Valorant Patch 8.0: New Weapon Outlaw, Map Changes, Agent Updates, More

The first major update for Valorant, Episode 8 Act 1, finally released on 9^th January featuring a new sniper rifle called Outlaw, a couple of fresh bundles, an upgraded seven-map pool, a few agents undergoing changes, support for third-party spatial audio software, and much more.

On 8^th January, one day before the release of Valorant Patch 8.0, a stunning cinematic video went live showcasing the origin story of Omen starring Cypher, Iso, Sova, Viper, and Omen.

Reckoning // Episode 8 Cinematic had plenty of heart-pounding action scenes that provided a glimpse into the early life of Omen and connected the dots to complete the origin story.

Valorant Patch 8.0 - Complete Details

Here are the complete patch notes and other details to bring everyone up to speed about changes made along with Episode 8 Act 1 following the release of Valorant Patch 8.0.

Valorant Patch 8.0: Agent Updates

Deadlock Buff

The developers have focused on strengthening both the Sonic Sensor (Q) and Barrier Mesh (E) abilities used by Deadlock.

Sonic Sensor (Q)

• Sonic Sensors can now be recalled during a round.

• Sonic Sensor’s pickup distance increased from 12m to 27m.

• Sonic Sensor's time to concuss once triggered decreased from 1 sec to 0.5 sec.

• The time to destroy Sonic Sensor once triggered decreased from 0.65 sec to 0.5 sec.

• Deadlock and her allies can now hear Sonic Sensor’s audio lightly when they are in its area of effect.

Barrier Mesh (E)

• Maximum length of Barrier Mesh walls increased from 6m to 10m.

Killjoy Nerf

The developers have tried to limit the capabilities of Killjoy's Turret (E) which seemed to provide an excessive advantage in comparison to other abilities of similar stature.

Turret (E)

• Turret's radius of vision reduced from 180 degrees to 100 degrees.

• A representative of the Turret's vision cone has been added to Killjoy's minimap while it is being placed.

• Turret's animations have been updated and VFX has been added to represent its new vision radius.

Valorant Patch 8.0: Weapon Updates

A sniper rifle called Outlaw has been added to Valorant which has some unique features of its own.

• Outlaw functions as a semi-automatic scoped rifle.

• The rifle stays scoped after firing.

• Players get two consecutive shots without requiring a reload.

• Outlaw features variable reload times, shorter when one bullet is still in the chamber and longer when completely empty.

• It will be available for 2,400 credits in the game.

Outlaw 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

• Firerate: 2.75 rounds/sec

• Running Speed: 80%

Valorant Patch 8.0: Map Updates

Icebox

Icebox is making a return after about nine months and it is going to feature a couple of changes, most of them aimed toward the middle portion of the map.

Attacker Spawn

• A storage container has been added to the left side to block the line of site from Attacker Spawn to B Tube.

B Green

• The hanging container has been lifted all the way up into the air which has opened up the space a lot more and will likely make for some exciting action.

B Tube

• A window has been added towards the end of B Tube which overlooks Mid, allowing players to see towards A Site and Defender Spawn.

• Right next to this window, two stacked boxes have also been added to provide some form of cover.

B Snow Pile

• The path leading to B Site from just outside B Kitchen has been blocked by adjusting the containers outside to create simple pathing and more predictable fights.

• The snow pile has also been adjusted in such a way that the drop is now completely silent.

Lotus

Lotus has been a map that has favored the attackers slightly more and the changes have been made accordingly. To balance the scales all three sites have witnessed the addition of neutral spaces and recalibration of the plant area.

Common

• The rotating doors on the map now take 10 seconds to complete a full spin instead of 8 seconds. This will allow for some more utility exchange and elongated fight time around these areas.

A Main

• More space has been added to the A Rubble area and a set of boxes has also been placed.

A Link

• More room has been added near the breakable door.

A Hut

• The walls on A Hut have been shut down which automatically makes the site a bit easier to retake.

B Site

• More room has been added near the entry to make it a more feasible choke point.

C Site

• The plant zone has drastically shifted towards the C Bend to make things more diverse.

• Boxes towards the back of site have been readjusted.

• More room and boxes have been added to C Main in a bid to hold a better defense.

Valorant Patch 8.0: Map Rotation

In 2022, Riot Games made it clear that it wants to operate with a total of seven maps in Valorant due to tournaments featuring best-of-five series during grand finals. A seven-map kit would allow teams to ban one map each without any repeat picks.

After working with the in-house esports team, surveying players, and talking to professional organizations, Riot decided to maintain a seven-map pool and it continues to be the norm to date.

However, the maps within this pool are changed every few months, generally before the start of a new season. Here is the complete map rotation deployed along with Valorant Patch 8.0.

• Valorant Episode 8 Map Rotation: Icebox, Lotus, Sunset, Breeze, Ascent, Bind, Split

_{Note: All game modes except for Team Deathmatch and Custom Games will use this competitive map rotation.}

Valorant Patch 8.0: Premier Updates

Team Captain Role

• A new secondary management role has been called Team Captain.

• Team Captains can invite and remove team members.

• Team Captains cannot delete the team or kick the Team Owner.

• Team Owners can promote and demote a Team Captain.

Standings

• Players cannot view standings in other divisions and for previous Stages of Premier using the drop-down menu on the top left of the Standings Tab.

Divisions

• Players can view which division they are seeded into before playing their first match.

Playoff Qualification

• The threshold to qualify for Playoffs is back to the standard 675 Premier Score.

EMEA Zone Updates

• Zones have been updated to support the VCT Challengers League Path to Promotion in EMEA.

Valorant Patch 8.0: Gameplay System Updates

From this update onwards, Valorant will start supporting third-party spatialization software for headphones. This will allow players to choose something beyond the HRTF option provided by Valorant since Patch 7.06.

These are all the changes that were introduced to Valorant along with the first major update of the year, Valorant Patch 8.0, which has also marked the start of Episode 8 Act 1 and brings along a new battle pass for community members to enjoy.

It will be interesting to see if the community opts to use Outlaw over the other snipers and Deadlock over Killjoy for her control abilities following their respective changes.