Valorant developer Riot Games has addressed quite a bit with the game’s latest patch notes, including the nerfing of Reyna. Reyna’s ability to “pub stomp” in matches, the Stinger’s spray pattern and the Frenzy’s price have all been looked at here.
Reyna is Valorant’s most popular duelist agent according to ValorBuff, with a pick rate in competitive of 73.2% and a win rate of 50.9%. Her ability to heal and flash herself allows players to carry matches without the help of their teammates. Jeff Landa, Communication Associate for Riot games, had this to say about Reyna’s latest state. “The charge reduction should limit how much impact she can have round over round when she’s heavily out-gunning her opponents—but allow enough room for the 1v5 dream when Empress (X) is active.”
The changes mean Reyna’s Devour (Q) and Dismiss (E) charges have been reduced from four to two. This prevents players from over-healing themselves, previously up to four times in a match, after killing an opponent. The price for her Devour and Dismiss have also increased from 100 credits to 200 credits. These nerfs hit Reyna hard, which is why Riot has adjusted when players drop Soul Orbs. Soul Orbs will now be dropped from slain enemies that Reyna has damaged, and will last three seconds.
Valorant nerfs the Stinger and Frenzy
The price of the Stinger has increased from 1000 to 1100 credits and now replaces the Marshall, which has been reduced to 1000 credits. These price changes will adjust when players can purchase these weapons in earlier rounds. The Stinger has also received burst and full-auto fire updates, which should prevent the more run-and-gun style that players have been seeing. You are less accurate with your spray after the first bullet is fired, and this spray error is increased aggressively after the third bullet.
In regards to Frenzy, both competitive and public matches have recently seen a rise in the weapon’s popularity in the early rounds. With Frenzy being only 400 credits, players could buy it and shield to start the game. This isn’t what the Valorant developer intended for the Frenzy, and Riot has adjusted the price from 400 to 500 credits. This change forces players to make a choice between shield or a frenzy in early rounds, much like with the Ghost.
Riot Games also made changes to AFK penalties and added a new game mode called Escalation with this patch. You can check out the rest of the Valorant patch notes, including the changes to Reyna, on the game’s website.
