Valorant's latest patch is 2.03 and it went live yesterday. In addition to introducing the new Escalation mode, the update brought some serious nerfs to Reyna and her kit. Is she still playable?
Patch 2.03 shakes up the meta with changes to numerous agents, weapon balance, and the new fun mode Escalation in Valorant. Here's everything that the update includes:
Agents
Reyna
- Maximum Devour(Q) and Dismiss(E) charges reduced 4 >>> 2
- Slain enemies that Reyna has damaged in the last 3 seconds now drop Soul Orbs, even if Reyna does not land the killing shot
- Cost of Devour and Dismiss charges increased 100 >>> 200
Reyna gets a dual nerf and buff in hopes of reigning in some of her “pubstomp” potential, while still keeping her viable in balanced and coordinated play. The charge reduction should limit how much impact she can have round over round when she’s heavily out-gunning her opponents—but allow enough room for the 1v5 dream when Empress(X) is active.The price increase of Devour and Dismiss in tandem with the Frenzy price increase (see below) should also push some tougher economic decisions during pistol round. Now, she’ll no longer be able to buy a charge or Leer(C), her Soul Orb abilities, and upgrade her pistol. On the flip side, Reyna getting Soul Orbs from recently damaged enemies should help her reliability when playing around teammates, and reduce the animosity when an ally lands the final blow and Reyna goes empty handed.
Reyna was one of the easiest agents to pick up and totally own a match. With the changes in 2.03 she takes some heavy hits but remains playable, at least according to the dev team. We shall see.
Everybody's saying "Goodbye Reyna," but we're saying "Hello Viper." https://t.co/oC3fpszmRo pic.twitter.com/CygWJUGmWI
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) February 17, 2021
Yoru
Gatecrash(E)
- Gatecrash now displays the range at which the tether can be seen by enemies while moving on the minimap
- The range that enemies are able to hear the audio of a Gatecrash teleport is now displayed on the minimap
Dimensional Drift(X)
- While in Dimensional Drift, Yoru’s minimap is now visible
- Enemies within Yoru’s vision range, while in Dimensional Drift, are now revealed to ally minimaps, as well
- Dimensional Drift can no longer body block enemies
Brimstone
Incendiary(Q)
- The audio of the Incendiary’s lingering fire zone will be easier to hear when other actions and sounds occur nearby.
Phoenix
Hot Hands(E)
- The audio of the Hot Hands lingering fire zone will be easier to hear when other actions and sounds occur nearby.
Weapons
Marshal
- Movement speed when zoomed is now at 90% of unzoomed movement speed (previously, zoomed movement speed was 76% of unzoomed)
- Price decrease 1100 >>> 1000
- Zoom magnification increased 2.5x >>> 3.5x
The Marshal is now better and cheaper, giving you more movement speed when zoomed and a greater magnification.
Stinger (Full Auto Fire)
- Price increased from 1000 >>> 1100
- Full auto fire rate reduced from 18 >>> 16
- Full auto fire now reaches max spread at bullet 4, instead of bullet 6
- Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoil curve for full auto, recoil climbs more aggressively past the 3rd bullet
Stinger (Burst Fire)
- Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoil to be more aggressive after the first burst
- Added more error on bursts after the first one
- Improved recovery time on burst mode from .45 >>> .4
Frenzy
- Price Increased from 400 >>> 500
New Game Mode: Escalation
- This is a quick (approx. 7–9 min.) and fast-paced 5v5 game mode where you must race through progressively less lethal loadouts with your team. The loadout gamut varies from match to match, but always features a mix of both weapons and abilities. The same list of loadouts is always used by both teams throughout the match.
Valorant players have been itching for a new mode and it's finally time. With patch 2.03, Escalation is live and you can relax with this casual style mode.
Our biggest goal for Escalation is to offer a quick, fun mode that encourages social play and provides a chance for you to practice using new weapons in a lower-stakes environment. We’re also excited to offer a uniquely short and kinda crazy mode to round out what we have!This was one of our more highly requested game modes, so we’re especially excited to bring this one to you.
Show your skill with every weapon in the new Escalation game mode, playable tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Odv6PA6rNQ
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) February 16, 2021
Competitive Updates
- AFK-ing in Competitive games for a prolonged period (currently defined as 6 or more rounds) will now result in a penalty of 8 rank rating points
- Act Rank Badges will now be based on your highest rank win, instead of your ninth best win
Quality of Life
- All sprays will now be destroyed on round start.
Death Sequence Improvements and Updates
Timing
- Fade to black start time decreased 1.75 seconds after death >>> 1.5 seconds after death
- Time spent on a full black screen increased ~0 seconds >>> 0.25 seconds.
- The total time of the death sequence has not changed, it remains at 2.75 seconds
Camera movement smoothed significantly, especially for those under poor network conditions
- Prior to patch 2.03, any of you (but especially those with high ping or packet loss) could experience camera jitter during the death sequence.
- Based on our investigations of this issue, you can rest assured this camera jitter did not impact combat performance—anyone experiencing this issue was already dead during the unsmooth movement.
- Now everyone, regardless of network conditions, will have smooth camera movement during the death sequence.
Those were all the changes in the latest Valorant patch. Will you play Reyna in 2.03 or look for a new agent to dominate the pubs? Tell us on Facebook or Twitter!
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