Valorant 12.08 Patch Adds Ranked Skirmish, Changes Map Pool, and More: Patch Notes Revealed

With the Valorant 12.08 update being only a few hours away, Riot Games has officially unveiled the full patch notes of the upcoming release.

While the Valorant 12.08 patch doesn’t introduce any Agent balance changes, it does bring with it some exciting new content to the competitive shooter. The biggest highlights of the Valorant 12.08 update include the new ranked game mode Skirmish: Ascension, alongside an update to the game’s competitive map rotation.

Valorant 12.08 Adds New Ranked Skirmish Mode

The Valorant 12.08 update is set to introduce a brand-new game mode to the Riot Games title. Skirmish: Ascension raises the stakes of the regular Skirmish queues by adding a ranked ladder, while also implementing various other improvements.

For starters, you will be able to use certain abilities in this game mode, but the Agent pool has been restricted as a result. Additionally, there will be separate queues for 1v1 and 2v2, each featuring its own dedicated leaderboard.

Players can earn various rewards by participating in Skirmish: Ascension. These include three unique titles unlocked by reaching specific rank divisions, as well as two Player Cards that can be obtained simply by playing the new mode.

Valorant 12.08 Map Rotation

As already announced by Riot Games, Ascent is set to return to the competitive map rotation of Valorant with the 12.08 update, while Bind will make its exit.

The updated map pool for Competitive and Deathmatch queues will include the following:

• Ascent
• Breeze
• Fracture
• Haven
• Lotus
• Pearl
• Split

Valorant 12.08 Release Date

The Valorant 12.08 update will hit the live servers on April 28 or April 29, 2026, based on your game region.

Valorant 12.08 Patch Notes

Below, we have listed the detailed patch notes for the Valorant 12.08 update:

ALL PLATFORMS

MAP UPDATES

• Map Pool Updates
  • ASCENT is IN the Competitive and Deathmatch queues.
  • BIND is OUT of the Competitive and Deathmatch queues.

MODES UPDATES

• NEW LIMITED TIME MODE
  • Introducing Skirmish: Ascension, a new limited ranked experience for Skirmish. 
  • We designed this mode as a fast, skill-forward competitive experience where gunplay stays primary, but selected abilities create more tactical decisions and replayable duels. Pick from a curated roster of Agents, each equipped with a single ability, and fight through staged weapon rounds in 1v1 or 2v2. Compete on the FTW ranked ladder to earn rewards and prove you are better. Available for Act 3.
    • Mode Details
      • Agents & Abilities
        • Choose from 14 Agents, each with one ability from their kit
          • Jett (Tailwind)
          • Waylay (Refract)
          • Chamber (Rendezvous)
          • Cypher (Cyber Cage)
          • Omen (Shrouded Step)
          • Phoenix (Curve Ball)
          • Yoru (Clone)
          • Iso (Contingency)
          • Sage (Barrier Orb)
          • Raze (Blast Pack)
          • Vyse (Arc Rose)
          • KAY/O (Flash/Drive)
          • Breach (Flashpoint)
          • Veto (Crosscut)
    • Staged Weapons
      • No economy. Weapons escalate through stages as the match progresses
        • Rounds 1-4: Pistols (Bandit, Sheriff)
        • Rounds 5-8: Low-tier rifles (Guardian, Bulldog)
        • Round 9+: Vandal and Phantom
    • Queues
      • 1v1 and 2v2 with separate matchmaking
    • Round Structure
      • First to 10 rounds wins
    • FTW Ranked Ladder
      • Competitive leaderboard segmented by server, region, and platform
      • Separate leaderboards for 1v1 and 2v2, tracked independently
      • Rank Tiers
        • Iron: 700 
        • Bronze: 1100
        • Silver: 1500
        • Gold: 1800
        • Platinum: 2100
        • Diamond: 2400
        • Ascendant: 2700
        • Immortal: MAX
        • Radiant: Top 100
    • Rewards
      • Combat Ready player card: Complete 3 Skirmish: Ascension matches
      • Trade Me player card: Complete 15 Skirmish: Ascension matches
      • Titles awarded by highest rank achieved on either ladder
        • Skirmish Competitor: Gold to Platinum
        • Skirmish Expert: Diamond to Immortal
        • Skirmish Legend: Radiant
• LEAVING LIMITED TIME MODES
• Knockout is heading out. Thanks for playing!

BUG FIXES

• Agent
  • These were fixed in Patch 12.07 but missed the notes.
    • Fixed a bug where using Miks’ Bassquake would cause the minimap cone to blink on use.
    • Fixed a bug where Veto’s Chokehold could detect enemies behind rotating doors on Lotus.
    • Fixed a bug where KAY/O’s ability VFX were not appearing if used right after KAY/O casts NULL/cmd.
    • Fixed a bug where Neon’s High Gear slide was not playing SFX for moving across different surface types.
    • Fixed a bug where Tejo’s agent select animation would sometimes cut off the smoke from the explosion.
    • Fixed a bug where Gekko’s Dizzy would only target an enemy if their head was visible.
    • Fixed a bug where during Dimensional Drift Yoru could not see invisible abilities like Vyse’s Shear or Cypher’s Trapwire even if he was close enough to them.
  • These are new fixes in Patch 12.08.
    • Fixed a bug where Viper’s Toxic Screen SFX would activate repeatedly when Veto walked into it with Evolution active
    • Fixed a bug where players resurrected by Sage inside of Viper’s Decaying abilities would not gain Decay.
    • Fixed a bug where Tejo’s Armageddon would sometimes cast targeting spawn instead of the intended location.

PC ONLY

PREMIER UPDATES UPDATES

• Welcome to Stage V26A3! Matches start on May 6.
  • Contender and Invite Division schedule changes:
    • There are only 6 weeks of matches this stage – the matches are still each Saturday from May 9 – June 13.
    • Playoffs now take place across multiple days.
      • The first round of playoffs takes place on June 20.
      • Teams that advance from the first round return on June 21 for their next matchup.
      • Make sure to check the schedule in the client for round start times for your zone!

BUG FIXES

• General
  • Fixed an issue in settings where audio sliders weren’t moving correctly
  • Fixed an issue where trying to exit the client while a replay was paused wasn’t working

CONSOLE ONLY

KNOWN ISSUES

• Modes
  • Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Timer is stuck at 00.50 sec when during Overtime phase.
  • Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Agent abilities do not show up on the Combat Report in the following round after affecting enemies