VALORANT Patch 13.05 Targets Stream Snipers and Adds Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems

VALORANT’s patch 13.05 is here, and the patch notes are tasty. Riot Games published a breakdown for this update, but I’m here to break down their breakdown so you don’t have to. The long and short of the update is centered around penalties for stream snipers and pesky instalock tools, which is nice.

The team has promised that 13.06 will be ‘pretty beefy’, but the full 13.05 patch notes are nothing to be scoffed at. Below, you’ll find the full explanation of the latest VALORANT update notes.

Enjoy!

VALORANT 13.05 Hits Instalock Gamers

If you’ve ever noticed someone using an instalock tool to snatch a particular agent at breakneck speed, you’ll feel satisfied to know that they’re going to be identified and punished by Riot Games going forward.

The new 13.05 update will penalize users detected stream sniping or using third-party tools to instalock their chosen agent:

Players found using these tools will be subject to temporary game bans that will escalate to permanent bans with repeat usage.

For the esports fans out there, VALORANT’s 13.05 patch welcomes Pick’Ems for Champions Shanghai, the super-sized, $2.25 million esports tournament starting on September 24 in China. It’s the ultimate event of the year, and from September 10, you’ll be able to predict the teams advancing from the Group Stage for some juicy rewards.

Elsewhere, the upcoming changes to the Agent Gear system were teased:

Heads up, gamers! With the release of Patch 13.06 on September 22, we’ll be revamping the Agent Gear system and the way you unlock items on that progression track. You will still keep the gear you’ve already earned, and you’ll continue to use Kingdom Credits to unlock future gear. But after Patch 13.06, each piece of gear will be tied directly to how much you play the associated Agent. So if you’re currently grinding for Agent Gear on any Agents you don’t usually play, now’s your chance to lock in and get those unlocks.

Also, Sound Sprays have been adjusted, attenuation speaking, so that you’re ‘only able to hear the sounds if you’re nearby to ensure teams can communicate effectively.’

And now, to the 13.05 bug fixes:

• Agent
  • General
    • Fixed an issue where Agent Ultimate voiceover could continue playing from an enemy’s perspective after the Agent casting the Ultimate was killed.
    • Fixed an issue where the Combat Report incorrectly displayed “Enemies Blinded” for certain abilities that don’t apply Blind.
    • Fixed an issue where smokes would block flashes after dissipating.
      • We’ve better timed the dissipation for the smokes on Astra, Brimstone, Clove, Miks, and Omen to fix an issue where their smokes could continue blocking flashes and other line-of-sight-dependent abilities while the smoke was dissipating.
  • Chamber
    • Fixed an issue that could cause performance drops the first time Chamber equipped, aimed, or fired Headhunter during a round.
  • Cypher
    • Fixed an issue where Cypher’s Trapwire debuff could persist indefinitely on a new target if the initial target was killed just before the Trapwire triggered.
    • Fixed an issue where Cypher’s Cyber Cage could incorrectly block flashes, detection, and other line-of-sight-dependent abilities.
  • Deadlock
    • Fixed an issue where casting Deadlock’s GravNet could briefly display unintended VFX on screen.
  • Fade
    • Fixed an issue where Fade’s Seize would not display its danger indicator to enemies in certain locations on Lotus.
  • KAY/O
    • Fixed an issue where KAY/O’s NULL/cmd could cause client-side framerate drops with each pulse.
  • Omen
    • Fixed an issue where Omen’s Dark Cover could obscure a player’s vision after the smoke has dissipated.
  • Sage
    • Fixed an issue where Sage’s Healing Orb ability tooltips could be missing from the HUD when equipping the ability.
  • Waylay
    • Fixed an issue where vision-blocking abilities could prevent Waylay’s Saturate from applying Hinder to players within its area of effect.
    • Fixed an issue where Waylay’s Refract could cause snapshots of dynamic map objects to remain visible after the ability ended.
    • Fixed an issue where Waylay’s Saturate could apply Hinder to Agents while they were intangible.

What are you most interested in from VALORANT’s 13.05 patch? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server what your Pick’Ems will look like for Shanghai Champions here.

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