Valorant Patch Notes 8.0: Killjoy And Deadlock Patches

The Valorant 8.0 Patch patch notes are now available, and they appear to have significant changes that will permanently change the game's direction. Patch 8.0 marks the arrival of the latest episode, and since Killjoy's turret is being nerfed, we may witness a potential shift in the meta. We've also made some adjustments to several of the maps, like Icebox and Lotus, and this patch will lock in the cycle of maps for an additional six months or so.

Also Read: Vodafone India Partners With Team Vitality To Boost Esports' Growth In India

Killjoy And Deadlock: Agent Update Patch Notes

While Deadlock enthusiasts are happy about this, Killjoy mains will be unhappy because the latest patch will nerf their beloved Sentinel's turret. If all goes according to plan, we could witness a rise in Deadlock's pick rate in every match, even though it might not counterbalance the meta. Despite being permitted in the agent pool, Deadlock was not selected once during the previous VCT Season. Riot is attempting to strike a balance, of course, which is why they chose to weaken Killjoy, one of the best Sentinels in the game while improving her.

Deadlock

In the new update for Valorant, they've made some important changes to Deadlock's abilities, Sonic Sensor (Q) and Barrier Mesh (E). Now, with Sonic Sensor, you can retrieve it back during a round and throw it again. The range it covers has also increased from 12m to 27m. It also works faster, taking only 0.5 seconds to make the enemies dizzy once triggered, and they have less time to break it (0.5s instead of 0.65s). Deadlock and her buddies can now hear the Sonic Sensor's sound a bit if they are close to it. For Barrier Mesh, they've made the walls longer, from 6m to 10m, so it's better at blocking big areas quickly. These changes make Deadlock more useful in the game, giving players better options to plan and control the map.

Killjoy

 In the latest update for Valorant, Killjoy's Turret (E) undergoes some adjustments to its vision capabilities. The vision radius of the Turret has been decreased from 180 degrees to 100 degrees, limiting its field of view. To assist Killjoy in strategically placing the Turret, a representation of its vision cone is now displayed on her minimap during the placement process. This addition allows Killjoy players to better plan and optimize the Turret's positioning. 

Furthermore, visual effects (VFX) have been introduced, and the Turret's animations have been updated to convey the new, reduced vision radius. These changes aim to refine the balance of Killjoy's abilities, providing both Killjoy players and their opponents with clearer information about the Turret's vision capabilities during gameplay.

We have some changes in the maps of Lotus and Icebox as well, to shift the meta towards a new angle as Icebox gets reintroduced to Valorant Map Pool and Lotus remains the only three-site map after Haven's exit, along with a brand new gun's introduction- Outlaw. The Lotus rotating doors have undergone an important upgrade. They used to take eight seconds to turn around completely. Riot has altered the length to ten seconds since they believe that this time is insufficient to use abilities and fight through in the same eight-second rotation. Since the VCT circuit starts from February 2024, it will be interesting to see how the meta shifts with these changes in agents and maps.