Riot Games has released Valorant’s 13.02 Patch, bringing a Phoenix ultimate nerf, new Retake maps, and dozens of bug fixes to the tactical hero shooter.
While the patch was largely small fixes and tweaks, with values changing by a tiny number, it did remove a massive 900,100 damage combo from the game.
Phoenix Ultimate nerfed in Valorant 13.02 Patch
The most significant gameplay change announced in the 13.02 patch was the nerf to Phoenix’s signature ultimate ability, Run it Back.
The ability allows Phoenix to essentially give himself a free life, rising from the ashes and respawning at a set marker after being killed while the ability is active.
The Valorant devs think that the ability is being activated too often, increasing the necessary Ultimate points to activate it from 6 to 7.
The devs stated in the Patch Notes, “Overall we are happy with the state of Phoenix’s balance. This is a small touch to address the frequency with which he is able to cast his ultimate to be more in line with other characters.“
Other gameplay changes include the removal of a bug in which Deadlock’s Annihilation ability could capture Omen while Omen was using his From the Shadows teleport, resulting in an incredible 900,100 damage. The interaction has been removed, alongside dozens of bug fixes noted below.
Retake takes priority in 13.02 Patch
Since its introduction in the 13.00 Patch, Retake has proven to be a hit as both a warm-up tool and a quick way to play a few low-commitment rounds.
The result is the addition of Split, Corrode, and Lotus to the map rotation of the quick-fire mode, with the devs bolstering the map pool to provide a good variety for players that reflects the competitive map pool.
On the other hand, players will have to watch for All Random One Site: Replication. The Valorant devs gave the following update regarding the chaotic single-site brawl:
“All Random One Site: Replication will no longer be released in this update. We don’t take these decisions lightly as we know a lot of you were looking forward to this mode. We are still targeting a future release date and will let you know when we have more to share”
All Platform Valorant 13.02 Bug Fixes
- Agents
- Omen
- Fixed an issue where the Shrouded Step‘s obstructed placement indicator is missing.
- KAY/O
- Fixed an issue where NULL/cmd’s visual and death audio effects would not play when his downed timer expired.
- Fixed an issue where NULL/cmd’s death animation played incorrectly after being revived.
- Cypher
- Fixed an issue where Cyber Cage displayed incorrect visual effects when cast.
- Fixed a rare issue where Cypher disconnected while casting Neural Theft.
- Gekko
- Fixed an issue where the incorrect voiceover could play when Wingman planted the Spike.
- Fixed an issue where Wingman could unexpectedly die while planting or defusing the Spike under very low frame rate conditions.
- Miks
- Fixed an issue where the M Pulse ability icon and tooltip could be in the wrong place or missing on certain screens.
- Reyna
- Fixed an issue where the Dismiss icon remained grayed out after eliminating an enemy.
- Chamber
- Fixed an issue where Rendezvous could fail to teleport Chamber back to his anchor.
- Waylay
- Fixed an issue on Icebox where Lightspeed and Refract could allow Waylay to clip into the walls of B Tube.
- Jett
- Fixed an issue where Tailwind and Updraft could experience an unintended delay after using Cloudburst.
- Raze
- Fixed an issue where Boom Bot could briefly travel through solid geometry while locking onto airborne enemies.
- Deadlock
- Fixed an issue where Annihilation could incorrectly capture Omen while he was using From the Shadows, resulting in unintended damage of 900,100 damage.
- Vyse
- Fixed an issue where Razorvine could become indestructible if it was deployed at the same moment Vyse was suppressed.
- Omen
- Maps
- Summit
- Fixed an issue where Agent utility could sometimes be crushed by the door when it was already closed.
- Summit
PC ONLY
BUG FIXES
- General
- Fixed a cosmetic issue where Packets Received/Sent Rate graphs showed incorrect values when the game is running at extremely high framerates.
CONSOLE ONLY
BUG FIXES
- Agent
- Chamber
- Fixed an issue where Tour de Force missed haptic feedback when equipped and fired.
- Yoru
- Fixed an issue where Fakeout was missing aim assistance functionality.
- Waylay
- Fixed an issue where using Lightspeed and immediately equipping the Spike or a Flex item could grant unintended dash speed and distance.
- Chamber
- Gameplay Systems
- Fixed an issue in game modes with no abilities where selecting Agent Info from the Settings menu could close the menu instead of displaying ability information.
Do you think the Phoenix nerf was necessary? Let us know your thoughts about the pack on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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