From fighting AFKers to reworking the economy…
VALORANT's bi-weekly updates, balance changes and new features set it apart from its tactical shooter counterparts. The game is constantly evolving, evolving and adapting to create a fun, rewarding and competitive experience.
From fighting AFKers to overhauling the economy, here are the biggest and best changes to VALORANT in 2021.
Fix AFK problem
Riot halved the AFK rate in 2021 and fixed an issue that had long plagued the tactical shooter community. The AFK rate – the rate at which a player leaves or otherwise does not participate in the game – remained at a similar level in 2020. But after developers built an advanced AFK detection system and imposed penalties for repeat offenders, it dropped significantly.
Changes made to the game in March helped identify players who disconnected from the game or remained completely inactive for long periods of time. An improved tracking system and an AFK rating recording “AFK behavior” have also been implemented, contributing to an overall better experience for players.
KAY/O's debut
Yoru, Astra and Chamber all have their own specialties and each brought something new to the table, but KAY/O is the group's choice for 2021. Introduced as an agent that "gets players back to the basics", this jersey puts an emphasis on gunplay.
KAY/O is a fun and familiar agent for players with FPS backgrounds. Complete with a flash grenade, a fragment grenade, and a blade and ultimate that suppresses and nullifies enemy abilities, it forces players to shoot first and ask questions later.
Classic right click nerf
Riot took power from the Classic in Patch 3.09, nerfing one of the most powerful weapons in the game. A nifty little gun like the Classic (which is free, by the way) should never have been capable of killing while jumping. Outperforming in close-to-mid range encounters while jumping or on the move, the weapon went far beyond its limits.
The developers messed around with the Classic's stats in November and changed the walkfire error from 1,95 to 2,5, the runfire error from 2,1 to 3,2, and the jumpfire error from 1,1 to 2,1. took it out. This practically rendered running, gunfire, jumping, and shooting unnecessary, bringing the gun back to Earth.
Toxins are restored
Viper went from one of the worst agents in 2020 to one of the best agents in 2021. Riot solidified the agent in their VALORANT roster with Toxin (passive), Poison Cloud (Q), Toxic Screen (E), and Snakebite (C) buffs.
An update that went live in the month leading up to VCT Masters Reykjavik continued to resonate with its theme, what makes the Viper unique. The changes took effect almost instantly, giving her the final ingredients to perform on the international stage.
When the VCT Champions arrived, Viper was one of the most picked agents in the game, behind Jett, Sova, and Astra. It was selected 100 percent of the time in Breeze and Icebox, and almost unchallenged in Bind.
on money
In Patch 3.0, Riot dealt a blow to VALORANT's economy and made sweeping changes to weapon and ability prices. These changes were intended to put an emphasis on gunplay and allow players to create more dynamic gear and strategies. The cost of abilities such as Jett's Bladestorm, Raze's Showstopper, and Sage's Resurrection have been increased, while the prices of weapons such as Marshall, Operator, and Guardian have been lowered.
This made it clear that with the release of KAY/O, the developers are committed to taking the game back to its tactical marksmanship roots, where shooting is paramount and abilities create tactical opportunities and simply increase gunplay.
