Valorant is ready to introduce a set of fascinating Agent changes that can bring about a major shift in the game’s meta, according to the official patch notes for PBE 5.12. These changes will be ported into the game in the form of Patch 5.12 after completing a series of player tests in Valorant’s Public Beta Environment (PBE).
Riot Games’ tactical shooter initially arrived with an Agent pool of 10 characters, with the remaining 10 Agents being introduced as part of later updates. With the entry of each new Agent, Valorant’s meta underwent a slight transformation, altering the gaming experience for its multi-million playerbase.
Valorant enthusiasts are in for a ride as the upcoming Patch 5.12 is expected to introduce a myriad of changes, perhaps the most that players have seen in a single patch since the Icebox and Controllers rework in Patch 4.04 (March 2022).
Riot Games has always had its way with balancing its various multiplayer titles, be it League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, or Valorant. In Patch 5.12 of Valorant, Riot is expected to introduce nerfs for Agents like Chamber, Sage, and Viper, while buffing Agents like Skye, Omen, Phoenix, and more.
Here are all the buffs and nerfs that players can expect in Patch 5.12:
Chamber has maintained a menacing presence in Valorant’s meta ever since his release in November 2021. Currently, Chamber is one of the most-picked Agents both in the game’s casual environment and professional play.
To balance Chamber’s efficiency as an Agent and to diversify the game’s Sentinel meta, Riot Games has introduced the following changes:
Sage is yet another Sentinel who will be nerfed in the upcoming patch. While the changes for Sage may seem minimal, it will certainly put a leash on her attacking capabilities and turn her more into a support Agent.
Viper is the most unique member of Valorant’s class of Controller Agents. Her utility kit is unmatched in terms of the diversity it provides the team during their Attack phase.
Patch 5.12 will ensure that Viper is balanced enough for players to use other Controllers like Harbor and Astra, who are witnessing a low pick-rate in casual and pro play.
Unlike the aforementioned Agents, Skye only has a couple of changes to her utility kit. The upcoming patch will seek to balance Skye as well by working around the cost of her abilities.
Valorant’s latest Agent, Harbor, is yet to be popular among its casual audience. With the new season of Valorant esports being months away from kicking off, gamers are yet to see the best pro Controller players utilize the Agent to its fullest potential.
To make Harbor more interesting to play, Riot has introduced two small buffs to his toolkit:
Riot Games will introduce a couple of small changes for Yoru in patch 5.12. Although the Japanese Duelist is adored by many, Yoru hasn’t exactly found his place in Valorant’s meta, despite his release being almost two years ago.
In their attempts to include Yoru in the game’s meta, the developers at Riot have introduced a few changes to Yoru’s teleport ability.
Killjoy‘s ultimate ability is one of the most threatening ultimates in Valorant, as it detains all enemy Agents within its range. So far in the game, several Agent abilities have been used to cancel out Killjoy’s ultimate for a very minimal cost.
The upcoming patch 5.12 looks set to change that and has brought about the necessary tweaks for Killjoy to implement the change successfully.
Raze is the only Agent in the game who has four different damage-dealing abilities. Dealing severe damage to enemies is one of Raze’s key characteristics. However, her Boom Bot ability is often a menace when it locks on to multiple enemies in narrow areas of the map where it’s most effective.
Patch 5.12 will attempt to tone down the efficiency of the Boom Bot, while allowing Raze to retain all of her unique characteristics.
One of Valorant’s most robust Agent additions, KAY/O has enjoyed a widespread presence in casual lobbies worldwide as well as in pro play. A few notable changes were introduced to KAY/O earlier in Episode 5. Patch 5.12 will add on to those with two more minor changes.
Aside from the Agents listed above, a few more members of the Valorant Protocol will receive small but significant improvements in the upcoming patch. They are:
Patch 5.12 of Valorant will be the game’s last patch in Episode 5 Act 3. Players all over the world can expect this patch to arrive on December 12, 2022, with the timings varying with each region.
In addition to these Agent updates, Valorant enthusiasts can find all the gameplay system updates and weapon changes that will likely arrive in Patch 5.12 by going through the latest PBE patch notes.
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