Patch 1.09 Sees Massive Nerf To The Operator, Several Changes To Agents
Nuked from orbit or finally balanced? The Operator has been a polarising weapon in VALORANT. After a lot of feedback from some parts of the pro-scene and high ranked player base, Riot Games has decided to make changes to the Operator and they hit hard. Moreover, several agents have received an updates, post-jump accuracy has received an update, and some players will have to change their Riot ID. Here are the patch changes:
Omen
Paranoia
Updated projectile VFX to better represent its hitbox, especially when it is travelling towards your POV.
Jett
Blade Storm (Burst Fire)
- The time between consecutive Burst Fire use has increased from 0.33 seconds >>> 0.45 seconds
- Daggers thrown in Burst now have a damage falloff that begins at 12 meters and drops steadily (to 35 damage) at max falloff
- Headshot multiplier on Burst Fire reduced from 3x >>> 2x
Viper
Fuel
Viper now starts the round at 100 fuel (previously 50)
Snake Bite
Vulnerable debuff applied from Snake Bite now lingers for 2 seconds after leaving Viper’s acid
Viper’s Pit
- Move speed doubled while casting
- Viper now fast equips her weapon after casting, re-equip times vary per gun—but on average will reduce her weapon down time by .4 seconds
Reyna
Empress
Fire rate bonus decreased from 25% >>> 15%
Brimstone
Stim Beacon
Fire rate bonus increased from 10% >>> 15%
Weapon Updates
Operator
- Increased price from 4500 >>> 5000
- Decreased scoped movement speed from 76% >>> 72%
- Adjusted weapon deadzone from becoming inaccurate at 30% movement speed >>> 15% (become inaccurate sooner, become accurate later when stopping)
- Firing rate reduced from .75 >>> .6
- Instant equip time adjusted from 0.3 >>> 0.5 (instant equip plays after tapping orb, bomb defuse/plant tap, Jett Cloud Burst, and Phoenix Curveball)
- Leg shot damage decreased from 127 >>> 120
All Weapons
- Jump land inaccuracy state changed from gradual >>> binary
- Jump land inaccuracy duration increased from .2 >>> .225
- Jump land inaccuracy value increased from 5.0 >>> 7.0 (more inaccurate for .225s after a land)
COMPETITIVE UPDATES
During this patch, the chances of being in an hour+ queue should be notably reduced.
SOCIAL UPDATES
- Riot ID Reviews - Players that have been reported for inappropriate Riot IDs will now be reviewed automatically after the match has ended. If their name is flagged as inappropriate, they will be forced to change their Riot ID the next time they log in to the Riot Client.
- Removed Multi-line Breaks in Chat - Some sneaky people were impersonating system messages to troll others into quitting a match. Enough!
- Changes to party push to talk settings will now take effect immediately
- The chat window can now be pinned to stay open across menus
- Social Panel Sorting Logic - Sorting algorithm for the social panel has been updated to make it more intuitive for players as they interact with it.
BUG FIXES
- Fixed issue where Sova’s hitbox was incorrect while using his Owl Drone
- Fixed bug where Omen’s glowing eyes weren’t properly removed when he cancelled his ult
- Fixed a bug where Custom Game preferences would be wiped after navigating away from the Custom Game lobby
Initial reactions to the Operator nerf are expectedly divided. Developer Max “Orcane” Grossman justified the nerf as a well thought out counter-measure to broken interactions that the balancing team had observed. The development team saw issues with the Operator's flexibility in dry peeks, held angles, and even post-jump situations, requiring balancing intervention. Moreover, the Operator found its way into matches too early, with more and more players buying it in the third round with a light armour buy to get around the cost restrictions.
Stay up to date with all the latest esports and gaming news by checking out our social channels here: Twitter | Facebook
Image via Riot Games