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Riot Games has released a teaser for the next skin bundle coming to Valorant, which will be called the Black Market collection. This will be the third line of skins to be added in Episode 6 Act of the game, following the much-loved Oni 2.0 and Altitude skin collections. The new bundle will feature a melee as well as four unique weapon skins.
The Black Market skin collection has some really cool new features that players have been eager to see in the game for a really long time now. Another factor that will strongly increase the new bundle's appeal to hardcore FPS fans is the fact that the entire collection is based on very realistic design principles.
Valorant players went into a frenzy when Riot Games added the Recon collection to the game in 2021, owing to its Counter-Strike-like looks. The collection also introduced the iconic Butterfly Knife melee design to Valorant, which has only increased in popularity since then.
Following a design palette similar to the Recon bundle, and featuring a Butterfly Knife in its melee, the Black Market skin collection is one that players will be very eager to try out. Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming skin bundle in Valorant.
When is the new Counter-Strike-inspired skin bundle, Black Market, coming to Valorant?
The new Black Market skin collection will go live on April 12, 2023. This will be right after the latest update, Patch 6.07, has been deployed for all regions across.
The upcoming patch will drop for North American players first at approximately 3 pm PDT on April 11, 2023. For those playing on the Mumbai server, you can expect the patch to arrive around 3:30 am IST on April 12, 2023, and you should have the skin bundle available in your shop as soon as you download the update after the mandatory maintenance period.
This will be the last patch of Episode 6 Act 2, and the return of Bind will be another key feature to look out for alongside this new skin collection.
What weapon skins will the Black Market collection feature?
The upcoming Black Market skin bundle in Valorant will feature the following weapon skins:
- Vandal
- Bulldog
- Marshal
- Classic
- Melee - Butterfly Knife
The new skin bundle will follow the kind of aesthetic that players are used to seeing in Counter-Strike guns. For those not familiar with the classic FPS title, the closest reference point from within Valorant will be the Recon Collection or the Infantry collection. All the featured weapons will have a look resembling real-life weapons.
What really sets this skin bundle apart is the fact that it will look different in the hands of Attackers and Defenders. In the attacking half, players will have a gun that has a rougher industrial finish, while on the defending side, the guns will look more finely finished.
This goes well with the Terrorist/Counter-terrorist narrative aspect of Counter-Strike, which is followed in Valorant in the way that the Attackers are the bad guys who are here to steal Radianite, while the Defenders are the good ones trying to save their own resources.
Price of the new Black Market skin bundle in Valorant
The new skin bundle is expected to belong to the Premium tier of skins. If so, the bundle will cost 7100 VP in total, with individual gun skins costing 1775 VP. The melee skins at this tier usually cost 3550 VP, but the ones in the Oni 2.0, Reaver 2.0, and Ion 2.0 cost more, so the exact price can't be confirmed at the time of writing.
While it remains to be confirmed, this can be said because although the skin doesn't feature any special visual or sound effects like the Oni 2.0 bundle, it will change looks based on which side you are on.
Valorant has been surprising the player base with a constant stream of fantastic cosmetics, and the Black Market collection looks to continue the trend. This skin line appears to be an excellent new take on old classics and is sure to become very popular among players upon release.
