Valorant update 1.09 is here, and with it, Riot have rolled out a new series of balance changes to the game’s roster of Agents. This time around, the patch focuses on five characters in particular, with extra attention paid to Jett and Viper. As such, those characters should start to perform differently in multiplayer over the coming days and weeks.
Valorant Update 1.09 – Agent Changes
Omen is the first of the five Agents to get attention in Valorant Update 1.09, although it’s only one small change. Riot have updated the VFX of his Paranoia projectile to more accurately represent its hitbox. “We’re keeping an eye on the overall power level of Paranoia,” writes Riot; “but as a first step wanted to resolve visual issues where players hit with Paranoia appear outside of its impact on their screen.”
Next up is Jett, whose Blade Storm ability has had a significant overhaul in Update 1.09. Specifically, the time between her Blade Storm’s Burst Fire use has gone up from 0.33 seconds to 0.45, while its headshot multiplier has gone down from 3x to 2x. Additionally, daggers which players throw in Burst will now have a damage falloff starting at 12 metres. This will eventually reduce the damage down to 35 at its maximum falloff. According to Riot, this is to ensure that it sees use as a close-range weapon, as intended.
As for Viper, Riot has made alterations to several of her abilities with this latest update. “While Viper is stronger than ever,” explains Riot; “her overall impact is lower than we’d like”. Indeed, Viper has received considerable attention in other recent patches. As of now, Riot will now start each round with 100 fuel, rather than 50. Additionally, her Snake Bite debuff will now linger for 2 seconds after leaving her acid. Finally, the Viper’s Pit ability will now double move speed while casting, and also allow Viper to fast-equip her weapon after casting. This should make her less vulnerable when casting the ability.
The last two Agents to get attention in Update 1.09 are Brimstone and Reyna. The former’s Stim Beacon ability has received a small increase to its fire rate bonus; rising from 10% to 15%. Meanwhile, Reyna’s Empress ability has seen its own fire rate bonus drop from 25% to 15%.