Valorant Patch 1.09 Nerfs the Operator, Makes Agent and Weapon Changes

Riot Games released a significant patch update for Valorant today, September 29. Patch 1.09 brings important changes to the tactical shooter’s gameplay that intend to shift the in-game meta. Perhaps the most notable change incorporated by it is the Operator nerf. There were calls in the community to nerf the dominant sniper rifle, and Riot has delivered just that.

The developers have also focused on adjustments for several Agents such as Omen, Jett, Reyna, Viper, and Brimstone. Apart from that, the patch includes several other updates, including changes for jump peeking.

The latest patch instills a more balanced structure into Valorant to provide a more seamless experience. Details for all the changes coming in Valorant Patch 1.09 are listed in the patch notes below.

Valorant Patch 1.09: Agent updates

Omen

For starters, the developers wanted to resolve visual issues that affected players when hit with Omen’s Paranoia.

Paranoia

• Updated projectile VFX to better represent its hitbox, especially when it is traveling towards your POV.

Jett

The purpose of these changes is to limit the effective range for Jeff’s ultimate while retaining its close range potential. The burst fire on Blade Storm is meant to be a close-range attack, and the devs felt it had been outperforming at long ranges.

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

The aim is to increase Viper’s flexibility in team play and enhance her overall impact through the changes listed below.

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 downtime by .4 seconds

Reyna

The devs felt the previous fire rate at Reyna’s ultimate was too effective when using heavy weapons and SMGs. Moreover, it was too quick to tackle the changing spray pattern on rifles. They are addressing both the issues here.

Empress

• Fire rate bonus decreased from 25% >>> 15%

Brimstone

To unify the fire rate increase with Reyna’s Empress, Brimstone’s Stim has received a bit of muscle.

Stim Beacon

• Fire rate bonus increased from 10% >>> 15%

Weapon updates in Valorant

The Operator sniper rifle has been a hot topic in the Valorant community of late. The devs have analyzed the weapon to figure out a stable way to adjust its overpowered strength while retaining its ‘most powerful angle-holding weapon’ tag. Hence, the nerf to balance out its exploits.

Additionally, the devs have made changes to jump peeking for all weapons to make it more reasonable. They have slightly increased the parameters for inaccuracy after landing from a jump.

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)

Listed below are some other competitive and social updates alongside fixes for a few bugs.

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Valorant Competitive mode updates

• During this patch, the chances of being in an hour+ queue should be notably reduced

Social updates

• Riot ID Reviews
• Removed Multi-line Breaks in Chat
• 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

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 canceled his ult
• Fixed a bug where Custom Game preferences would be wiped after navigating away from the Custom Game lobby

Meanwhile, those looking for a detailed breakdown of patch 1.09, and the devs’ approach behind the changes and why they were made, can read the full patch notes here.