The patch notes for VALORANT update 12.02 show Riot Games has introduced major game enhancements which specifically support the underperforming Controller agent Harbor. The news account ValorINTEL announced three changes which include increasing the health of his Cove shield and expanding the size of his High Tide wall and introducing new abilities for his ultimate Reckoning. The patch represents Rits latest attempt to make the water-wielding agent a competitive pick in the meta while players have divided opinions about its success potential.
Riot has dedicated their resources to developing Harbor as a character which shows through their various testing efforts. The patch notes present simple information that reveals extreme numerical results. Cove his little bubble shield receives a massive 125 HP boost, increasing its total health from 500 to 625. The new value provides his character with increased protection against incoming shots. His main wall High Tide gets taller AND longer. The wall dimensions increase from 6 meters in height and 50 meters in length to 8 meters in height and 60 meters in length. The structure creates a major obstacle which blocks all visual paths. The ultimate ability Reckoning now allows players to maintain control of the ultimate for 7 seconds while increasing the speed of water movement. The update includes sound effects which trigger when his Storm Surge ability hits an enemy target, improving user experience without requiring extra work.
The tweet replies show that between 50 and 50 players show opposing viewpoints about the game changes. The first group of players shows enthusiasm for the new changes. User ‘chazardz’ just says “Best day of my life,” which is a mood. The user ‘BaibuSenpai’ observes that “We buffing harbor I like this for breeze,” because he predicts that bigger walls will change gameplay on the large open map. The explanation makes sense which needs a proper explanation. The increased wall height and length enable Harbor players to create sight blocks which close off all visual paths between players on Breeze.
The complete group of people who hold the most negative views exists on this particular side. The number of people who belong to this group exceeds all expectations. User ‘estelacaprini’ didn’t hold back: “não adianta ele é podre e nunca será meta, aceitem esse agente flopado.” The statement translates to “it’s no use, he is rotten and will never be meta, accept this flopped agent.” Ouch. The player ‘Krysyonek’ speaks directly when he says, “The abilities serve no purpose, so changing the numbers brings no value.” The main argument against Harbor comes from the point that his basic ability set requires structural design changes. The process of boosting statistics on an inadequate base will lead to unsuccessful results.
Players who specialize in controller gameplay deliver the most valuable evaluations about game changes. User ‘_JesusPorto_’ had a detailed take: “So many changes to Harbor, and none of them address what actually matters. The wall should stop protecting allies from slow movement and the smoke should cease disappearing when the shield breaks. The remaining components lack any importance. The user provides an accurate assessment of the situation. Harbor loses a major advantage through his wall ability since it restricts his team from moving freely. The user experience becomes awkward because his Cascade smoke disappears when the Cove shield breaks. The existence of these problems requires design solutions which number changes cannot resolve.
‘Fragle1208′ suggested a more radical fix: “Honestly I think a second wall or cove immediately makes him 50% more viable. A controller with 2 vision blockers is kinda mid. Harbor limits himself to one rechargeable wall and one cove which makes him less flexible than Omen or Astra who possess multiple smoke options and Brimstone who has three smoke options. The suggestion is that he needs more stuff to throw down, not just bigger stuff.
The replies section creates a chaotic atmosphere which brings maximum enjoyment. One user, ’emi11iana,’ joked “This is how I find out no one uses harbor on breeze lmfao,” which is probably true for most of us. The user ‘lunvily’ posted in Arabic, “ماني لاعبه هاربر لو تموتوا,” which means “I don’t play Harbor even if you die,” which shows his extreme dedication to staying away from the agent. The conversation between ‘kiwidesuco’ and ‘mablabios’ shows pure gamer discussion, with one person stating the changes represent”better than how it is now” and another person responding “more or less but it’s okay.” The current state of affairs has been established.
The user ‘TheKingtsabiox9’ educates the audience through a unique historical account which shows his response to a doubtful reader. “Guess who they said the same thing about in 2020/2021? And guess who reached a 40% pick rate… and gets nerfed to this day because of it? This discussion about game balance is common on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox as well.
