'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Valorant Episode 5 Act 2 began this year on August 23, and arrived with the 5.04 patch. The new update brought with it a new Battle Pass, Champions 2022 Bundle, and added crosshair customization options along with various other minor changes.
This Act didn't bring about any major changes to the game, unlike Act 1. Apart from a few changes to the map Pearl in the latest 5.06 patch, overall improvements here include quality of life. Act 2 also witnessed a soft rank reset.
So far, Valorant has seen 5 Episodes with 3 Acts each. Presently, Episode 5's second Act is live but will be ending soon, marking the beginning of the third and final Act for Episode 5.
Everything players need to know about Valorant Episode 5 Act 2 and the upcoming Act 3
Act 2 will be ending soon and will be followed by Act 3 going live. Although there is no official confirmation from Riot specifying players with the dates, based on previous trends, the following can be speculated:
When will Valorant Episode 5 Act 2 end?
Episode 5 Act 2 Battle Pass will end on October 18. Going by patterns in the past, Episode 5 Act 2 will also be ending on the same date after which the game's servers will be down for maintenance. Once the servers are back up, they will be live with Episode 5 Act 3 bringing in a new Battle Pass and several changes to the game.
When will Valorant Episode 5 Act 3 start?
Episode 5 Act 3 is rumored to start a day after Episode 5 Act 2 Battle Pass ends. As suggested by Twitter user floxay, the new Act will be going live on October 19 and will run until January 11, 2023. Thereafter, Episode 6 will kick off.
What can be expected from Act 3?
Act 3 is rumored to introduce a new Agent and Battle Pass, and while no details are available at the moment, Riot recently teased the upcoming Agent via Valorant's official Twitter handle.
Varun Batra (codename Agent 21) is likely to make his appearance with the Act 3 update. The new Agent will be a Controller and is reported to have water bending abilities. This is in line with the name 'Varun' gaining inspiration from the Hindu God, Varuna, who is said to have commanding power over the oceans. With Varun Batra being an Indian agent, this is highly probable.
The map Pearl was introduced to the game with the Episode 5 Act 1 update and was based inside a glass dome underwater. With so many references to water and oceans in Episode 5, Act 3 is likely to introduce water bending Agent Varun Batra.
A recent leak suggests that his set of abilities include Vision Taker, Tartarus Pit, Bubble (Signature ability), and Golden (Ultimate ability).
His Signature ability, Bubble, will prevent bullets from passing through and blocking enemy vision. Being a Controller, his ability should behave like a smoke screen. The Vision Taker is an ability that acts like a wall, so when enemies pass through it, they will be momentarily distorted.
His Tartarus Pit ability can be launched, creating a field that slows down players. The ultimate ability is a doll that can be thrown onto the map. This will heal your teammates within a radius and deal decay damage to enemies.
This is all that is known so far about the upcoming Episode 5 Act 3. Aside from this, players are expecting changes to various Agent stats.
