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While this week’s new Valorant update brought about a number of changes it also made some major tweaks to three of its popular agent characters, with one getting a much shorter shrift than the other two.
The biggest victim of the nerfs was Skye who – as the developers admitted themselves in the Valorant 8.01 patch notes – had become somewhat dominant in the shooter’s meta towards the end of 2023. This was, according to Riot, mainly down to her Guiding Light ability and its strength in the game. As a result, the new update means it now no-longer regenerates during a round, meaning players now have to be more certain when they to use it, less they lose it for the remainder of that round. In addition, the ability now also auto activates a flash once it expires, which should also make players more deliberate about when they choose to use fake flashes, rather than spamming the ability.
On the other hand, one of the game’s other agents got some much welcomed buffs in the new update – with the core abilities of Iso getting some welcomed improvements. As for Iso’s Double Trap ability, the orb duration is now increased from 2 to 3 seconds, and the shield duration has gone up from 15 to 20, meaning you have a little more time to take full advantage of the ability. There’s a minor nerf to offset that, mind – as the shield’s width has been reduced from 120 to 100 and doesn’t protect as wide an area. However, Iso’s Contingency power has also received a small buff – with its cost reduced from 250 to 200.
Finally, there was a minor nerf for Raze, although you might not notice too much of a difference when you’re using it as opposed to it being used against you. That’s because the Blast Pack has had its audio increased when travelling through the air. The upshot of this is that it should now be clearer if Raze is using that ability in your vicinity, and you’ll know whether to get out of the way or have the opportunity to counter her before she reaches you. Time will tell to see what effect these tweaks have on the game’s overall meta.
Riot is of course sure to keep a close eye on the game in the wake of these changes, and expect them to respond once they’ve had a chance to see how things are panning out. The new update is available now for Valorant – for more on the game, check out our guide to the Valorant ranks in order and ranking system explained.
