A new hotfix went out for Valorant on December 1 around 7:00 PM ET to address a bug disabling Killjoy placing turrets under the map. Killjoy is back in business, but the Valorant hotfix also seems to nerf how Sage’s Barrier Wall works.
Here’s more about the change to the ability, and what it might mean for Sage players, and whether or not it will be a permanent change.
Sage’s Barrier Wall gets another nerf
In the past, Sage was always able to place her Barrier Wall before the round began. Now, it seems like she has to wait until after the round starts to place the wall. This definitely hurts Sage players, as it gives her less opportunity to safely place her wall.
Sage’s wall was recently nerfed in Patch 1.07 so that it starts with 400 health and then solidifies at 800 after a few seconds. With this new nerf, she can’t place it before the round starts, therefore, it won’t have time to solidify, which means enemies will have an easier time dealing with the wall and destroying it.
The bug fix is in. Killjoy can no longer place turrets under the map. Also, Sage can no longer cast her wall pre-round as Omen was using it to teleport to inappropriate locations. Hope it was fun while it lasted! You should see all three agents back in game, working as intended.
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) December 2, 2020
For Sage players, this won’t be a welcome change. Wall placement is extremely important for the Agent, and it will be harder to find good opportunities to use the ability without being able to place it before rounds.
If this change is permanent, it will be another blow to Sage. The once-mandatory Agent has fallen out of favor due to nerfs to her wall and her healing. While she still brings her powerful ultimate ability, Resurrect, to the table, she isn’t nearly as strong as she once was.
In addition to Killjoy and Sage getting changes, Omen is also getting a slight tweak. He will no longer be able to teleport to certain “inappropriate” locations. Hopefully, these changes will help make the game feel more consistent.
