Valorant Patch 7.04: All Agent Balance Changes

The developers have released a preview of the upcoming Valorant Patch 7.04 and things seem to be getting serious with more than half the Agent roster about to undergo balance changes.

This update is slated for release along with the start of Episode 7 Act 2, whose tentative launch date is Tuesday, 29^th August.

While the complete patch notes will be released once the update goes live, a preview has been shared highlighting the nerfs that have affected a total of 11 Valorant Agents - Breach, Brimstone, Fade, Gekko, Killjoy, Omen, Skye, Sova, Viper, Astra, and Jett.

Valorant Patch 7.04: All Agent Nerfs

The developers have observed that when faced with multiple pieces of utilities or large-scale ultimates, the opportunities for counterplay can sometimes be overwhelming, resulting in a feeling of confusion and unsurety.

This has been the point of focus for developers, to increase the game state clarity by making the following adjustments,

1. Reducing the frequency of large area of effect of ultimates.

2. Reducing the amount of time a utility is active in the game.

3. Reducing the health of shootable utility.

4. Adjusting the cost of ultimates to align with the above points.

Breach

• Aftershock (C)

  • Ticks reduced from 3 to 2

  • Damage increased from 60 per tick to 80

• Rolling Thunder (X)

  • Ultimate points increased 8 to 9

Brimstone

• Orbital Strike (X)

  • Ultimate points increased 7 to 8

Fade

• Prowler (C)

  • Time to re-equip the gun takes slightly longer after using this ability.

Gekko

• Mosh Pit (C)

  • The impacted area does 10 damage per second before exploding.

• Wingman (Q)

  • HP reduced from 100 to 80

• Thrash (X)

  • Thrash’s explosion has undergone a little makeover to make it easier to visualize the affected area.

Killjoy

• Lockdown (X)

  • Ultimate points increased 8 to 9

Omen

• Paranoia (Q)

  • No movement velocity is imparted when casting.

Skye

• Guiding Light (E)

  • Max duration while casting reduced 2.5s to 2s

• Trailblazer (Q)

  • HP reduced 100 to 80

• Seekers (X)

  • Ultimate Points increased 7 to 8

  • Seeker Health decreased 150 to 120

Sova

• Recon Bolt (E)

  • Total number of scans reduced 3 to 2

Viper

• Viper’s Pit (X)

  • Ultimate points increased 8 to 9

Astra

• Gravity Well (C)

  • Startup time increased 0.6 to 1.25

  • Gravity time duration decreased 2.75 to 2.0

• Nova Pulse (Q)

  • Startup time decreased from 1.25 to 1.0

• Cosmic Divide (X)

  • Audio is now completely blocked by the wall rather than being muffled.

Jett

• Tailwind (E)

  • Dash window decreased 12s to 7.5s

  • Activation windup increased 0.75s to 1.0s

• Cloudburst (C)

  • Duration decreased 4.5s to 2.5s

  • Time to re-equip gun takes slightly longer after using the ability.

• Updraft (Q)

  • Charges decreased 2 to 1

• Blade Storm (X)

  • Ultimate points increased 7 to 8

Out of all the Agents that underwent changes, Skye, Astra, and Jett have received special attention due to their importance in the current meta, importance when talking about overall gameplay, and high pick rate.

Skye's space taking and reconnaissance abilities have been nerfed which gave her a huge edge over other similar Agents. Meanwhile, Astra's ultimate is undergoing a rework while her abilities, Gravity Well and Nova Pulse, are being balanced so they have proper use cases. Finally, Jett is undergoing probably the harshest set of nerfs to bring her mobility under control.

It will be interesting to see what other changes are introduced to the game along with he upcoming Valorant Patch 7.04.