Riot Games significantly changed their beloved FPS title, Valorant in the new 7.04 patch update. And it is safe to say that a lot is set to alter when it comes to the meta.
Upon releasing the game, Riot promised to introduce systematic updates to the game so that the meta and playstyle do not end up becoming stale. And to deliver that, every new Act introduces a massive overhaul. And in that fashion, many new changes were introduced to the game with the 7.04 patch.
With Evil Geniuses clinching victory at the Valorant Champions 2023, it was time for many Agents to receive the much-needed love while others needed nerfs. And those nerfs were delivered, especially to Jett. On top of that, many changes came to some maps as well with the addition of another new map.
Valorant sees some of the most lucrative Agent changes in a while
In the 7.04 patch update, Valorant receives changes to over half of their Agent roster. This was done keeping an eye on increasing the gameplay clarity and reducing the dependency on heavy utility usage. According to Riot Games, “We want everyone to come away from rounds feeling like they had the possibility of making a better play if only they were a little faster or smarter.”
The general changes done to Agent abilities are:
- The frequency of large area of effects of ultimates is reduced
- The amount of time utility is active in the world is reduced
- The HP of shootable utilities is reduced
They also added, “We also believe the Ultimate cost updates below better align large area, high-impact ults with the pressure they place on the enemy, creating both a better pacing of the round-defining abilities and a clearer choice competition between high and low-cost ults. Though many of these changes are subtle, We hope all together they improve game state clarity and the sense that you have even more opportunities for your skill to shine through.”
Agent updates
Breach
- Aftershock (C)
- Ticks reduced from 3 to 2
- Damage increased from 60 per tick to 80
- Rolling Thunder (X)
- Ultimate points increased 8>>> 9
Brimstone
- Orbital Strike (X)
- Ultimate points increased by 7>>>8
FADE
- Prowler (C)
- Time to re-equip a gun takes slightly longer after using the ability.
GEKKO
- Mosh Pit (C)
- The impacted area does 10 damage per second before exploding
- Wingman (Q)
- HP reduced 100>>>80
- Thrash (X)
- Thrash’s explosion had a little makeover to make it easier to see and understand the area it has affected (on top of being beautiful)
KILLJOY
- Lockdown (X)
- Ultimate points increased 8>>> 9
OMEN
- Paranoia (Q)
- No movement velocity is imparted when casting
SKYE
- Guiding Light (E)
- Max duration while casting reduced 2.5s >>>2s
- Trailblazer (Q)
- HP reduced 100>>>80
- Seekers (X)
- Ultimate Points increased 7 >>>8
- Seeker Health decreased 150>>>120
SOVA
- Recon Bolt (E)
- Total number of scans reduced 3>>>2
VIPER
- Viper’s Pit (X)
- Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
ASTRA
- Gravity Well (C)
- Startup time increased .6>>>1.25
- Gravity time duration decreased by 2.75>>>2.0
- Nova Pulse (Q)
- Startup time decreased from 1.25>>>1.0
- Cosmic Divide (X)
- Audio now is blocked completely by the wall rather than muffled
JETT
- Tailwind (E)
- Dash window decreased 12s>>>7.5s.
- Cloudburst (C)
- Duration decreased 4.5s>>>2.5s
- Time to re-equip a gun takes slightly longer after using the ability.
- Updraft (Q)
- Charges decreased 2>>>1
- Blade Storm (X)
- Ultimate points increased by 7>>>8.
Map updates
Map rotation
- Breeze will be rotating back into the Competitive and Unrated map pool.
- Please note that Fracture and Pearl have been rotated out of the Competitive and Unrated map rotation.
Sunset
Sunset is the brand new map added to the maps roster in Valorant. It was first teased right before the grand final of the Valorant Champions 2023. And now it is finally here. While the map is added to the competitive and unranked map queue, there is also a Sunset-only mode. However, that mode is available only for Swiftplay mode for a week. After that, with the 7.05 patch update, the Sunset-only queue will be available for both unranked and competitive game modes.
Breeze
Breeze’s scale and size are core to the map’s design but we wanted to address rotation times by simplifying where threats could be to make retaking less dangerous. This set of changes aims to add more tradeoffs to A and B site slams that utilize post-plant utility to secure the round while adding more incentive for Attackers to control Mid to exert pressure throughout the map.
Mid changes
New boxes in Mid Pillar: One side has been closed off and boxes have been added.
Closed off Mid cubby: One side of the pillar has been closed off.
B Site changes
Changes to B Site: Boxes have been added and parts of the wall around B Site have been removed and added.
Additions to B Back: Boxes have been added and the stairs have been removed and walled off.
A Hall changes
Walled off A Hall: Part of the hall has been walled off with a fence.
Mid Door changes
Mid Wood Doors: Boxes have been added and the door has been opened fully.
A Cave and A Shop changes
Widened A Cave: The Interior has been widened and boxes have been added.
Extended A Shop: The entrance and interior have been widened.
A Pyramid changes and added signage for callouts
Riot added a small platform at the bottom of each pyramid to make utility a bit easier to land around them. Also, we added signage to help differentiate callouts for the two pyramids.
A Site: Pyramids have been made taller.
Play Behavior Updates
Report UI Improvements
- We’ve increased readability by adding icons and showing detailed text descriptions when hovering over each of the newly added icons.
- We categorized the list of post-game reports into groups to help break down decision-making from high-level categories to subcategories.
- We’ve added report info in order to reduce false reporting.
Premier Updates
- If you played in Premier’s Ignition Stage, your team and match history will carry over.
- Enrollment runs until September 7. The exact time for the end of Enrollment varies by Zone—make sure to check the schedule in the client for more information so you don’t miss it.
- Weekly matches will feature the full competitive map pool across seven weeks. Each week will still have one dedicated map and a maximum of two matches on said map. Matches start on September 7 and run through October 21, with Playoffs on October 22.
- Earn a Premier Score of at least 675 to qualify and to have a chance to be crowned one of the best teams in your Division.
- The performance will now be tracked from Stage to Stage. You will receive a Division crest at the end of each Stage.
- Divisions will be split into five tiers: Open, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite, and Contender.
Bug fixes
Agent
- Fixed an issue where Sage’s Barrier Orb (C) can break when being placed in between doors such as C Garage on Haven.
Gameplay Systems
- Fixed a bug where being killed on Fracture’s ziplines would make your Agent’s body appear in Spawn.
Player Behavior
- Fixed a bug where pushing the play button on your keyboard caused voice to transmit despite having different keybinds set or none at all.
Premier
- If a match goes into overtime and results in sudden death, the end-of-game timeline now displays the sudden death round correctly.
Other than all of these, there is still a known issue remaining in the Premier system in valorant. The Overtime Priority vote sometimes triggers two times in a row for a team. And this issue is still under work and Riot promises to fix this as soon as possible. While this was a massive patch update introduced in Valorant, Jett is quite significantly the one catching everyone’s eye.
The changes to her kit will massively affect how the Agent is played in Valorant and this might even tank her pick rate. Breeze also received many changes encouraging players to switch meta for the map. While it is unsure how everyone will react to these changes, it is safe to say that Jett pickers will not be pleased.
While this is all you need to know about the Valorant 7.04 patch update, feel free to check back and ponder upon the previous changes by clicking here.
