We got a spicy little tweak for Omen in VALORANT Patch 11.00; however, there is controversy among players about the change. The “big” change is: Omen’s Dark Cover no longer issues an audio sound cue if enemies are within 12.5 meters radius from where the smoke is cast. So, no sneaky sound for enemies to determine Omen’s presence when he’s trying to set up the plays!
This can feel like a buff because of Omen’s already stronger smoke agent considered one of the most dominant controllers in the game. But, as usual, opinions. Some love this, some are scratching their heads, and the others outright questioning Riot’s balancing decisions.
One player with the handle @Lucsterz said this was a “major change,” and well, he was right. It’s going to change the meta of the game by removing audio cues in a game that at least half the fight is about the significance of hearing sounds. Imagine the scenario of lurking around as Omen, setting up a smoke for your team with the opponent not hearing a single thing. This had to be big on sneaky plays.
Not all are in celebration. @thechrishowardd sarcastically thanked Riot for “buffing the strongest smoke agent by far already!!” Then, @HoodLive_ called it a straight-up “interesting choice” to give an already-top-tier character that buff. Another sarcasm from @aki__dami,”Yes, I am so happy we nerfed Clove to the ground and then decided to buff the already strongest and most used smoke agent in the game :)” Oof.
There are players who didn’t even know this audio cue existed before this. Kazunotkazoo said, “I play Omen and I literally didn’t even know this 💀,” while WhiffMaster69 chipped in, “Whatttt? I never knew about that audio cue.” Same. Was it really a thing that every time Omen threw down a smoke, he actually forced himself to say, “Hey guys! I’m here!”?
There are players, for instance, @Magoatski, who actually like this change but question if Omen really should be punished for smoking. “I do think that Omen players should get punished if you hear them smoking,” they said. Fair enough, should there not be some sort of risk when using abilities?
Brazilian people went absolutely crazy in the replies. @henr1bruno went on screaming, “PQP ATE QUE ENFIM” (pretty much means “FINALLY, DAMN IT”), while @JVSentry joked, “Se prepara que a porcentagem de clutch meu vai ser 100%. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA” (“Prepare, because my clutch percentage is going to be 100%).” The excitement is very real.
But, of course, the hype train certainly does not make a unanimous decision. TifeRMFC deemed, “I liked the sound, they shouldn’t have removed it.” Then, Justincwh stated a legit concern: “Could be used to smoke off intel util like KJ turret for easier lurks, even if the KJ is literally metres away. Sounds a little too strong no?”
Depending on who you ask, it’s either hide-and-seek buffs for Omen mains, or unjust buffs for an already strong agent. Either way, this will shake up how players use—and play against—Omen in ranked.
Bottom line: what is going to happen from here? Should Riot walk this back if it proves too strong, or does this begin Omen dominance? Only time carries the answer. For now, Omen players are probably grinning behind their masks, ready for the silent lurking.
Patch 11.00 is finally live. Care to see if this change made Omen feel broken or just slightly sneaky? Go try out some! Either way, VALORANT’s meta certainly just got hotter.
