Riot Games posted the patch notes for the long-awaited Patch 4.0 Update, which will add in the new Agent, Neon, to its ever-growing roster. The said patch notes revealed several changes to the multiplayer online shooting game.
These include balance changes for several its weapons and visual ones for several of its maps, as well as tweaks for its Competitive Ranked.
Weapon Changes
One of the weapon changes that the Patch 4.0 Update will bring in to Valorant are the ones for its melee weapons such as knives.
Neon pushes the tempo, some weapons come out of the shadows, Bind and Breeze get updates—all this in more in VALORANT Patch Notes 4.0. Devour them here: https://t.co/jOipRNdREr pic.twitter.com/8XVfSwKUZ8
— VALORANT (@VALORANT) January 11, 2022
According to the aforementioned patch notes that was posted in the game's website, their right click hitboxes will now be 1.5 times larger, while the left click hitboxes will be larger, as well as a slightly longer ranger, than those from the right click.
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Developers stated in the notes that the reason for the change is because the melee weapons are too tricky to aim with, making it tough for players to rely on.
The patch update also tweaked the targets for said melee weapons, especially those who are closer to the center of their attacks, as they will get to hit first, while it also changed knifing on walls in order to have instant feedback when slicing them up.
Aside from the knives, the Patch 4.0 Update also tweaked several firearms that are available in Valorant, including the Spectre submachine gun, which includes one that increases its pitch and yaw, or vertical and horizontal, recoil multipliers when running, jumping, or on an ascender from 1.25 to 1.5.
It also decreased the protected bullet count from the yaw switching while spraying from 8 bullets to 5 bullets, while it lowered the time to switch it from .24 seconds to .18 seconds.
According to Polygon, before the said changes, the submachine gun has become a terror in matches recently due to it being over-performing in long-range engagements, while being too powerful even within its intended close range and mobile scenarios.
The Ares fully automatic heavy machine gun will also receive balance changes, which include a removed spin up and an increased firing range from 10 to 13, while the Guardian semi-automatic rifle will have its firing rate penalty on Aiming Down Sight removed, as well as an additional extra bullet before it enters a recovery curve.
Finally, the Bulldog fully-automatic rifle will have its hip fire rate increased from 9.5 to 10 and the recovery on burst fire improved from .4 to .35.
Other Changes
Aside ones for its weapons, the Patch 4.0 Update also bring in changes to Valorant's map. According to the patch notes, the double stack of cover at Bind's short A will be changed to remove the one-way smoke location that made the area too difficult for Attackers to approach.
On the other hand, it also increased the width of Breeze's A Main choke, while it removed the area's 50/50s, where they must choose one of two locations an opponent may be located.
The patch update also tweaked the requirements for its Competitive Ranked. According to Upcomer, once it rolls out, players need to have their accounts reach Level 20 in order to play the said game mode.
Because of this change, new accounts will be seen less in the said game mode. However, those who participated in the Competitive Ranked but are still below Level 20 will still be able to play competitively.
It also reduced the penalty received to Rank Rating by player who are ranked Diamond 2 or below by 25%, while it increased the map weights, which should lead to an increase in map variety and reduction in map duplicates from one match to the other.
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