Valorant: Changes to Guardian and a New Orb in Update

1.03 update patch is live on Valorant now and with a lot of changes. This update aims to fix a lot of issues and comes with map fixes and a change in the surrender feature. Along with this, there has been an exciting change to the Spike Rush mode. But we will get there. Firstly, let us take a look at the changes in the surrender feature.

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A quick explanation of how surrender works in Valorant: if a player feels like the current match is not worth fighting, is unfair, or a lost cause, they can opt to surrender that match. But they would have to call for a vote for surrender. Now, before the 1.03 update, players would have to type “/ff”, “/forfeit” or “concede” in the chat to call for a vote for surrender. Also, all the members of the party would have to vote yes in order to surrender.

With the 1.03 update, devs have added a dedicated button in the in-game menu to call for a surrender vote. In unrated matches, players can surrender a match if 80% of the players in the party agree to it. However, the vote requirement for surrendering a match in Competitive remains to be 100%.

NOTE: AFK players are not counted as vote participants. Moreover, players can call for a surrender vote starting from round 5 now, as opposed to round 8.

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Guardian gets an update and maps get some bug fixes

With a semi-automatic firing mode and a high rate of fire, Guardian is one of the more balanced guns in Valorant. In this update, devs have tried to make Guardian a more economic weapon by reducing its price to 2500. The rate of fire of the Guardian has been reduced to 4.75 from 6.5, and devs have increased the penetrating power of the gun, making it an effective long-range weapon.

As for map fixes, devs have removed the spot in Haven where the spike would irretrievable once dropped. Apart from this, devs have fixed the spots in all the maps where players could clip inside level geometry. They have also removed the spots where Sova’s sensor arrows would go through the walls.

A new orb is here!

Devs have introduced a new orb in spike rush called the Twin Hunter. Capturing this orb will release two wolves who would then seek and attack two nearby enemies. They would dash at there prey with increased speed when close. Note, you can deal damage to the wolves and they have an HP of 100. They are timed out after 15 seconds, or after finishing off their prey. Pretty cool, right?

In the map Split, the default orb location has been moved to the mid platform to make the position less defender-friendly.

Miscellaneous bug fixes in the Valorant 1.03 update

Devs fixed the bug that would cause Cypher’s doorway traps to not work. Apart from this devs also fixed the ascender bug where players could not jump off it if the jump was key bound to the mouse wheel. Some UI issues on the observer scoreboards have also been fixed. Here is a list of other miscellaneous bug fixes.

For more detailed patch notes, visit here.

With these many changes, there is bound to be mixed feedback from the players. Especially with the guardian now becoming a designated marksman rifle, players will have to change their gameplay strategy around it. Have you tried out the upgraded Guardian yet?