Valorant Patch 2.04 is now live, along with Episode II Act II. Here are all the changes to be found in the new Patch, as well as everything you need to know on how to unlock Astra, the newest Agent.
Patch 2.04 doesn’t bring any balance changes, but it does introduce a new Agent along with several quality of life changes. There are some changes to competitive matchmaking that should help balance games, and there are also some to tactical voiceovers to help with communication.
Valorant Patch 2.04 Matchmaking and voiceover changes
Valorant’s competitive queue is getting some small changes to improve matchmaking. Rank Rating will not lower at the beginning of the new act for players that placed in the previous act. In addition to this, players will only have to play one rated game to see their rating. Radiant and Immortal players will have their rating reduced by 90% and all Radiant players will drop to Immortal.
Players will no longer be able to see their teammates’ ratings during Agent Select or throughout the game. After the game, players will be able to see them on the scoreboard. This change addresses toxicity towards players based on their rating.
Lastly, players will now be able to queue with a wider range of players at low ranks. Iron, Bronze and Silver players will all be able to queue together. At higher ranks, players will need to be closer in rank to queue up together.
Valorant Patch 2.04 also adds new voiceover options for Agents to help communication. Agents will now give more detailed callouts when they gain information. For example, instead of just saying “spike spotted,” the Agent will now say “spike spotted B.” Players will not need to manually activate these callouts.
How to unlock Astra
Valorant’s newest agent, Astra, is now live with Patch 2.04. To unlock her, players must activate her contract in the “Agents” tab. Completing games and quests will earn experience towards her contract levels. Upon reaching level five, she will be available to play. Contract levels are also purchasable with 300 Valorant Points.
