Today’s new Valorant update is rolling out on North America servers, and includes the new Agent Astra, among other big changes.
Gamers will also notice that the new Prime 2.0 set is available to buy, alongside the official Valorant Act 2 Battle Pass.
As with all major Valorant updates, Riot Games has mixed new content with technical overhauls.
Highlights include competitive matchmaking being adjusted to let gamers queue with more friends at different levels in the lower ranks.
Valorant players will also notice that their rank is no longer lowered at the start of an Act, and that Ranks will no longer be displayed in Agent select or in-game. However they will still be able to see ranks via the end of the game screen.
A full rundown of Astra’s ability and backstory has also been released and can be found listed below, including what gamers can expect from her ultimate:
Agent Abilities:
C: GRAVITY WELL – Place Stars in Astral Form (X).
ACTIVATE a Star to form a Gravity Well. Players in the area are pulled toward the center before it explodes, making all players still trapped inside fragile.
Q: NOVA PULSE – Place Stars in Astral Form (X)
ACTIVATE a Star to detonate a Nova Pulse. The Nova Pulse charges briefly then strikes, concussing all players in its area.
E: NEBULA – Place Stars in Astral Form (X) ACTIVATE a Star to transform it into a Nebula (smoke).
F: DISSIPATE – Use (F) on a Star to Dissipate it, returning the star to be placed in a new location after a delay. Dissipate briefly forms a fake Nebula at the Star’s location before returning.
X: ASTRAL FORM / COSMIC DIVIDE – ACTIVATE to enter Astral Form where you can place Stars with PRIMARY FIRE. Stars can be reactivated later, transforming them into a Nova Pulse, Nebula, or Gravity Well.
When Cosmic Divide is charged, use SECONDARY FIRE in Astral Form to begin aiming it, then PRIMARY FIRE to select two locations. An infinite Cosmic Divide connects the two points you select. Cosmic Divide blocks bullets and heavily dampens audio.
VALORANT 2.04 PATCH NOTES
MODES UPDATES
Escalation
COMPETITIVE UPDATES
This patch marks the start of Competitive Episode 2: Act 2!
Placements have changed for the start of an Act. Now, if you have already placed this Episode, then:
Radiant will be more challenging to earn. You must achieve a certain level of RR before being able to ascend to Radiant. This is adjusted per region based on rank population size and RR distribution.
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The web leaderboard will be disabled briefly for maintenance at the start of this patch, expect it to be re-enabled within 24–48 hours
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Later this patch, we’ll reduce the total amount of average RR per win/loss by 5
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During this patch we will change demotion logic for players to start at 70RR(Previously 80RR).
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Ranks will no longer be displayed in Agent select or in-game. You will still be able to see ranks on the end of the game screen.
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You can now queue with a wider group of friends and teammates if you are at the lower ranks (see below image)
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At the lower ranks we have a very large number of you in our matchmaking pool, so we’re confident we can make balanced matches. As you rank up, you’ll find a tighter disparity to ensure we continue to maintain balanced matches and protect the competitive integrity of the higher ranks.
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We also hope this helps combat smurfing by reducing the incentive to make a new account to play with lower rank friends.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Below is an example of the Tactical VO super regions on Ascent.
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Tactical VO FAQ
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Tactical VO will not be enabled in modes
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Tactical VO can be disabled via toggle
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Tactical VO being ducked by VOIP can be disabled via toggle
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Tactical VO Chat messages can be enabled via toggle
BUG FIXES
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Fixed a bug that caused the Custom game server dropdown to loop infinitely
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Fixed parts of Reyna’s Soul Orb feedback triggering when assisting kills on non-players
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Fixed Reyna’s Soul Orb timer not properly syncing with its actual duration
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Fixed issues where teleporting into narrow areas created by Sage’s wall with Omen’s Shrouded Step pushed him into a wall
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Fixed ult active indicators not working for Killjoy, Cypher, Brimstone, Sage, Breach, Jett and Viper
