VALORANT Patch Notes 13.09 Hush is here.

The tactical shooter landscape of VALORANT has been reshaped with the arrival of Patch 13.09, a significant update that not only introduces a highly anticipated new Agent but also refines existing mechanics and squashes a multitude of bugs. Players can now dive into the game and experiment with Hush, a formidable duelist hailing from Guangdong province, whose unique telekinetic powers promise to add a fresh layer of strategic depth to engagements.

Hush's kit revolves around her mastery of telekinesis, allowing her to interact with the environment and enemies in novel ways. Her passive ability grants her an extended range for picking up weapons, the Spike, and interacting with switches, offering a subtle but impactful advantage in clutch situations. Her primary utility, Displacement, can be thrown and then detonated to pull enemies towards its center, potentially concussing them if they collide with surfaces or each other. This ability resets after two kills, encouraging aggressive plays. Flashbulb, another key ability, functions similarly to Displacement but unleashes a disorienting flash upon detonation, affecting any enemy looking directly at it. Finally, her ultimate ability, Suspension, allows her to create an anchor point, levitate briefly, and then propel herself towards it. Upon reactivation, she can detonate the ability, suspending all enemies caught in its radius, leaving them vulnerable for an easy elimination.

Beyond the new Agent, this patch places a strong emphasis on clarity and consistency. The developers have undertaken a comprehensive overhaul of ability descriptions and tooltips across the board. This includes the addition of passive ability descriptions for Agents who previously lacked them in-game, ensuring that all players, from newcomers to veterans, have a complete understanding of each Agent's toolkit. The redesigned Ability Description Tooltip now presents crucial information like Agent role and keybinds at a glance, making it easier to digest information during gameplay, especially in the Practice Range.

A notable change is the introduction of new buff terminology: "Haste" and "Snapshot." Haste specifically refers to increased movement speed, differentiating it from "Combat Stim," which affects firing rate, equip speed, and other combat-related attributes. This distinction aims to reduce confusion and provide players with a clearer understanding of the buffs they receive. Agents like Brimstone, Clove, Neon, and Miks will now display these new buff terms, with visual indicators on the UI updated accordingly. For instance, Clove's "Pick-me-up" ability now grants a Haste buff, and its movement speed bonus has been slightly reduced to align with other similar abilities. Furthermore, the patch addresses inconsistencies with Clove's ultimate point rewards, standardizing them for better balance.

The competitive side of VALORANT also sees some adjustments. The introduction of Hush means that the Performance Score system will be tuned to better recognize effective utility usage for the new Agent. Quality-of-life improvements have been made to the end-of-game screens, offering more detailed information about Performance Score, including hover text for trades on the scoreboard for PC players. The Map Rating system has been tweaked to give more weight to an Act Best Match, emphasizing consistent high-level performance. The First Blood Accolade has also been made more challenging to earn, ensuring it reflects a more significant achievement.

For players in Korea, a significant store update allows for the direct purchase of Radianite Points in-game, offering greater convenience for cosmetic customization. Weapon balancing sees a focused buff to the Warden. The developers have smoothed out its initial recoil pattern and reduced the spread on follow-up shots, aiming to make the rifle more controllable and approachable, especially considering its price point. These changes should make the Warden a more viable option in certain economic situations.

A substantial portion of the patch notes is dedicated to bug fixes, addressing a wide array of issues that have impacted Agent abilities and general gameplay. Clove's Ruse map visibility, Cypher's Cyber Cage orientation, Deadlock's ultimate voice line, Gekko's Mosh Pit area of effect, Omen's Shrouded Step visuals, Raze's Boom Bot tracking, Sova's Hunter's Fury line of sight, and Yoru's Gatecrash sound issues have all been resolved. Additionally, fixes have been implemented for incorrect positioning of Vulnerable effects, misaligned ability placement indicators, brief minimap reveals after teleports, and the visibility of certain abilities through barriers during the Buy Phase. The UI for Vyse's "PICK UP" has been updated to "RECALL" for consistency. General fixes include issues with ability map usage, disappearing cursors, minimap visibility while Nearsighted, and obscured ability maps. Spectator issues with Neon's Fast Lane visuals have also been addressed, along with a correction to the notification icon on Player Cards. Controller-specific fixes for Miks' abilities have also been implemented.

With Hush now live and the various system and balance adjustments in place, players will be eager to explore the new meta. The impact of Hush's unique crowd-control and displacement abilities on team compositions and strategies will be a key focus in the coming weeks. Competitive players will be looking to leverage the refined Performance Score and Map Rating systems, while casual players can enjoy a more polished and bug-free experience. The ongoing evolution of Agent abilities and the introduction of new terminology suggest a continued commitment to refining the player experience and ensuring clarity across all aspects of VALORANT.