Lotus

Moving onto the major updates starting with Lotus we have tons of changes to the structure of the map. Riot has changed the rotating doors and all three bomb sites to make them more accessible to attackers since Lotus has been a fairly defense-sided map.

• A Main

  • Riot has added more room to A Main along with a set of boxes to give Defenders some more options to fight for A Rubble control.
  • They have also changed the double stack of boxes outside A Stairs to non-penetrable to reduce the likelihood of being spammed.

• A Link

  • The devs added more room near the breakable door. It was always a little awkward to fight out of the broken door, but now it should be easier to fight out from inside the connector room.

• A Hut

  • A Hut has been closed to help give some more readability to the plant site, making it easier to retake. A cubby has also been added to the back of A Hut for more defender options to hold the site.

• B Site

  • More room and boxes have been added to B Site to add some defensibility closer to the choke on site.

• C Site

  • The Spike plant zone and the stairs in C Bend have been adjusted to allow for more diversity of Spike plant locations in the C Site.
  • Boxes on the back of the site have been adjusted.

• C Bend

  • Riot has added more boxes and room in C Main to add some defensibility closer to the front of Main.
  • Boxes have been added to C Bend along with some extra room to fight from.

• Rotating Doors

  • There has been a major change in the rotating doors on Lotus. Previously they took eight seconds to complete a full rotation. Riot feels that this time isn’t enough to use utility and fight through in the same rotation, which is why they have changed the duration to ten seconds.
    • Increased the time it takes for rotating doors to complete their rotation 8s >>> 10s

Icebox

We have Icebox as well which is receiving major changes to the Mid and B Site which is going to shake things up and make fights more predictable. Let us see what Riot has done with this map because it is back in the competitive pool after quite a while.

• Attacker Side Spawn

  • Riot has added a Storage container on the left side to block the line of sight from Attacker Spawn to B Tube.

• B Green

  • The hanging container in B Green was creating a lot of complexity for both fights on the ground and people boosting up top. Moving the container out of the way should make combat here more manageable.

• B Tube Exterior

  • Riot felt that Mid could use more value for either team holding it. They have added a window toward the end of B Tube that overlooks Mid and can see towards A Site and Defender Spawn. It allows attackers to exert a lot of pressure on rotators and Defenders should be able to hold more space when holding Mid from B Kitchen or Mid Boiler.

• B Tube Interior

  • They have also added two boxes stacked flush to the wall.

• B Snow Pile

  • There were multiple parallel paths leading from the Mid to B Site. To reduce timings and create more predictable fights, Riot has removed the B Orange route closest to B Kitchen.
  • Adjusted the snow pile leading up to B Kitchen so players can now silently drop off the boxes.

Mode Updates

Now, we have some minor changes to the modes including Premier and Team Deathmatch. Aside from that, this has been an Agent and Map-heavy patch update.

Team Deathmatch

Riot has nerfed the use of the Sheriff in Team Deathmatch which is seen overperforming in the Stage 2 Ecosystem. Let us see what they did to fix it.

• Stage 2 – Sheriff Loadout

  • Heavy Shield >>> Light Shield

Map Rotation

The Map Rotation for each mode will be the same as the Competitive Map Pool so the Spike Rush and Escalation will no longer have game modes outside of the map pool which they did previously.

• All modes (except Team Deathmatch and Custom games) will use the Competitive map rotation.
• Current rotation: Icebox, Lotus, Sunset, Breeze, Ascent, Bind, Split

Premier Updates

• Team Captain Role

  • Riot has added a secondary management role to rosters called Team Captain. Team Captains can help with team management including inviting and removing team members. Captains cannot delete the team or kick the Team Owner out. Team Owners can promote and demote a Team Captain.

• Standings

  • Players can now view standings in other divisions and for previous Stages of Premier using the drop-down menus on the top left of the Standings Tab.

• Divisions

  • Players can now see which division they are seeded into before they play their first match.

• Playoff Qualification

  • The threshold to qualify for this Stage is back to the standard 675 Premier Score.

• EMEA Zone Updates

  • Riot has updated its Zones to support the VCT Challengers League Path to Promotion in EMEA. To learn more about how to qualify for Challengers Open Qualifiers and how Premier integrates into esports in 2024, players can check out this article.