Riot Games has revealed some of their plans for Valorant’s 11.00 patch and beyond, and it includes a big switch to Unreal Engine 5 for some nifty upgrades.
It has been five years since Riot Games first allowed the gaming world to sink their teeth into Valorant. Seriously, it has been five years, where has the time gone?
In that time, their five-on-five first-person-shooter has undergone a massive number of changes, with plenty of new Agents, maps, and game modes being brought to Future Earth.
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the game, Riot are making some serious changes, including an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5, a further clampdown on smurfs, a new map in competitive, and some classic buffs and nerfs. Here’s what you need to know.
Valorant switches to Unreal Engine 5 in July
The standout change in the near future will be that aforementioned switch to Unreal Engine 5. However, that will come in patch 11.02, which is slated for the “end of July,” according to Riot.
“The patch on release day will be a significantly large download to change the engine out, so we really appreciate your patience. In the short term, we’ve gone to great lengths to make sure that the upgrade doesn’t disrupt your gameplay, so the game’s overall look, feel, and all your crazy lineups should still be similar,” they said.
“The patch will, however, come with changes that will improve framerate performance, make patch downloads faster in the future, and there will also be a special gun buddy to commemorate the occasion for everyone that logs in while the 11.02 patch is still live!”
Valorant 5th anniversary capsule
On top of that special gun buddy, there will be a free event pass for the fifth year celebrations.
This, according to Riot, “calls back to fun moments from the past” and will sees the 5 Years // Beta Remastered Capsule launched. This capsule will include a returning knife, a reactive buddy, and an animated player card.
Other Valorant changes coming in patch 11.00 and beyond
As noted, there will also be an incentive to play a new map in 11.00. “Most players are engaging with the new map for the first time in Competitive already, and we want to better support learning the map in the competitive environment right away. So, during the first patch cycle—which is two weeks—RR losses on the new map will be reduced by 50%. Don’t worry – you’ll still earn the full 100% when you win,” Riot revealed.
There will also be improvements to combating smurfing. “Our plan is to require MFA (multi-factor authentication) – something like app or SMS verification – primarily for suspicious cases, and we’re looking into it for all Competitive accounts,” the Valorant devs added.
Replays will finally be going live in September with the 11.06 patch, while further Agent buffs and nerfs will be explored once Valorant Champs ends in October.
