VALORANT 11.08 PATCH NOTES

Written by: Wei

14/10/2025

TL;DR – Adjustments across gameplay aim to create a healthy dialogue in combat with clear ways to respond and adapt to the enemy team round over round.

The goal is to maintain balance between sharp gunplay and the unique abilities that define VALORANT’s tactical flavor. These changes affect agents, weapons, and maps, all focused on rewarding strategic decision-making.

All Platforms

General Updates

The end-of-year balance patch adjusts how maps, weapons, and agents work together. This tuning pass reinforces “the competitive dialogue”—the round-to-round exchange between attackers and defenders that rewards adaptation and strategy.

Over time, as player skill and ability impact have grown, uncoordinated utility has sometimes felt as impactful as well-executed plays.

This reduced meaningful counterplay and strategic depth. These changes seek a healthy balance between gunplay and the abilities that make VALORANT unique.

Agent Updates

General

This patch focuses on supporting higher mastery around ability usage. Gunplay should be the main form of combat expression, while abilities serve as tools for gaining advantages. The changes reward strategic and intentional ability usage and reduce the size of some large ultimate abilities.

Consistency has also been improved across debuffs like Nearsight, Concuss, and Stims, making gameplay more intuitive.

Nearsights

Fade's Prowler, Omen's Paranoia, Reyna's Leer, Skye's Seeker
→ Nearsight radius increased from 5m → 7m

Concuss

Breach’s Fault Line, Gekko’s Wingman, Neon’s Relay Bolt, Astra’s Nova Pulse
→ Concuss duration decreased to 2.5s

Stim Unification

Brimstone's Stim Beacon, KAY/O's NULL/CMD, Reyna's Empress
→ Faster reload time modifier: 90%
→ Increased firing rate modifier: 10%
→ Weapon draw time modifier: 90%
→ Weapon recovery speed modifier: 10%

Initiators

Initiators remain key for breaking angles and opening fights. Their signature abilities now have longer cooldowns to encourage coordination and timing. Flash power has been slightly increased to maintain reliability.

Breach

Fault Line

Cooldown: 40s → 60s
Windup: 1.2s → 1.1s
Concuss duration: 3.5s → 2.5s

Flashpoint

Flash duration: 2s → 2.25s

Rolling Thunder

Width: 23m → 18m
Concuss duration: 6s → 4s
Ult points: 9 → 8

Fade

Haunt

Cooldown: 40s → 60s
Active duration: 2s → 1.5s

Prowler

Visibility in Nearsight: 5m → 7m

Nightfall

Deafen/Marked: 12s → 8s
Width: 24m → 20m
Decay now consistent 80 damage over time

Gekko

General

Cooldown on reclaim: 10s → 20s

Wingman

Health: 80 → 60
Concuss duration: 3.5s → 2.5s

Thrash

Health: 200 → 180

KAY/O

ZERO/POINT

Cooldown: 40s → 60s

FLASH/DRIVE

Underhand max flash: 1.5s → 2.25s

NULL/CMD

Updated to Stim standardization
Fire rate: 15% → 10%
Weapon draw speed +10%
Weapon recovery speed +10%

Sova

Recon Bolt

Cooldown: 40s → 60s

Duelists

Duelists are in a generally healthy state. Minor tunings were made to improve reward for coordinated ability use.

Iso

Kill Contract

Length: 48m → 36m

Neon

High Gear

Recharge time: 20s → 60s
Sprint time: 12s → 16s

Relay Bolt

Concuss duration: 3.5s → 2.5s

Reyna

Leer

Health: 80 → 60

Empress

Stim-standardized stats reduced to 10% bonuses

Waylay

Saturate

Hindered duration: 4s → 3s

Convergent Paths

Removed afterimage
New restricted aim/movement during cast
Windup: 2s → 1s
Width: 18m → 13.5m
Movement speed buff: 15% → 10%

Yoru

Gatecrash

Health: 60 → 20
Teleport/fake now plays local audio

Fakeout

Flash duration: 3s → 2s

Blindside

Flash duration: 1.75s → 1.5s
Adjusted flash falloff

Dimensional Drift

No longer allows Blindside/Fakeout casting during drift

Raze

Blast Pack

Slows now affect midair movement
Blast force reduced when slowed

Controllers

Controllers needed minimal changes. Updates align cooldowns and effects with other classes.

Astra

Gravity Well

Fragile duration: 5s → 2.5s
Cooldown: 45s → 60s

Nova Pulse

Concuss duration: 3.5s → 2.5s
Cooldown: 45s → 60s

Nebula

Cooldown: 25s → 35s

Brimstone

Stim Beacon

Adjusted to Stim standardization

Omen

Dark Cover

Cooldown: 30s → 40s

Paranoia

Speed: 16m/s → 20m/s
Range: 32.5m → 25m

Viper

Initial decay: 30 → 10

Sentinels

Sentinels remain strong at territory control. Updates promote counterplay and distinct identity.

Vyse

Arc Rose

Now destructible post-windup
Removed ally alert after successful flash
Flash duration: 2.25s → 2s
Cooldown: 45s → 60s
Recall cooldown: 20s

Shear

Trigger logic reworked for easier baiting

Razorvine

Health: 40 → 20

Steel Garden

Windup: 3.4s → 4.4s
Radius: 32.5m → 26m

Cypher

Spycam

Reveals within 8m radius
Audio cue added
Destroyed cooldown: 45s → 60s

Trapwire

Activation time reduced
- PC: 1.5s → 0.9s
- Console: 2.5s → 1.9s
Removed Concuss/Tether; now applies Slow then Reveal

Killjoy

Turret

Destroyed cooldown: 45s → 60s
Reactivation: 0.5s → 2s
Movement tagging: 29.5% → 50%

Alarmbot

Health: 50 → 20
Reactivation: 1s → 2s

Deadlock

GravNet

Cooldown: 40s → 60s

Barrier Mesh

Cost: 400 → 300
Node health: 570 → 480

Sonic Sensor

Concuss duration: 3.5s → 2.5s

Sage

Barrier Orb

Cost: 400 → 300
Fortify delay: 3.3s → 2s
Health per segment: 800 → 600

Map Updates

General

Goal: Encourage more on-site play and reduce predictability of “plant for main” strategies.

Pearl

B-Site

Removed deep sightline from B Long
Adjusted cover positions for closer engagements

Abyss

B-Site

Improved site play for both teams
Post-plant from main made riskier

Mid

Adjusted hallway toward B Main for smoother rotations

Weapons Update

Goal

Gunplay should remain rewarding and varied. Each weapon should have distinct advantages depending on economy and engagement range.

PC Only

Rifles

Tap strafing has dominated. Adjustments make spraying more viable at close to mid-range.

Bulldog

Yaw switch time: 0.37s → 0.6s
Yaw switch chance: 6% → 10%

Phantom

Yaw switch time: 0.37s → 0.6s
Yaw switch chance: 6% → 10%
Protected bullets: 6 → 8

Vandal

Yaw switch time: 0.37s → 0.6s
Yaw switch chance: 6% → 10%
Protected bullets: 4 → 6

Submachine Guns

Spectre

Spread: 1.5 → 1.4
Tap efficiency: 2 → 3
Yaw switch time: 0.18s → 0.28s
Protected bullets: 4 → 5

Stinger

Spread: 1.5 → 1.4
Spread accrues faster (7 → 6 bullets)
Vertical recoil more aggressive

Console Only

Spectre

Yaw switch time: 0.20s → 0.28s

Stinger

More aggressive vertical recoil

Bulldog

Yaw switch time: 0.50s → 0.60s

Phantom

Yaw switch time: 0.50s → 0.6s
Protected bullets: 5 → 8

Vandal

Yaw switch time: 0.50s → 0.6s
Protected bullets: 5 → 6

Competitive Updates

Beginning in Patch 11.09, accounts flagged for account sharing must enable Riot Mobile MFA to access Competitive queue. Other modes remain unaffected.

For 11.08, players can view details via the Competitive lobby banner or linked article.

Gameplay Systems Updates

Improved preview accuracy for placeable abilities like Cypher's Spycam and Deadlock's Sound Sensor. No placement options were added or removed—previews now better match actual placement.

Player Behavior Updates

Added “Rank Manipulation” as a new reporting category for behaviors such as smurfing, wintrading, and boosting.

Premier Updates (PC Only)

Welcome to Stage V25A6!

Top 16 teams in Invite remain; others demoted next Stage.
Demoted teams re-seed into previous zones.
Team Owners may change zones before first match.
Lower divisions still follow standard promotion rules.

Contender Eligibility (2026)

To remain eligible:

Play a Weekly or Playoff match in Contender or Invite
Reach Immortal 3+
Play a Playoff match in Elite 5

Eligibility expires end of 2026.

VCT Team Tags

Pros will now display official team tags in the client, lobby, killfeed, and leaderboards.
Tags are reserved for VCT partnered teams.

Premier teams using these tags will be prompted to rename.