Jett, Skye, Astra & More Agents Receive Massive Nerfs in Valorant Episode 7 Act 2 Update

Jett, Skye, Astra & More Agents Receive Massive Nerfs in Valorant Episode 7 Act 2 Update

Time Stamp: August 25, 2023 1:21 PM
Source Node: 2235121

Riot Games have officially unveiled the patch notes for the upcoming Valorant Episode 7 Act 2 update, and it’s set to bring some significant changes to the competitive shooter.

It’s safe to say that the next Valorant Act will undoubtedly shake up the current meta of the title, as it aims to introduce a number of nerfs to some of the most popular Agents in the competitive scene.

From the initial looks at the Episode 7 Act 2 patch notes, it seems that the developers intend to reduce the chaos caused by utility dumping and large scale ultimates on the battlefield. The changes included in the next update will reduce the overall effectiveness of over half the Valorant roster, with many of them having their required ultimate points increased.

According to a blog post by Riot, these changes are “sharply focused on increasing game state clarity” by making adjustments to the frequency of large AoE ultimates, the active utility time, and the HP of shootable utility.

Jeff Landa, Community Lead at Riot Games, said in a statement, “We also believe the Ultimate cost updates below better align large area, high-impact ults with the pressure they place on the enemy, creating both a better pacing of the round-defining abilities and a clearer choice competition between high and low cost ults.”

Valorant Episode 7 Act 2 Patch Notes: All Changes in Update 7.04 

Here’s a list of all the changes that Valorant patch 7.04 will bring to the game, as revealed in the official patch notes by Riot Games:

  • Reducing the frequency of large area of effect of ultimates
  • Reducing the amount of time utility is active in the world
  • Reducing the HP of shootable utility
  • We also believe the Ultimate cost updates below better align large area, high-impact ults with the pressure they place on the enemy, creating both a better pacing of the round-defining abilities and a clearer choice competition between high and low cost ults.

Though many of these changes are subtle, We hope all together they improve gamestate clarity and the sense that you have even more opportunities for your skill to shine through. 

breach-banner.png

BREACH

Aftershock (C)Ticks reduced from 3 to 2Damage increased from 60 per tick to 80
Rolling Thunder (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
brimstone-banner.png

BRIMSTONE

Orbital Strike (X)Ultimate points increased 7>>>8
Valorant_2022_E4A3_Article_Divider_Fade_838x110_MB01.jpg

FADE

Prowler (C)Time to re-equip gun takes slightly longer after using the ability
03072023_WhatsNewinACTIIArticle_01_Divider_Gekko.jpg

GEKKO

Mosh Pit (C)The impacted area does 10 damage per second before exploding
Wingman (Q)HP reduced 100>>>80
Thrash (X)Thrash’s explosion had a little makeover to make it easier to see and understand the area it has affected (on top of being beautiful)
killjoy-banner.png

KILLJOY

Lockdown (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
omen-banner.png

OMEN

Paranoia (Q)No movement velocity imparted when casting
V_AGENTS_587x900_ALL_Skye_Banner.png

SKYE

Skye has become a keystone of the current meta through her blend of recon and space taking utility. While we like that she can potentially unlock new comps through this combo, we think she has lacked clear weaknesses compared to her peers given the wide range of value she brings. These changes reduce the distance in which Guiding Light can provide info. Changes also helps reduce the amount of time enemies need to worry about her flash when she flies it a great distance without activating it. We’ve also reduced the health of Trailblazer and Seekers to make them slightly easier for enemies to deal with, Skye’s ultimate cost will increase to better reflect the high level of baseline value it provides.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these updates to see if they push the choice competition between Skye and her peers into a healthy place, or if further updates are needed in either direction.

Guiding Light (E)Max duration while casting reduced 2.5s >>>2s
Trailblazer (Q)HP reduced 100>>>80
Seekers (X)Ultimate Points increased 7 >>>8Seeker Health decreased 150>>>120
sova-banner.png

SOVA

Recon Bolt (E)Total number of scans reduced 3>>>2
viper-banner.png

VIPER

Viper’s Pit (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
Astra-banner.png

ASTRA

We’ve noticed a large power disparity between Astra’s Gravity Well and Nova Pulse. Our goal is to create clearer use cases for both abilities: Gravity Well will be Astra’s tool for controlling space, and Nova Pulse for quickly affecting an area. At the same time, we hope to reduce some of the oppressive and long duration pressure Astra’s stars produce by providing enemies a chance to push past activated Gravity Well during its windup period if they act quickly.

We’re updating Cosmic Divide to help clarify the overall game state by eliminating uncertainty around whether you or your enemies are close enough to the wall to be heard. We also think this gives Astra’s wall a clearer power profile for her and her allies to play around.

Gravity Well (C)Startup time increased .6>>>1.25Gravity time duration decreased 2.75>>>2.0
Nova Pulse (Q)Startup time decreased from 1.25>>>1.0
Cosmic Divide (X)Audio now is blocked completely by the wall rather than muffled
jett-banner.png

JETT

Since the last time we released changes to Jett, she has continued to be a mainstay of both competitive and professional play. We like that the dash changes in 4.08 pushed her to be more deliberate and tactical, but still feel that Jett is often given more reliable power windows and generous tuning than other Duelists and Agents in general.

Our goal with these changes is further sharpening Jett as the aggressive, high precision Duelist by increasing the intentionality of her ability usage and power windows. We want to maintain her unique ability to break through chokes and dash onto site, while reducing her defensive power-holding angles and her ability to reactively undo tactical mistakes with her array of quickly cast abilities.

We believe these changes align Jett’s overall power level and place in the Tactical Cycle with our other Agents, while maintaining Jett’s unique role and fantasy on the VALORANT roster. To help explain our thought process, we’ve provided context on how each change aims to support these goals, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how these changes land at all levels of play. 

  • Reducing the frequency of large area of effect of ultimates
  • Reducing the amount of time utility is active in the world
  • Reducing the HP of shootable utility
  • We also believe the Ultimate cost updates below better align large area, high-impact ults with the pressure they place on the enemy, creating both a better pacing of the round-defining abilities and a clearer choice competition between high and low cost ults.

Though many of these changes are subtle, We hope all together they improve gamestate clarity and the sense that you have even more opportunities for your skill to shine through. 

breach-banner.png

BREACH

Aftershock (C)Ticks reduced from 3 to 2Damage increased from 60 per tick to 80
Rolling Thunder (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
brimstone-banner.png

BRIMSTONE

Orbital Strike (X)Ultimate points increased 7>>>8
Valorant_2022_E4A3_Article_Divider_Fade_838x110_MB01.jpg

FADE

Prowler (C)Time to re-equip gun takes slightly longer after using the ability
03072023_WhatsNewinACTIIArticle_01_Divider_Gekko.jpg

GEKKO

Mosh Pit (C)The impacted area does 10 damage per second before exploding
Wingman (Q)HP reduced 100>>>80
Thrash (X)Thrash’s explosion had a little makeover to make it easier to see and understand the area it has affected (on top of being beautiful)
killjoy-banner.png

KILLJOY

Lockdown (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
omen-banner.png

OMEN

Paranoia (Q)No movement velocity imparted when casting
V_AGENTS_587x900_ALL_Skye_Banner.png

SKYE

Skye has become a keystone of the current meta through her blend of recon and space taking utility. While we like that she can potentially unlock new comps through this combo, we think she has lacked clear weaknesses compared to her peers given the wide range of value she brings. These changes reduce the distance in which Guiding Light can provide info. Changes also helps reduce the amount of time enemies need to worry about her flash when she flies it a great distance without activating it. We’ve also reduced the health of Trailblazer and Seekers to make them slightly easier for enemies to deal with, Skye’s ultimate cost will increase to better reflect the high level of baseline value it provides.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these updates to see if they push the choice competition between Skye and her peers into a healthy place, or if further updates are needed in either direction.

Guiding Light (E)Max duration while casting reduced 2.5s >>>2s
Trailblazer (Q)HP reduced 100>>>80
Seekers (X)Ultimate Points increased 7 >>>8Seeker Health decreased 150>>>120
sova-banner.png

SOVA

Recon Bolt (E)Total number of scans reduced 3>>>2
viper-banner.png

VIPER

Viper’s Pit (X)Ultimate points increased 8>>>9
Astra-banner.png

ASTRA

We’ve noticed a large power disparity between Astra’s Gravity Well and Nova Pulse. Our goal is to create clearer use cases for both abilities: Gravity Well will be Astra’s tool for controlling space, and Nova Pulse for quickly affecting an area. At the same time, we hope to reduce some of the oppressive and long duration pressure Astra’s stars produce by providing enemies a chance to push past activated Gravity Well during its windup period if they act quickly.

We’re updating Cosmic Divide to help clarify the overall game state by eliminating uncertainty around whether you or your enemies are close enough to the wall to be heard. We also think this gives Astra’s wall a clearer power profile for her and her allies to play around.

Gravity Well (C)Startup time increased .6>>>1.25Gravity time duration decreased 2.75>>>2.0
Nova Pulse (Q)Startup time decreased from 1.25>>>1.0
Cosmic Divide (X)Audio now is blocked completely by the wall rather than muffled
jett-banner.png

JETT

Since the last time we released changes to Jett, she has continued to be a mainstay of both competitive and professional play. We like that the dash changes in 4.08 pushed her to be more deliberate and tactical, but still feel that Jett is often given more reliable power windows and generous tuning than other Duelists and Agents in general.

Our goal with these changes is further sharpening Jett as the aggressive, high precision Duelist by increasing the intentionality of her ability usage and power windows. We want to maintain her unique ability to break through chokes and dash onto site, while reducing her defensive power-holding angles and her ability to reactively undo tactical mistakes with her array of quickly cast abilities.

We believe these changes align Jett’s overall power level and place in the Tactical Cycle with our other Agents, while maintaining Jett’s unique role and fantasy on the VALORANT roster. To help explain our thought process, we’ve provided context on how each change aims to support these goals, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how these changes land at all levels of play. 

  • Reducing the frequency of large area of effect of ultimate
  • Reducing the amount of time utility is active in the world
  • Reducing the HP of shootable utility
  • We also believe the Ultimate cost updates below better align large area, high-impact ults with the pressure they place on the enemy, creating both a better pacing of the round-defining abilities and a clearer choice competition between high and low cost ults.

Though many of these changes are subtle, We hope all together they improve gamestate clarity and the sense that you have even more opportunities for your skill to shine through. —June Cuervo, Agent Designer.

Breach

  • Aftershock (C)
    • Ticks reduced from 3 to 2
    • Damage increased from 60 per tick to 80
  • Rolling Thunder (X)
    • Ultimate points increased 8>>>9

Brimstone

  • Orbital Strike (X)
    • Ultimate points increased 7>>>8

Fade

  • Prowler (C)
    • Time to re-equip gun takes slightly longer after using the ability

Gekko

  • Mosh Pit (C)
    • The impacted area does 10 damage per second before exploding
  • Wingman (Q)
    • HP reduced 100>>>80
  • Thrash (X)
    • Thrash’s explosion had a little makeover to make it easier to see and understand the area it has affected (on top of being beautiful)

Killjoy

  • Lockdown (X)
    • Ultimate points increased 8>>>9

Omen

  • Paranoia (Q)
    • No movement velocity imparted when casting

Skye

  • Guiding Light (E)
    • Max duration while casting reduced 2.5s >>>2s
  • Trailblazer (Q)
    • HP reduced 100>>>80
  • Seekers (X)
    • Ultimate Points increased 7 >>>8
    • Seeker Health decreased 150>>>120

Sova

  • Recon Bolt (E)
    • Total number of scans reduced 3>>>2

Viper

  • Viper’s Pit (X)
    • Ultimate points increased 8>>>9

Astra

  • Gravity Well (C)
    • Startup time increased .6>>>1.25
    • Gravity time duration decreased 2.75>>>2.0
  • Nova Pulse (Q)
    • Startup time decreased from 1.25>>>1.0
  • Cosmic Divide (X)
    • Audio now is blocked completely by the wall rather than muffled

Jett

  • Tailwind (E)
    • Dash window decreased 12s>>>7.5s
      • At 12s, Jett could often find value activating her dash without clear intention or make incorrect calls but still have time to find another use for the dash. Shortening this window pushes Jett to be more deliberate with her calls and reduces Tailwind’s power at defensively holding angles, while minimally impacting her ability to proactively use the dash to break onto a site.
    • Activation windup increased 0.75s>>>1s
      • Increasing Tailwind’s windup should promote proactive use by reducing Jett’s ability to activate it reactively when caught off guard or in the middle of a fight and successfully escape.
  • Cloudburst (C)
    • Duration decreased 4.5s>>>2.5s
    • Time to re-equip gun takes slightly longer after using the ability.
      • We want to reduce some of the persistent safety Jett gets dashing into or escaping with smokes, sharpening Cloudburst to be a fast but powerful tool that forces players to be quick and precise with their decisions.
  • Updraft (Q)
    • Charges decreased 2>>>1
      • With two Updrafts, we’ve seen moments where Jett escapes situations where they’ve been tactically outplayed by throwing enemies off by relying on Updraft’s unpredictable movement. We hope to reduce some of the unhealthy movement extremes Updraft can produce and increase the importance of using it at the right time.
  • Blade Storm (X)
    • Ultimate points increased 7>>>8
      • Jett’s ultimate has proven one of the most flexible, reliable and economically powerful gun replacement Ultimates because of its lack of a timer, reset on kills, and harmony with Jett’s movement. This change should bring Blade Storm up to the same cost of comparable weapon ults, such as the Tour De Force and Showstopper.

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