Valorant: Patch 1.02 - what's new? Changes Valorant guide, tips

Last update: 23 July 2020

In this chapter of the guide, you can find all relevant information about the 1.02 update that was introduced in Valorant on June 22, 2020.

Patch 1.02 introduced several nerfs and buffs for agents (Jett, Viper, and Reyna) available in Valorant, as well as implemented some changes to Split, Have, Bind, and Ascent maps. As usual, many minor bugs were fixed like illegal tricks with Cypher Spy Cam and gameplay quality was improved. Also, minor changes were made in case of the gameplay modes and user interface. What's more, players have finally received the ranked mode! Below we present a list of the most significant changes which were implemented in patch 1.02.

• Ranked Mode - new feature in Patch 1.02
• Ability to forfeit the match or round - new feature in Patch 1.02
• Viper - changes in Patch 1.02
• Jett and Reyna - changes in Patch 1.02
• Maps - changes in Patch 1.02

Ranked Mode - new feature in Patch 1.02

Update 1.02 finally introduced the ranked mode to Valorant. Players can finally play 20 unrated matches to determine their position and skill. Then, they can start climbing the ranks available in the ranking ladder. Here's a list of what has changed in the ranked mode known from the closed beta:

1. Rank icons were updated;
2. The name of the highest rank was changed from Valorant to Radiant;
3. The range of player skills has been slightly increased for anyone wanting to play unrated matches.

Ability to forfeit the match or round - new feature in Patch 1.02

The 1.02 update introduced a completely new option in Valorant, allowing players to forfeit the match if they do not want to continue it. With this solution you can save a lot of time and surrender in a match in which you don't have any chances for victory. Here's how the voting of forfeit a round in Valorant works:

1. Voting cannot begin before Round 8;
2. Voting can only be initiated once in each half of the match;
3. Initiate voting by typing in the chat commands: "/ff", "/forfeit","/concede" or "/surrender";
4. In order for the vote to be accepted, all players on the submitting team must vote "YES";
5. You can vote by typing the command "/yes" or "/no" in the chat or by pressing F5 for YES or F6 for NO;
6. The winning team will receive a certain number of rounds to meet the match winnings condition - 13 victorious rounds. The team forfeiting the match will be assigned the lost rounds necessary to score 13 rounds.

Viper - changes in Patch 1.02

This is another attempt by Riot to make Viper a useful agent by modifying her abilities. At the beginning of the Valorant closed beta Viper aroused great interest among the players but its popularity quickly declined when it turned out that there are many valuable agents with much better offensive and defensive skills available in the game.

For this reason, Riot Games once again tried to increase the value of Viper as a team character and applied the following modifications to it.

1. The Toxic Screen now penetrates the walls, and emitters deploy properly, such as on the ground or roofs and other obstacles of the surroundings;
2. Snake Bite now adds a debuff on the hit opponent, which causes him or her to receive double damage from all attacks for a short time;
3. Poison Cloud was nerfed and it's cooldown was changed from 0.5 to 6 seconds.

Jett and Reyna - changes in Patch 1.02

Changes implemented in the case of Jett and Reyna agents have been described in one place because they concern the same game mechanics - Phoenix's special skill Run it Back. Jett's special skill called Blade Storm will now renew itself after it kills Phoenix during his Run it Back ability. As for Reyna, the Soul Orbs will appear after she kills Phoenix while he is using his special ability.

Maps - changes in Patch 1.02

Since the game's official release, Riot Games has been trying to customize all available maps to make gameplay easier for players and balance the chances of the defending and attacking teams. Earlier updates changed the colors of some crates and Spike's deployment spots to make it easier for players to notice the opponent. Also, many map points of a strategic value in terms of tactics have been redesigned - such as Mid on the Split map. This time, many points on Haven, Ascent, Bind and Split maps have been adjusted to make it easier to check whether any potential opponents are nearby.

The following locations were changed on the Haven map:

1. Garage doors;
2. Entrance to Long C from the side of the attacking team;
3. A Lobby has been redesigned to make more space in the passageway. Also, players can no longer hide behind huge crates and protect themselves from an attack from the A Short side;
4. C Link and A Link;

The following locations have been changed on the Bind map:

1. Entrance to A Shower (A Bath);
2. Exit from Teleporter B;
3. Entry to Window B.

The following locations were changed on the Ascent map:

1. Entrance to the respawn spot of the defending team;
2. Entrance to A Garden;
3. Main A from the side of the attackers, which enabled the offensive team to gain more visibility in this area.

The following locations have been changed on the Split map:

1. Corner from the defenders respawn zone leading to B Stairs.