Valorant‘s new act is upon us. As the VCT finals approach, Riot Games has unveiled a bombshell of a patch. Notably, every agent has undergone major alterations, with JETT and GEKKO taking the spotlight due to their substantial revisions. Additionally, the latest battle pass for the new act brings a plethora of surprises.
Allow me to dive directly into the dueslist news. JETT has taken a significant blow. By this, I’m referring to the fact that each and every one of her abilities has been nerfed by a small margin to say the least. It’s not just JETT; other agents like Gekko and Astra have also been subjected to nerfs.
New Valorant Act Incoming : Shocking Changes to JETT and Gekko! What Riot Doesn’t Want You to Know!
This isn’t the first time for Astra, as she experienced similar changes shortly after her initial introduction to the game. According to Riot, the rationale behind these nerfs is Astra’s over powered post-plant performance. They believed that to maintain game balance, these modifications were absolutely essential.
Dive in as we discuss the intricate changes and what they mean for the players.
Meta Shift: A transformation has swept through the agent roster with modifications to more than half of them. The ripple effect of these updates means that a nerf in one agent could inadvertently boost their counter or an agent they previously countered. This interconnected balance is vital for shaping up the new meta.
Ultimate Adjustments: The ult economy has been shaken up. Many ultimates now demand more points to activate, culminating in a reduction in utility usage. This change undeniably alters retake scenarios and the flow of matches.
Detailed Agent Changes:
JETT: Her Tailwind (E) has seen a reduction in the dash window from 12 seconds to 7.5 seconds, urging players to strategize their dashes better. The Cloud Burst (C) now lasts a mere 2.5 seconds, down from 4.5, and gun re-equipping post-use has been lengthened. Updraft charges have been halved from 2 to 1, marking a pivotal alteration to JETT’s overall playstyle. To top it off, her Bladestorm now requires 8 ultimate points, a bump up from 7.
Killjoy: Her Lockdown now demands 9 ultimate points, one more than before.
Viper: The Viper’s Pit ultimate has also seen an increase, needing 9 points to activate.
Sova: His Recon Bolt now scans fewer times, reduced from 3 to 2, making rapid information gathering slightly more challenging.
Skye: Her Guiding Light (E) has a truncated max duration during casting, reduced to 2 seconds. The Trailblazer (Q) wolf’s health points have been reduced from 100 to 80. The Seekers ultimate has undergone dual changes: it now requires 8 ultimate points, and its health has been lowered from 150 to 120.
Omen: The Paranoia ability has been reworked to ensure a consistent speed, removing its movement velocity.
GEKKO: His Mosh Pit (C) inflicts 10 damage per second before its explosive climax. The Wingman (Q) HP has been slashed to 80 from its original 100. Additionally, the visuals for Thrash (X) have been overhauled for clearer visibility.
Brimstone: The Orbital Strike (X) ultimate now requires 8 points for activation.
Breach: His Aftershock (C) ability ticks have been reduced, but its damage potency increased. Furthermore, the Rolling Thunder (X) ultimate necessitates 9 points, one more than before.
Astra: The Gravity Well’s startup time has been elongated while its duration shortened. Her Nova Pulse (Q) has a faster startup time. The Cosmic Divide has undergone a significant change: it now blocks out audio entirely instead of just dampening it.
This new game update feels like it’s telling players: “Hey, don’t just use your utilities, you need to aim better too!” Everyone, even famous folks like Ben Affleck (spotted at the VCT finals!), was surprised to see Jett get another nerf. Sure, Jett is often chosen in games and can be super strong. But maybe that’s because of some players being too skilled for their game level, known as “smurfing”, and not really about Jett being too powerful.
When we dig deeper, we see that players who are smurfing pick Jett a lot. Another character, Reyna, is also chosen by smurfs, but only up to a certain game level. After that, it’s mostly Jett. So maybe it’s not just about the characters but more about these super skilled players. There’s a lot to think about from this guide! If you want more help, check our YouTube channel. We have lots of Valorant tips there and post new stuff every day. We hope you’ll watch and like our videos!
