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Valorant Patch 9.08 brings big changes to Gekko and Yoru along with map and premier update

The latest patch notes for Valorant 9.08 update are out and features a lot of changes including agent balance. Gekko players may want to have a look at what's changed.

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Valorant patch 9.08

Valorant patch 9.08 bring a new map and multiple changes (Image - Riot Games)

The latest update for Valorant is here, and along with that are the Patch notes for 9.08. These include a noticeable update to the Sunset map and an addition of a new TDM exclusive map. Multiple agents saw changes and fixes, with the most significant being the changes to Gekko’s buddies. 

Agent Updates

A total of four agents have received some tweaks in the latest patch. These are Gekko, Yoru, Skye and Jett. Out of these four, Gekko received some major changes to balance him out, while Yoru also received some significant changes related to his Fakeout clone.

Gekko

Gekko’s buddies are his main abilities but pose very few downsides in intense situations. To balance it out, the changes are mainly focused on his buddies, with some receiving nerfs while others receiving buffs.

  • Globules
    • Reduced time in the world from 20s to 15s
    • Reclaim time increased from 1s to 1.5s
  • Dizzy
    • Time active after being thrown and forming is reduced from 1.5s to 1s.
    • Dizzy’s targeting algorithm has been updated to be more reliable.
    • Dizzy’s goop flash now also blinds the minimap of affected players.
  • Wingman
    • Increased the angle of the cone concuss area from 45 degrees to 65 degrees.
    • When Wingman turns into a globule after planting the Spike, there are unique visuals.
  • Thrash
    • Ultimate points increased from 7 to 8

Yoru

You mainly had issues with his Fakeout clone, which used to dupe people into an easy blind and convert it into a frag. Sadly, a lot of agents can easily encounter or identify the clone, as it wasn’t affected by various abilities. While not a direct buff, it does help to get better entry frags for the duelist.

  • Blind abilities like Gekko’s Dizzy and Vyse’s Arc Rose will now display the blind effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone as if he were a real Agent.
  • Vyse will play her Successful Blind celebration lines when blinding Yoru’s Fakeout clone.
  • Cypher’s Neural Theft will show the Yoru’s Fakeout clone.
  • Clove’s Meddle will now show the decay effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone.

Skye and Jett

Skye and Jett had some minor fixes, which included Jett’s Tailwind and Skye’s Trailblazer no longer stopping at the window in Ascent. Instead, they will bust through and continue movement onto the other side.

Map Updates

New Valorant TDM map Glitch
New Valorant TDM map 'Glitch'

A new Team Deathmatch map ‘Glitch’ is here with Valorant Patch 9.08. As for the competitive queue, Pearl and Split are back in the rotations while Icebox and Lotus have departed. Sunset also saw a lot of changes across the B site and the middle, with a few more changes revealed after the initial announcement from Riot Games.

Also Read: Valorant Patch 9.08 to Bring Multiple Changes to Sunset

Premier Updates

Stage E9A3 in Valorant Premier begins, and the invite division will only see the top 16 teams after its conclusion. Other Invite teams will be demoted to their respective zones for the next Stage. Team owners will have a chance to change the zone in the team settings dropdown before the team starts playing again.

If the team isn’t placed into a zone, the team owner will have to do so. Apart from the invite divisions, the teams will not have demotions and will be seeded into a division as normal with the start of a new stage.

As for contenders, teams with five contenders will have a guaranteed place in the Contender Division, although this eligibility will expire at the end of Stage E9A3. To qualify for contender once again in 2025 the team must perform a qualifying action in Stage E9A3 or at any point in 2025.

Qualifying actions include -

  • Play a Weekly or Playoff match on a team in the Contender or Invite Division.
  • Reach Immortal 3 or higher peak rank in Competitive.
  • Play in a Playoff match in Elite 5.

 

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