Recently, you probably noticed a Valorant Patch was made available. With it comes many changes for the competitive shooter. These include maps, new game modes, competitive changes, and many more. If you haven’t downloaded the Valorant Patch 1.14 yet, here’s what to expect:

 

Sage Changes

 

With the new patch, Sage received a minor buff. The Barrier Orb – when fortified – isn’t going to lose health with time starting now. However, Sage can’t use the Barrier Orb before her Buy Phase ends. That way, Omen players can’t exploit the barrier to help them teleport.

 

Icebox Changes

 

Icebox also received many changes with the Valorant Patch 1.14. Many of these new things are focused on elevation adjustments from the areas near bombsites. In the past, these elevations provided Defenders with a more advantageous position when they were holding sites. It’s just making it a little fairer for everyone playing.

 

New Game Mode

 

Who doesn’t love Christmas? With the new patch, there’s a Christmas-themed game mode. If you play it, you get rewarded with the free Gun Buddy when you start playing. This mode is set up to be a 5-versus-5 deathmatch, and it includes progressions, power-ups, and many other features.

 

However, this is only available for two weeks starting December 15. With it, you can have snowball fights and can access a snowball launcher. The first week, you have a holiday version of Icebox (the map), but in the second week, all maps are shown like this.

 

Competitive Upgrades

 

There are new competitive updates with the patch, too. These include re-enabling the Act Rank bade for in-game player cards. Act Ranks and Match History are split out into different sections within the career page.

 

Store Updates

 

There’s a new market feature now, which allows players to choose from six random weapon skins at a generous discount. These include Premium, Deluxe, or Select class, but they’re randomly selected for you.

 

Though it’s already open, it isn’t holiday-specific. Therefore, the skins are going to be available for the foreseeable future. However, if you want the discount, it’s a good idea to jump on it.

 

Bug Fixes

 

It seems there are always minor bugs to fix, and this patch handled them for now. These bug fixes include:

 

·         Killjoy’s turret is no longer placed underground in select maps.

·         Voice chat is no longer triggered when you press push-to-talk and type in the chatbox.

·         The AFKer restrictions no longer reset.

 

With so many new things going on, you should have an even better experience when playing Valorant!