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Valorant will receive a new set of balances and tweaks with the 5.07 Patch. Riot Games has always tried to make the gameplay experience as balanced and reasonable as possible. Countless hours are spent delivering the perfect experience.
The latest 5.07 patch will bring significant balance changes to the Agents Reyna, Skye, Yoru, and Kay/O. This update mainly targets flashing abilities. To maximize team chemistry, the developers have introduced new buffs and nerfs to the aforementioned Agents.
All Valorant Agent changes in 5.07 update
The ability to win a straight-up 1v1 in Valorant depends on the player’s mechanical power. But maximizing the chances of winning the duel depends on correctly using Agent-specific abilities. Using flashing abilities and disorienting enemies to catch them off-guard guarantees a free kill. However, this tedious ability needs to be checked regularly for every Agent.
Reyna
Reyna is a Duelist Agent in Valorant. Her ability enables a selfish approach to the playstyle with the choice of coordinating with the team. Reyna has been heavily nerfed from her former glory, and these changes look to uplift the Agent’s active role step by step.
The developers wanted to change how her flash works for players to create more self-centered plays and take control of areas.
The changes for Reyna’s Leer are as follows:
- Wind-up time for nearsighted effect decreased 0.6s > 0.4s
- No range restriction on Leer
- Nearsighted unequip delay decreased 0.7s > 0.5s
- Leer duration decreased 2.6s > 2s
These changes will enable Reyna players to constructively blind enemies over long ranges especially enabling challenging Operators in the distance. The duration being reduced introduces a fast-paced execution from Reyna users.
Yoru
Yoru is one of the more recent Duelists added to the Agents list in Valorant. Yoru is a unique Duelist Agent who can quickly reposition and cross enemy lines. His flashing ability is a cherry on top as it disorients enemies and discourages head-on fights.
The changes for Yoru’s Blindside are as follows:
- Blindside duration increased from 1.5s to 1.75s.
- Flash indicator updated to show flash effect and flash fading effect behind the player’s head.
- Flashed players will see the flash shrink over time to indicate the flash fading out more distinctly.
- The assist window increased from 1s to 3s after the flash started fading out.
These changes are being introduced to recognize team players and reward supportive Yoru team players. The assist window was increased to incentivize players to set up more favorable situations for their teammates.
Skye
Skye is an Initiator Agent in Valorant. Her abilities can greatly impact the pace of the game. When used correctly, Skye’s flashing ability, Guiding Light, is a powerful tool. The developers felt that the ability needed some changes for players to support the team more meaningfully.
The changes for Skye’s Guiding Light are as follows:
- Max flash duration scales from 1s to 2.25s with a 0.75s charge up after being cast
- Guiding light cannot be destroyed
- New VFX, UI, and sound cues added
- Unequip delay increased from 0.75s to 0.85s
The destructibility of Guiding Light felt counterintuitive for Skye players. The ability to set up long-range flashes was negatively affected due to this feature. By scaling the max flash duration, developers aim to ignite more team-oriented initiations.
Kay/O
Kay/O is also an Initiator Agent that was added to Valorant not long ago. The flash ability on Kay/O has been absurdly powerful and outperforms that of Duelists by quite a high margin. Developers wish to introduce a nerf to this Agent to balance and keep Kay/O within the bounds of an Initiator.
The changes for Kay/O’s Flash/Drive are as follows:
- Underhand (right-click) flash max duration decreased from 2s to 1.25s
- Overhand (left-click) flash max duration increased from 2s to 2.25s
- Unequip delay after using both flashes increased from 0.6s to 0.85s
The balance for Kay/O mainly targets to equip the Agent for setting up favorable scenarios for the team instead of being the spearhead and first contact. The underhand flashes were too strong to counter and scaled better than the pop flashes the Duelists like Pheonix offered, diminishing the Duelist role.
These changes will incentivize players to set up flashes for Duelists to make a move with the rest of the team supporting from the rear.
This concludes all the changes coming to the Valorant Agents with the release of patch 5.07. Riot Games relentlessly pursues the path to provide the most optimized and balanced experience through their famous First Person Shooter title. It is imperative that the Agents and their abilities adhere to their respective roles and do not overshadow others.
