Riot Games has released Patch 11.08 for VALORANT, and the community feels divided. It is, indeed, a rare situation where such an overwhelming mixed reaction is witnessed. The reason was the gunplay changes and also the alteration of agent abilities immensely, particularly for Sentinels and Initiators, resulting in the audience being split into two groups. Some see this as a comeback of pure skill in shooting, while others say their favorite agents have been diminished. Let us analyze the matter that has been the source of the noise.
So what does the patch say? Riot altered the rifle accuracy, which automatically made crouch spraying the most effective and thus, the preferred shooting method again. This is a clear turn from their stance of the past year when they were practically saying “we removed spraying”. Among the reworks that Riot made were the changes to working with the three-Sentinel line-up of Cypher, Deadlock, and Vyse, the idea behind it being to reduce and bring down the costs on some skills while rendering others more approachable. The changes which the game received are that it will no longer be about tons of abilities but rather gunplay, although players still doubt if this is indeed a good thing.
Players’ responses have been akin to a rollercoaster ride. On one side, gamers like ChaozImpact were putting forth their arguments by saying, “with the exception of Cypher delayed intel reveal and Vyse’s flash detect noise gone, I don’t sense that much different. If anything Deadlock economy has been so much improved because of the wall price drop.” Also, they even shared, “the rifles tho, phuuuuuuu. Crouch spam has never been so back,” which honestly sounds both exciting and scary. In contrast, JustBetakick has captured the confusing emotions of a lot of people saying, “Mixed feelings on everything regarding util, but the gunplay changes are a godsend.”
But then there’s the other side of the coin. Oh no, the other side. Players’ reactions are very negative to say the least. One player by the nickname mel stated, “Sentinels and initiators are torture to play (especially initiators, really) duelists’ skills to keep away from enemies/players doing nothing on their part have become fewer with the waylay ultimate thr change which should have been reversed.” And Baryhornyx poked us the question of game identity with, “I don’t like them not because I despise gunplay, I just think that making the game more gunplay-oriented takes away its identity as a hybrid of hero and tactical shooter. By limiting utility both in terms of timing and effectiveness, it becomes harder to distinguish from other games, like cs.”
The thought that Riot might be making the pro play and not the average ranked experience their main balancing criterion continued to linger in the conversation. Baryhornyx, in fact, followed up with a comment directing attention to the fact that “they are ignoring huge parts of their players and just looking at pro play, nerfing agents that in a normal game are non-problematic and underrepresented, like they did with Viper.” This is a common issue in competitive games, where changes that make sense at the highest level might feel completely unnecessary to the majority of players just trying to have fun in their gold or platinum ranks.
Some of the most extravagant reactions came from specific agent mains who got the harshest treatment. “Butchered my main,” said Adam Strand, while another Vyse main just stated, “What if I’m a Vyse main so I’m just gonna let it slide.” The Vyse flash nerf, in particular, appeared to be the main source of discontent among players, with Dal stating, “good changes, except the Vyse flash nerf. maybe OP for pros but was fun in ranked, agent is boring now.” It is always a dilemma when your beloved character undergoes major changes that also alter the way he/she is played.
But hold on! Didn’t I say? Oh yes, not everyone is against the changes. There are a few players that seem to find the new meta not only interesting but actually refreshing. Drizz commented, “Good update I think?? It’s more on gunfight not based on abilities,” which sounds like the precise aim behind the whole patch. And stupif was of the opinion that “People are overreacting imo, the util are fine (in rank at least, gold-plat),” which indicates that maybe the changes are not as devastating in the average ranked games as some people are making them seem.
The practical effect is already witnessed in matches too. Xternal shared their experience of playing: “I played 3 matches and walked onto bombsite for free because enemy sentinel had nothing to hold with.” This indicates that the utility nerfs to defensive agents might be making site takes easier, which could significantly change the way rounds play out, especially in the case of coordinated team play.
There is a concern with the performance aspect also. HexoArc kept his comment short: “If performance & netcode stay stable, I’ll call it a win.” Because let’s be honest, what good are balance changes if the game starts to stutter or if there are connection problems, right?
In conclusion, Patch 11.08 is a testament to Riot’s continual efforts to polish VALORANT‘s competitive setting. They are indeed trying to find a middle ground between the ability-based gameplay and the pure shooting mechanics, but this particular update appears to have swung the balance quite hard in the direction of gunplay. Whether or not this is good for the game’s long-term health is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the players won’t be quiet about it. The community is involved, passionate, and certainly not shy about sharing their views, which in many ways, is exactly what keeps games like VALORANT live and evolving. Only time will tell if these changes will stick or if Riot will have to make more adjustments based on all this feedback. The game is also available on PlayStation and Xbox.
