VALORANT Patch 8.0 Shakes Up the Sentinel Meta: Full Episode 8 Act 1 Patch Notes
With this new Episode of VALORANT, the in-game plot has thickened: Patch 8.0’s changes bring a fresh twist to maps and agents we know and love. Deadlock and Killjoy are facing changes to their kits, and Icebox is returning with a facelift while Haven is leaving the competitive scene. Lotus is unrecognizable with modifications to every site, and further changes affect Team Deathmatch and Premier modes. There’s a lot to unpack, but worry not – today we examine the VALORANT 8.0 Patch Notes and how they will affect the game.
What agents are changing in VALORANT Patch 8.0?
Killjoy has long reigned supreme as the ideal Sentinel, while Deadlock has struggled in competitive play. Patch 8.0 will change that – with serious nerfs to Killjoy, players must reevaluate their setups and turret placement. Meanwhile, Deadlock has received a hefty buff: her wall is much larger, players can pick up and move Sonic Sensors and there is a decreased timeframe to destroy the sensors before concussion. These buffs – alongside previous Cypher buffs – will hopefully put every Sentinel on a more even playing field in the meta.
Deadlock changes:
Sonic Sensor
- Sonic Sensors are now recallable.
- Sonic Sensor’s pickup distance has increased from 12 meters to 27 meters.
- The time a Sonic Sensor will concuss players once triggered has decreased from 1 second to 0.5 seconds.
- The time enemies can destroy a Sonic Sensor once triggered has decreased from 0.65 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
- Allies can hear an audio cue from the Sonic Sensor if nearby.
Barrier Mesh
- The length of Barrier Mesh walls has increased from 6 to 10 meters.
Killjoy Changes:
Turret
- The turret’s vision radius has decreased from 180 degrees to 100 degrees.
- The turret’s vision cone is visible on the minimap.
- VFX and animations have been updated to reflect the new turret vision radius.
What is the competitive map pool in VALORANT Patch 8.0?
Icebox will return to the competitive map pool with a splash: the map sports a fresh look on its mid-section and B-Site after an intense renovation. Meanwhile, Haven is cycling out of the queue. Lotus has also been updated, with drastic changes to the entire map and an altered C-Site plant area.
The 8.0 VALORANT map pool is as follows:
- Icebox
- Bind
- Lotus
- Ascent
- Split
- Breeze
- Sunset
How are Icebox and Lotus changing in VALORANT Patch 8.0?
The VALORANT devs have completely remodeled Lotus to make it more balanced and eliminate awkward angles. C-Site has faced the most changes, with half of its plant area shifting to the Bend area. The locations of many crates and structures on C-Site have shifted to make duels fairer and remove certain rat spots. Lotus’ many doors are crucial to playing on the map, and both the revolving doors and the breakable door between A and B-Site have faced slight alterations.
On Icebox, the map remains recognizable with a few key differences. Developers have focused on the mid area of the map, and certain angles have been shifted or eliminated. Crates have also shifted on B-Site to allow fairer and easier-to-isolate duels. Otherwise, A-site remains untouched, and the Icebox map we know and love is intact.
Lotus
- The rotating doors between sites take 10 seconds to spin instead of 8.
- C-site has changed, and the plant area has moved.
- B-site has changed.
- A-site’s hut has changed into a three-walled cubby.
- The area around the A to B-Site door and the chamber inside the door have changed.
Icebox
- A crate has been added to the Attacker Spawn to eliminate an unfair spawn-to-mid angle.
- A shipping crate in B-Main has moved.
- The area under the Tube is more open, and a new window is in Kitchen overlooking mid.
- B-Site has changed.
What else is changing in VALORANT Patch 8.0?
Other changes in Patch 8.0 include:
Premier Changes:
- Team Owners can designate Team Captains.
- Team Captains can invite and remove team members except for the Team Owner.
- Players can view standings in every division and Stage of Premier with the Standings tab.
- Seeded divisions are visible before a player’s first match.
- Playoff qualification has returned to a 675 Premier Score.
- EMEA zones have been updated.
Other Changes:
- Two color variant icons from the BlastX set have changed for a more accurate representation.
- The second stage of Team Deathmatch will be a Sheriff-only battle with light shields instead of heavy shields.
- The gun buddy carousel will display buddies in alphabetical order.
- VALORANT will support third-party audio spatialization software for headphones.
- All modes except Team Deathmatch and Custom Games will utilize the competitive map pool.
Release dates for VALORANT’s upcoming new weapon, the Outlaw, are still unknown. In addition, Episode 8’s teased new agent remains on the horizon. For now, players have Patch 8.0’s sizeable list of updates to enjoy – and two revamped maps to explore. There is plenty to look forward to as we continue through the Episode and unlock more VALORANT mysteries.
