Following the extremely popular beta period,Valorantsuccessfully launched earlier this month on June 2. The launch in question was preceded by theValorant1.0 patchthat fixed and changed various things to make for a smoother and more balanced playing experience.
Now, just over a week later Riot Games has put out another patch forValorant, though patch 1.01 seems just a bit lighter than the previous 1.0 patch. Though the patch has fewer notes listed, this patch still brings about some important changes, including a noteworthy nerf to one specific agent: Sage.
RELATED:Valorant Console Port Possible
As many players are well aware,Valoranthad an extremely successful beta period, despite it only lasting about two months. Now that the game has fully launched for all players around the world, Riot Games is taking player feedback all the more seriously. Recently, Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent revealed thatcheaters banned in theValorantbeta persist into launch, which was a massive complaint for players participating in the game’s open beta. Now, Riot is listening to the community regarding how the flow and balance of the game needs to be changed moving out of beta.
Alongside vocal outcry from theValorantcommunity asking for traditional modes like deathmatch, fans have also been vocal about changes they would like to see to the game’s spike rush mode, maps, and even certain agents. Riot just releasedValorant’s 1.01 patch to address many balance updates, bug fixes, and a specific nerf aimed at the agent Sage. Sage only received one nerf in patch 1.01 but it’s a pretty significant change nonetheless. Sage’s Barrier Orb cast range was reduced from 20 meters down to 10 to make her less aggressive and more defense-oriented as her initial role was intended for.
The official patch notes detail this further saying, “As a Sentinel, Sage is supposed to be most effective when defending territory that she already controls. The 20m cast range was allowing Sage to aggressively take control of neutral territory in a way that was inappropriate for her role inValorant.” Alongside this nerf, the patch also changed the orbs present in Spike Rush and added additional types of orbs. Additionally, the patch also details various performance and bug fixes, which will be linked to down below. This information will no doubt prove usefulwhen rankings come toValorant’s full release.
DespiteValorantgetting heavily review bombedover the past weekend, the game has been incredibly popular with players and on streaming platforms like Twitch. While many of the review comments complained about its similarities toCounter-Strike: Global Offensive,Valoranthas certainly managed to set itself apart from traditional team-based shooters with it’s cast of agents and their unique abilities.
