Valorant Update 4.0 Patch Notes: Neon Headlines Episode 4 with New Battle Pass and MORE

Valorant fans can download a brand new update on PC platforms.

Valorant Update 4.0 adds a brand new character named Neon, as well as a new Battle Pass and skinline. You can read all about the new additions via this link.

Needless to say, the update also makes major changes to some of the game’s weapons, including the Specter, Ares, and Guardian.

For example, the Specter has been modified to reduce its effectiveness during long-range encounters.

Elsewhere, the Ares’ rate of fire has been increased, while the spin-up has been removed.

The Bulldog, on the other hand, is more attractive due to its greater versatility. Changes include increased hipfire rate and faster recovery rate.

Needless to say, Riot Games has made several map improvements, most notably on Bind and Breeze.

Finally, accounts that have yet to play in Ranked must now reach account level 20 in order to play competitively.

Unless you’ve already played in a competitive game before leveling up. The full patch notes can be seen below.

AGENT UPDATES

• Neon goes live!

WEAPONS UPDATES

MELE

• The melee was too tricky to aim, making it hard to rely on. That’s why we’ve updated both left- and right-click melee attacks for more reliable Agent whacking action.

• Right click hit boxes are now 1.5x larger. Left-click hitboxes are now larger than right-click and also have a slightly longer reach.

• Targets closer to the center of your knife attacks are hit first, so you still have precision when you need it.

• Bonus: Knife walls now have instant feedback when dividing walls (predicted on the customer side)

GHOST

• The versatility of the Specter makes us happy, but it outperformed in long-range missions and was too powerful even within its intended short-range and mobile scenarios.

• By making the accuracy error come in a little earlier and switching yaws more often, we hope to make it harder to get kills when spraying over a long range.

• Similarly, close range sprays require more control to be effective.

• Firing error occurs in earlier bullet stages

• For example, instead of errors occurring at bullets 4, 7, 10 (in terms of firing order), they will instead occur at bullets 3, 6, 8

• Increased pitch and yaw (vertical and horizontal) recoil multipliers on run/jump/riser from 1.25 >>> 1.5

• Protected number of bullets against yaw (horizontal) change during spraying, reduced by 8 >>> 5 bullets

• Decrease time to switch yaw from 0.24 >>> 0.18 seconds

• While spraying, the time you have until you can switch yaws again (horizontal movement) is shorter, so this can happen more often

ARES

• In addition to changes to the Specter, we hope to improve the feel and power of the Ares and take it out of the shadows of other weapons in its price range.

• Spin-up removed

• Rate of fire increased from 10 >>> 13

GUARDIAN

• The Guardian didn’t need the rate of fire penalty compared to its fully automatic counterparts, so we’re removing it.

• Adding another bullet before it starts to become unstable should make the weapon much more adept at making shots and improve its overall effectiveness in combat.

• Rate of fire penalty removed on ADS (Aim Down)

• Added an extra bullet before entering a recovery curve

BULLDOG

• We’re giving the Bulldog some love to make it feel like a better buy in those situations where you might need a cheaper yet versatile gun option.

• Hip fire rate increased by 9.5 >>> 10

• Improved burst fire recovery from .4 >>> .35

• Inaccuracy builds up each time the weapon is fired again before a weapon’s respective recovery time has completely expired. A lower recovery time should improve burst burn efficiency.

MAP UPDATES

TIE

• Changed the double cover pile at short A to remove a very powerful one-way smoke location that made the area a little too difficult for attackers to approach.

• Sentinels will still be able to hide the room, but the new layout should open up some options for attackers to invade.

• There’s also a small, new sofa for some confusion when taking that first look.

BREEZE

• Increased the width of the A Main choke and remove it 50/50s (where you have to choose one of two locations where an opponent can be)

• This should give defenders more options when playing around A Main. It also removes the 50/50 on both entering and exiting the cave, allowing you to be more methodical when pushing.

• Added a stack of two crates in the cave

• This provides some cover for attackers trying to displace the cave and also gives defenders more opportunities to fight the room.

• Changed cover at the back of A Site and extended the pool to the far wall

• The cover changes should provide defenders with both a safe place to fall back on and more cover on retakes. Expanding the pool should make playing in this space more comfortable.

• The expansion of the factory site must also match the new shape of the swimming pool.

• Custom curved wall center

• This change simplifies space and removes the extra bag.

• Added a lid to the pillar at B-site, closed the back with a new wall and added a stack of crates to B-wall

• The new cover on the pillar provides new pre- and post-plant possibilities.

• The custom back site breaks the head peek to B Main and also gives players new cover to work with. This new coverage should come in handy when relapsing and resuming.

• The new crate stack limits some corners of B Main, gives you new hold or retake options, and should break some of the tricky battles that can take place on thin walls.

• Door on A cannot be reactivated until opening or closing is completed

COMPETITIVE

• As of Patch 4.0, accounts that have yet to play in Ranked must reach account level 20 before they can get into the Competitive queue

• For those who have not yet reached account level 20, but have already played in the competitive queue, you can still play in the ranking.

bugs

Game Systems

• Fixed an issue where the Signature Kill Counter was not updating visually

• Esports Features

• Coaches should no longer experience the problem of intermittent target switching with number keys and + mouse clicks.