Valorant Patch 11.08 Brings Agent Nerfs Across the Board

Riot Games is shaking up the Valorant meta with the game’s upcoming 11.08 patch, which is all set to introduce drastic nerfs to most of the Agents in the game.

Yes, you read that right. The majority of the Agent roster in Valorant is getting nerfed to some extent in the patch 11.08 update, and chances are, your favorite character is also getting some of their abilities toned down a bit.

Initiators and Controllers are seeing a sharp increment in the cooldowns on their signature abilities like recon and smokes, while Duelists will have their utility durations, distances, and a few other aspects tuned. The defensive utility on Sentinels is also being toned down in accordance with the offensive changes, making it harder for them to lock down sites as effectively as before.

According to Valorant game designer Ryan Cousart, the new changes to the Agent in Season 25 Act 6 will “force players to think more carefully and intentionally about when and how they use their utility to take the site on attack or to play for retakes on defence.”

All Agent Changes in Valorant Season 25 Act 6

Riot Games has yet to reveal the official patch notes for the Valorant Season 25 Act 6 update. However, the devs have released a series of videos over the past day to showcase some of the major changes that the new patch will introduce to the game.

Below, we have listed some of the crucial changes to the Valorant Agents in the 11.08 patch:

AGENT UPDATES

General

• The agent updates this patch are focused around how we can support higher mastery around ability usage. We want to allow your gunplay to do the talking, while you use abilities strategically and intentionally to gain advantages. These changes should reward players who use abilities well in the right time and place. Additionally, we’re also reducing the size of some of the largest ultimate abilities.
• We’re also aiming to create more consistency across the game’s various debuffs, making it easier to build muscle memory when playing with or against effects like Nearsight, Concuss, and Stims.
  • Nearsights
    • Fade’s Prowler, Omen’s Paranoia, Reyna’s Leer, Skye’s Seeker
    • Nearsight radius increased from 5 >>> 7m
  • Concuss
    • Breach’s Fault Line, Gekko’s Wingman, Neon’s Relay Bolt, Astra’s Nova Pulse
    • Concuss duration decreased to 2.5s
  • Stim Unification
    • Brimstone’s Stim Beacon, KAY/O’s NULL/CMD, Reyna’s Empress
    • Reload time modifier: 0.9
    • Firing rate modifier: 1.1
    • Weapon draw time modifier: 0.9
    • Spread recovery modifier: 1.1

Initiators

Initiators are intended to be the go-to agents for breaking angles and creating openings for their team. With this update, we’re adjusting how often they can use their signature abilities within a round. These abilities should remain impactful, but now demand more coordination and deliberate timing to unlock their full value.

Flashes have always been a critical tool for challenging angles, and in a world with less frequent signature abilities, we want them to retain the power needed to start fights. To support that, we’ve increased the strength of Initiator flashes so they remain reliable tools for setting up engagements.

• Breach
  • Fault Line
    • Cooldown increased from 40s → 60s
    • Initial windup decreased from 1.2s → 1.1s
    • Concuss duration decreased from 3.5s → 2.5s
  • Flash Point
    • Flash duration increased up from 2s → 2.25s
  • Rolling Thunder
    • Width decreased from 23m → 18m
    • Concuss duration decreased from 6s → 4s
    • Ult points decreased from 9 → 8
• Fade
  • Haunt
    • Cooldown increased from 40s → 60s
    • Haunt active duration decreased 2s → 1.5s
  • Prowler
    • Visibility in Nearsight increased from 5m → 7m
  • Nightfall
    • Deafen and Marked duration decreased from 12s → 8s
    • Width decreased from 24m → 20m
    • Decay now remains a consistent 80 damage over its duration instead of decreasing over time
• Gekko
  • General
    • Cooldown upon reclaim increased from 10s → 20s
  • Wingman
    • Health decreased from 80 → 60
    • Concuss duration decreased from 3.5s → 2.5s
  • Thrash<
    • Health decreased from 200 → 180
• KAY/O
  • ZERO/POINT
    • Cooldown increased from 40s → 60s
  • FLASH/DRIVE
    • Underhand maximum flash duration increased from 1.5s → 2.25s
  • NULL/CMD
    • Updated to match Stim standardization
      • Increased fire rate reduced from 15% → 10%
      • Added standardized weapon draw time for Stims
        • NEW: Increased weapon draw speed by 10%
      • Added weapon recovery speed for Stims
        • Weapon recovery speed increase by 10%
• Sova
  • Recon Bolt
    • Cooldown increased from 40s → 60s

Duelists

Most Duelist gameplay is in a healthy state, so we’re making minor tunings. We want stuns and slows to feel rewarding when they lead to kills, so we’re making adjustments that will reward precise timing and well-coordinated ability combos.

• Iso
  • Kill Contract
    • Length decreased from 48m → 36m
• Neon
  • Neon’s High Gear changes allow Neon to make more significant timing breaks but will require more thoughtful resource management.
  • High Gear
    • Battery recharge decreased, time to recharge to full battery increased from 20s → 60s
    • Battery drain reduced, increasing sprint time with full battery from 12s → 16s
  • Relay Bolt
    • Concuss duration decreased 3.5s → 2.5s
• Reyna
  • Leer
    • Health decreased from 80 → 60
  • Empress
    • Updated to match stim standardization
    • Reduced reload time decrease from 25% → 10%
    • Reduced fire rate increase from 15% → 10%
    • Increased weapon draw speed reduced from 25% >>> 10%
    • Reduced weapon recovery speed increase from 25% → 10%
• Waylay
  • Saturate
    • Hindered duration decreased from 4s → 3s
  • Convergent Paths
    • Ultimate no longer spawns an afterimage of Waylay, and she is no longer pushed back when casting
    • Ultimate now briefly restricts aim rotation and movement speed similar to Breach’s Rolling Thunder when casting
    • Hindered duration decreased from 7s → 6s
    • Initial windup decreased from 2s → 1s
    • Width decreased from 18m → 13.5m
    • Decreased movement speed buff on ult from 15% → 10%
• Yoru
  • We’ve seen a notable rise in Yoru mastery, but his kit has become so effective it can overshadow other Duelists, and even some Initiators. We’re making changes to make his tools a bit more selfish and encourage coordinated team plays to achieve his potential.
  • Gatecrash
    • Health decreased from 60 → 20
    • Audio now plays from Yoru’s location when Yoru teleports or fakes it
  • Fakeout
    • Flash duration decreased from 3s → 2s
  • Blindside
    • Flash duration decreased from 1.75s → 1.5s
    • Flash now follows the standard flash falloff curves as other Agents. Previously, Yoru’s flashes that were slightly offscreen were more effective than intended
  • Dimensional Drift
    • Yoru can no longer cast Blindside, or set up his fakeout during Dimensional Drift
    • He can still cast the initial Gatecrash and reactivation, as well as reactivation of Fakeouts
• Raze
  • Blast Pack
    • Raze can now affected by Slows while midair with Blast Pack
    • If Slowed, the force from Blast Pack will be reduced, similar to how slows affect other Dashes

Controllers

Controllers were largely in a healthy state and required few changes, though some abilities have been adjusted to align with recent roster-wide updates.

• Astra
  • Gravity Well
    • Fragile duration decreased from 5s → 2.5s
    • Cooldown increased from 45s → 60s
  • Nova Pulse
    • Concuss duration decreased from 3.5s → 2.5s
    • Cooldown increased from 45s → 60s
  • Nebula
    • Cooldown increased 25s → 35s
• Brimstone
  • Stim Beacon
    • Updated to match stim standardization
      • Decreased fire rate increase from 15% → 10%
      • Decreased movement speed increase from 15% → 10%
• Omen
  • Dark Cover
    • Cooldown increased from 30s → 40s
  • Paranoia
    • Projectile speed increased from 16 meters per second → 20 meters per second
    • Travel distance reduced from 32.5m → 25m
• Viper
  • Initial contact now inflicts less Decay, reduced from 30 → 10 health

Sentinels

Sentinels are premier at defending territory, but we think there can be more room for dialogue between attackers and defensive Sentinel utilities. These adjustments aim to make it easier to take advantage of intended counterplay while sharpening each Sentinel’s unique identity. We’re also reducing the health of some of the tankier shootables to make them sponge less of your bullets.

• Vyse
  • Vyse has been great at stalling and punishing enemies that move recklessly through her space but countering her has been more difficult than intended. We’re adjusting Shear and Arc Rose’s counterplay rules to make them simpler and more consistent for enemies to perform.
  • Arc Rose
    • Arc Rose is now destructible after the flash windup starts rather than being invulnerable.
    • When enemy players are successfully flashed, the audio cue and voiceline alerting Vyse and her allies is removed
    • Flash duration decreased from 2.25s → 2.0s
    • Cooldown are slightly adjusted
      • After destruction, cooldown is increased from 45s → 60s
      • Recalling the ability will now always incur a 20s cooldown
  • Shear
    • Wall Trap trigger logic has been reworked to make it easier to bait out. The wall now spawns immediately when an enemy enters and then leaves its trigger zone. Enemies will also hear an audio cue, audible only to them, when they enter the trigger zone
  • Razorvine
    • Health decreased from 40 → 20
  • Steel Garden
    • Initial windup increased from 3.4s → 4.4s
    • Radius decreased from 32.5m → 26m
• Cypher
  • We’re asking Cypher players to be craftier with their camera placements and focus on his role as a surveillance network master. Enemies will now see and hear a Spycam when it is nearby, similar to Vyse’s Arc Rose. Trapwire has been adjusted to be less lethal, though Cypher can still convert to a kill when they are disrespected.
  • Spycam
    • Added stealthing functionality
      • Inactive camera will be revealed to enemies when you are within 8 meter radius of the camera, and will also have an accompanying audio tell
      • When the camera is active, there will be a louder persistent camera audio for enemies with a 12m range
    • Cooldown when destroyed is increased from 45s → 60s
  • Trapwire
    • Windup decreased
      • PC: 1.5s → 0.9s
      • Console: 2.5 → 1.9s
    • Players are no longer revealed after 0.5 seconds of the tripwire winding up
      • Players are tagged + slowed by 50% when chained
      • If you move more than 4m outwards from the wire it will now immediately zap you instead of pulling you back
    • Trapwire zap no longer concusses its target. Instead, it will slow + reveal its target for 1 second.
• Killjoy
  • We’re increasing the counterplay around Killjoy’s range restricted utilities, giving enemies more tells to maneuver around unattended utilities and asking KJ to make a sharper call on when to keep her utility active and when to reposition away from them.
  • Turret
    • Cooldown when destroyed increased from 45s → 60s
    • Reactivation time for turret increased from 0.5s → 2s
    • Turret movement tagging per bullet increased 29.5% >>> 50%
    • NEW: Added a “windup” effect when Killjoy first re-enters the activation range
  • Alarmbot
    • Health decreased from 50 to 20
    • Reactivation time increased from 1s → 2s
    • NEW: Added a “windup” effect when Killjoy first re-enters the activation range
• Deadlock
  • GravNet
    • Cooldown increased from 40s >>> 60s
  • Barrier Mesh
    • Cost reduced from 400 to 300
    • Health of smaller nodes decreased from 570 to 480
  • Sonic Sensor
    • Concuss duration reduced 3.5s to 2.5s
• Sage
  • Barrier Orb
    • Cost reduced from 400 to 300
    • Fortification delay reduced from 3.3 seconds to 2 seconds
    • Health of Barrier segments decreased from 800 to 600

Note that this isn’t the complete list of Agent changes that the new Act will bring to the shooter. The detailed patch notes for the Valorant 11.08 update will likely be revealed by Riot Games within the next few hours.