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Valorant update 1.09 patch notes nerf Operator sniper rifle

Valorant Patch 1.09 made a number of changes, but the biggest by far is reducing the early snowball potential of the Operator sniper rifle. Check the patch notes here.

TJ Denzer

September 29, 2020 9:55 AM

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Ever since the very beginning of Valorant’s launch, the Operator sniper rifle has been a nightmare to deal with in the hands of players wielding it with proficiency. It hits like a bulldozer, has extreme effective range, and was easy to pick up after a few rounds if you were doing well. Valorant Patch 1.09 has dropped and, while changes are apparent across the board, it’s a heavy aim at reducing the sheer snowball potential of the Operator. We’ve got the full patch notes here.

Valorant update 1.09 patch notes

Valorant’s update 1.09 patch has some fixes for several operators, weapons, and mechanics. Dropping on September 29, 2020, the update dropped on the Valorant website buffed Viper further, nerfed Reyna and Jett, and adjusted some visuals on Omen. It nerfed accuracy on weapons across the board when firing after landing from a jump. That said, the biggest adjustment was definitely to the Operator. A beast since Valorant’s launch, this weapon has been nerfed front to back to provide better counterplay and higher consequence should a player die with it. You can find the full patch notes just below.

Omen

Paranoia

• Updated projectile VFX to better represent its hitbox, especially when it is traveling towards your POV

Jett

Blade Storm (Burst Fire)

• The time between consecutive Burst Fire use has increased from 0.33 seconds >>> 0.45 seconds
• Daggers thrown in Burst now have a damage falloff that begins at 12 meters and drops steadily (to 35 damage) at max falloff
• Headshot multiplier on Burst Fire reduced from 3x >>> 2x

Viper

Fuel

• Viper now starts the round at 100 fuel (previously 50)

Snake Bite

• Vulnerable debuff applied from Snake Bite now lingers for 2 seconds after leaving Viper’s acid

Viper’s Pit

• Move speed doubled while casting
• Viper now fast equips her weapon after casting, re-equip times vary per gun—but on average will reduce her weapon down time by .4 seconds

Reyna

Empress

• Fire rate bonus decreased from 25% >>> 15%

Brimstone

Stim Beacon

• Fire rate bonus increased from 10% >>> 15%

Weapon Updates

Operator

• Increased price from 4500 >>> 5000
• Decreased scoped movement speed from 76% >>> 72%
• Adjusted weapon deadzone from becoming inaccurate at 30% movement speed >>> 15% (become inaccurate sooner, become accurate later when stopping)
• Firing rate reduced from .75 >>> .6
• Instant equip time adjusted from 0.3 >>> 0.5 (instant equip plays after tapping orb, bomb defuse/plant tap, Jett Cloud Burst, and Phoenix Curveball)
• Leg shot damage decreased from 127 >>> 120

All Weapons

• Jump land inaccuracy state changed from gradual >>> binary
• Jump land inaccuracy duration increased from .2 >>> .225
• Jump land inaccuracy value increased from 5.0 >>> 7.0 (more inaccurate for .225s after a land)

Competitive Updates

• During this patch, the chances of being in an hour+ queue should be notably reduced

Social Updates

• Riot ID Reviews: Players that have been reported for inappropriate Riot IDs will now be reviewed automatically after the match has ended. If their name is flagged as inappropriate, they will be forced to change their Riot ID the next time they log in to the Riot Client.
• Removed Multi-line Breaks in Chat: Some sneaky people were impersonating system messages to troll others into quitting a match. Enough!
• Changes to party push to talk settings will now take effect immediately
• The chat window can now be pinned to stay open across menus
• Social Panel Sorting Logic
• Sorting algorithm for the social panel has been updated to make it more intuitive for players as they interact with it.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed issue where Sova’s hitbox was incorrect while using his Owl Drone
• Fixed bug where Omen’s glowing eyes weren’t properly removed when he cancelled his ult
• Fixed a bug where Custom Game preferences would be wiped after navigating away from the Custom Game lobby

With the latest patch taking heavy aim at reducing the overwhelming power and utility of the Operator, it will be interesting to see how strategies and metas move in the game. Stay tuned to Shacknews for further Valorant coverage and keep up to date on previous patch notes and changes to the game.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.