VALORANT: Update 6.0, Episode 6 and new map, the details

Riot Games rolled out a major update this January 10, as planned. This kicks off VALORANT Episode 6which adds not an Agent, but a card, named Lotus. It has three bomb sites, sliding doors and destructible walls, for more challenges. Split is back in the map pool, while Breeze and Blind are temporarily removed.

For the rest, we have the right to some adjustments or corrections of problems. Unsurprisingly, no changes are applied to the Agents, after the few revamps that took place at the end of the year. To know everything, you can find all the details and patch notes for VALORANT’s 6.0 update below.

VALORANT Update 6.0

GAME SYSTEM UPDATES

• The way weapons interact with zoom when players are using sights or scopes has been reworked.
  • Now zoom should differ less often on client and server when the network is unstable (due to packet loss or bad signal, for example). Additionally, the zoom control (when using the zoom rocker) can now be buffered earlier and multiple zoom level changes can be buffered at once.

MAP UPDATES

New Map: Lotus

• Lotus is a new 3-site map that offers various rotation options. Discover the secrets hidden behind the gates of these ancient ruins.
• Note: For one week, the dedicated Lotus queue will only be accessible in Velocity mode. Lotus will then join the rotation of maps available in Competitive and Unranked when patch 6.1 is released.

Split

Split returns with a few changes that make attacking a bit easier.

• Principal A
  • The first engagement area for attackers has been expanded and a ledge has been added for dynamic changes.

• Principal A – Cashier
  • The elevation cube near the orb has been reduced to give attackers a new position that overlooks Site A.

• A-rafters:
  • The gateway has been removed, making it easier for attackers to approach.

• Round A:
  • The back of the Tower has been flattened to make combat at the Ramps easier for both teams.

• Bottom Middle:
  • Players can now drop from the Middle Platform without making a sound.
  • For simplicity, the acrobatic jump to climb on the Middle box has also been removed.

• Round B:
  • The bins next to the crate in the defenders camp have been removed to simplify space.

• String B – Recess:
  • The angle has been opened to allow the area to be emptied more easily.

Card Rotation

• Please note that Breeze and Bind have been removed from rotation in Competitive and Unranked modes, but are still playable in other modes.

Dark Veil (E) of Omen

• Dark Veil spheres placed in walls now drop at the height of the surrounding ground.
  • One-way smokes are an integral part of VALORANT, but are difficult to counter. We therefore wish to limit their use to coherent and intended areas. We will closely monitor the consequences of this change on the power of Omen.

Agent Utilities

• Most Agent utilities (except Molotovs; this change will be implemented later) will now damage the destructible door in Lotus and the wallplates in Ascent and Haven.

COMPETITION MODE UPDATES

Overall, the changes below should make rank score gains and losses more consistent, as well as reduce the impact of landslide wins on your rank score. We will keep an eye on this data to make adjustments if necessary.

• Reminder – Episode Reset : who says new episode, says reset of the ranking! Your placement rank will therefore be lower than at the end of episode 5. Courage for your new ascent!
  • Context: each episode is accompanied by a reset to properly launch the new ranked season. It’s a way for players to show the extent of their talent while ousting players who are inactive from the rankings.
• For all players : Ranking score gains/losses depend more on the final outcome of the game (win or loss) and less on the number of games away.
  • Background: From game to game, players face large gaps in SC wins/losses depending on the final gap in sets. (One victory can net 12 SC and the next one 20 SC.) So we are making this change to reduce these SC discrepancies.
  • Winning remains the most important for your ascent!
• For players whose rank is far from their MMR : The SC will be determined more by individual performances than by the difference in sets in a game. Your rank and MMR should therefore approach more quickly.
  • Background: Players have told us that they felt they weren’t being rewarded enough for a win and being punished too harshly for a bad game when trying to move up the leaderboard.
  • When a player’s rank is lower than their MMR, they now receive a better reward for a good game. When a player’s rank is higher than his MMR, he is no longer punished as severely if he loses having played well.

PROGRESSION UPDATES

• Favorite variants make their debut!
  • We’ve heard your pleas and you can now add variants of your favorite weapon skins (which required some UI changes to best accommodate this feature). Now, if you favorite a variant for a weapon, only the variants of that weapon that you have favorited can be randomized by the Random Favorite Skin option.
  • When this feature is released, all variants of your favorite weapon skins will be automatically added to your favorites to remain consistent with how this option works today.

BUGS FIXES

Cosmetics

• The Odin’s ammo strip no longer briefly appears vertical when switching lucky charms in the model viewer.

Cards

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  • Fixed a bug where the market door could be broken by using a skill on one of the adjacent walls.

Officers

• Fixed a bug where Cypher’s Tripwire (C) could be placed through Sage’s Barrier Orb (C).
• Fixed a bug that prevented objects, such as traps, from taking damage if placed in areas that were already on fire (by a Firebomb or otherwise).
• Fixed a bug where Skye’s Stalkers (X) could be seen on the minimap while still invisible if their location was in your line of sight.
• Fixed a bug where the neutralization effect was not correctly interrupting Fade’s Prowler (C).
• Fixed a bug where Viper could disable her ultimate, Nest of Vipers (X), while downed.
• Various bugs affecting damage interactions have been fixed:
  • Killjoy’s Containment (X) now correctly takes damage from all skills.
  • Fixed a bug where Skye’s Scout (A) was dealing damage to an enemy Skye’s Scout (A) and Sova’s Raptor Drone (C).
  • Fixed a bug where Sova’s Hunter’s Fury (X) and Breach’s Aftershock (C) were not dealing damage to Raze’s Explosive Pack (A).
  • Fixed a bug where Phoenix’s Inferno (C) was not dealing damage to Harbor’s Water Dome (A), Raze’s Explosive Pack (A), Reyna’s Gaze (C), at the Recognition Arrow (E) of Sova and at the POINT/zero (E) of KAY/O.
  • Fixed a bug where Brimstone’s Orbital Beam (X) was not dealing damage to Harbor’s Aqueous Dome (A).
  • Fixed a bug where Breach’s Replica (C), Final Spell (X), and Raze’s Stackable Grenade (E) were damaging an allied Killjoy’s Nanite Swarm (C).
  • Fixed a bug where Sova’s Hunter’s Fury (X) was damaging an allied Fade’s Haunter (E).
  • Fixed a bug where Killjoy’s Nanite Swarm (C), Burning Hands (E), and Phoenix’s Inferno (C) were not dealing damage to Rendezvous (E) and Mark deposited (C) of Chamber.