Valorant Update 4.09 Live, Patch Notes Released

Riot Games has released a new update for Valorant, bringing the game up to version 4.09. Unsurprisingly, the new update features a handful of bug fixes and improvements to the UI, but some big changes have also been made to the game’s Agents. Fade has seen some minor alterations, but version 4.09 has taken Chamber in a drastic new direction. Riot Games has already stated that it plans to keep a close eye on how his changes impact the overall game, so they could conceivably change back at some point. Full patch notes from the game’s official website can be found below:

AGENT UPDATES

FADE

• Nightfall (X) – You should now see a decreased amount of flickeringtextures on diagonal walls when casting Fade’s ultimate. Also added VFXfor additional clarity and visual impact.
• Seize (Q) – VFX change to the orb for a more dynamic presentation in 1p and Agent select

CHAMBER

Right now, Chamber’s Trademark outperforms other Sentinel toolsin both reliability and power, which feels inappropriate given theamount of defensive combat tools Chamber has spread across the rest ofhis kit. We believe Chamber’s identity is defined by his unique weaponsand defensive combat mobility, so we are decreasing his level of globalflank protection/information and increasing counterplay on a singlepremium trap. This means Chamber will have to make a choice based on ifhe wants to play selfishly around his Trademark, or place it to help histeammates instead.

A quick note about Sentinels:When we think about the Sentinel role, we think about its overallability to keep map control and defend space. We believe that Sentinelsand Sentinel players should have many options and methods to control anddefend, whether it’s through the use of Sage’s reactive slow abilities,Cypher’s flank-watching gadgets, or defensively-oriented combat andguns like Chamber. Like all our Agents, it’s important to carve outsharp strengths and weaknesses for Chamber in the roster. If you takehim for his weapon arsenal and disengage, you should feel as if you’regiving up a strength—like traps or stall—that his peers excel at. Asusual, all eyes are now on Chamber changes, and we’ll adjust if we seehim suffer disproportionately on defense relative to attack. —Jay Watford, Lead Agent Designer, and Dan Hardison, Game Designer

Trademark

• Cost increased 150>>>200
• Charges reduced 2>>>1
• Audio range increase

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

• Party Lead Transfer — You can now change the lead of your party
  • Current party leader can right click the player name they want totransfer the responsibility to, and choose “Make Leader” in the dropdown menu.
• A number of small tweaks and updates made to the UI

ESPORTS FEATURES

• Added Observer ability to toggle Scoreboard on/off

BUGS

AGENTS

• Fixed a bug where Jett’s Tailwind would sometimes fail to cast when used immediately after curving a Cloudburst smoke
• Fixed a bug where Jett’s ultimate indicator would sometimes stay active after firing all kunai

GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS

Fixed an issue where an unintended ‘use’ input could happen afterabilities such as Skye’s Trailblazer or Sova’s Owl Drone is activatedwhile using the ‘use’ key

It will be interesting to see how fans react to these changes! Already, many players are queastioning whether Chamber should still be designated a Sentinel, but the patch notes show how Riot views that role, and why it feels Chamber still qualifies. Hopefully, the changes in update 4.09 will be beneficial for all players!

Valorant is now available on PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

What do you think of the latest changes in Valorant? Do you think the changes to Chamber will be beneficial? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!