Given how popular and widely played Valorant is, the game receives its fair share of regular updates that shake up the meta enough to make the gameplay seem fresh. That is what Riot Games intended to do with their latest update, which seems to be a major patch.
The Valorant 8.0 update aims to redefine strategies and gameplay experiences and could significantly impact both the casual play and the esports scene.
Major Changes in Valorant 8.0 Update
Being the first patch of 2024, the Valorant 8.0 update is set to introduce some significant changes that will shake up not only the pro scene but also casual play as well. If you don’t want to speed through the lengthy patch notes, here is a quick summary of all of the major changes in the Valorant 8.0 update.
New Gun
The biggest change introduced by the Valorant 8.0 update has to be the launch of the new weapon, Outlaw. Although Valorant has seen its fair share of new maps and agents, this is the first time a new weapon is being introduced in Valorant, as the loadout has remained the same ever since the beta. While the new gun might seem similar to the Marshal, Outlaw is a double-barreled sniper rifle. This gun is a mid-tier weapon priced at 2,400 credits (At the time of writing).
Here are some of the key features of Outlaw:
- Outlaw is a semi-automatic sniper that has 2 slugs in a magazine.
- Unlike the Marshal and Operator, the Outlaw doesn’t break Zoom after firing one shot.
- The gun has separate reload timing. If you already have one bullet in the magazine, the gun will reload faster than when the magazine is completely empty.
| Stats | |
| Damage | Head 238 HP | Body 140 HP | Legs 119 HP |
| Damage Through Wall | 125 HP | High Wall Penetration |
| Magazine Size | Weapon 2 Bullets | Reserve 10 Bullets |
| Equip Time | 1.25 secs |
| Fire Rate | 2.75 rounds/sec |
| Running Speed | 80% |
Also Read: Operator Fury Kills: 5 Fitting Weapons for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Killstreak
Agent Changes
The Valorant 8.0 update also introduced some changes to a couple of agents to balance their picks and rates in the new meta. Here are the agents that got buffed and nerfs in the latest update:
Deadlock
Ever since her release, Deadlock has been a pretty underwhelming agent in the Valorant casual and pro meta. However, the Valorant 8.0 update aims to change that with a series of buffs to her kit, mostly targeting her Sonic Sensor (Q) and Barrier Mesh (E) abilities.
In the latest update, Deadlock’s Sonic Sensor (Q) ability has been made recallable in the middle of rounds, just like Cypher’s traps or Killjoy’s Alarmbot. Other than that, the Sonic Sensor’s Pickup distance has been increased, the time to concuss when triggered has been decreased, and the time for enemies to destroy the Sensor has also been decreased.
The patch notes also allowed Deadlock and her allies to hear Sonic Sensor’s audio lightly when they were in its AOE. As for the Barrier Mesh (E) ability, the max length of each of the walls has been increased. All in all, they are pretty significant buffs to Deadlock’s kit.
Killjoy
Due to her dominant pick rate in the previous meta, Killjoy has been the subject of some significant nerfs to her kit, especially her Turret (E) ability. In order to balance her abilities, Riot Games has decided to reduce the long-range vision of Killjoy’s Turret (E) so that it doesn’t outshine other defensive recon tools.
Related: All Valorant Agents Ages, Real Names and Countries
Map Changes
Those who missed Icebox will be pleased to know that the map is making a return to the map rotation after nine months. The map has undergone some major changes, particularly towards the middle portion of the map. Lotus has also been the subject of some notable changes in the Valorant 8.0 update. A major concern within the community has been the map’s perceived advantage towards the attacking side. Addressing this, the latest update aims to bring a more balanced and fair play experience.
Since Riot Games has a policy of only having seven maps in the map rotation, the current maps available to play are Icebox, Lotus, Sunset, Breeze, Ascent, Bind, and Split. All modes (Except Team Deathmatch and Custom games) will only feature the maps available in the map rotation.
Premier Changes
The Valorant 8.0 update introduced some minor changes to the Premier. Here are all the major changes:
- A secondary management role, known as Team Captain, has been added.
- Team Captains have the power to add and remove players from a team.
- Team Captain can’t kick the Team Owner or delete the team.
- Team Owners can promote and demote Team Captain.
- Players are now able to view standings in other divisions and for previous Stages of Premier.
- Players can see the division they are placed in before playing their first match.
- To qualify for the Playoffs, the threshold is back to the standard 675 Premier Score.
- Zones have been changed in order to support the VCT Challengers League Path to Promotion in EMEA.
Also Read: Map in Sons of the Forest: Everything Important You Need to Know
Editor’s Note
Valorant is no stranger to regular updates that shake up the meta, improve the gameplay experience, or bring something new to the table. Aimed at enhancing the player experience and refreshing the game’s dynamics, the Valorant 8.0 update is expected to make a substantial impact, especially with the introduction of Outlaw, on both the competitive and casual scene moving into the new year.
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