Riot Games has officially detailed a suite of balance adjustments arriving in Valorant's patch 12.09, scheduled for release on May 12. The update focuses on two primary areas of the game's current meta: the agent Neon and the performance of shotguns. These changes are designed to address the dominant strategy of combining highly mobile agents with powerful close-range weaponry.
The agent Neon is receiving targeted nerfs to her signature speed. Her ability to gain extra velocity in the air from jumps while sprinting is being removed. Furthermore, the fuel for her sprint will no longer regenerate from standard gameplay actions. During her ultimate ability, Overdrive, energy replenishment will now be exclusively tied to securing eliminations. Riot is also improving the visual clarity of her slide maneuver to help opponents better track and react to her movements.
On the weaponry side, shotguns are undergoing a fundamental change to their accuracy while the user is in motion. The spread for the Bucky, Judge, and Shorty will increase substantially when the player is walking, running, crouching, or jumping. This adjustment aims to reduce the effectiveness of shotguns in aggressive, run-and-gun scenarios.
Beyond the movement accuracy penalty, specific shotguns are receiving direct statistical nerfs. The Bucky will see its damage per pellet reduced from 20 to 17, lowering its overall lethality. The Shorty is having its rate of fire decreased from 3.33 rounds per second to 3.0, slightly slowing its burst damage potential.
These combined changes signal a clear intent from the developers to shift the meta away from hyper-aggressive, close-quarters engagements that rely on speed and shotgun power. Players who favor these tactics will need to adapt their playstyles significantly after the patch goes live.
The full details and a video showcase of the changes are available on the official VALORANT YouTube channel. The patch is expected to deploy on May 12, pending any last-minute adjustments from the development team.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.