VALORANT Patch Notes 8.01: Breeze changes, Skye nerfs, and more

VALORANT Episode 8 ACT 1 launched worldwide this month and was the first major update this year in the game. In this, players got to see new skins and a new weapon called the Outlaw. Furthermore, there were multiple changes made to the maps along with certain nerfs to agents in the game. VALORANT Patch 8.01 looks to be continuing this trend. The patch is bringing changes to the map Breeze besides agents such as Skye, Iso, and Raze. Here’s a deeper look into the VALORANT Patch Notes 8.01.

What Are The Major Changes On The Map Of Breeze In VALORANT Patch 8.01?

The first change that players will immediately notice is on the map of Breeze. When Breeze was reintroduced, the pathway of A Hall was blocked. This was done to reduce the need for defenders to commit a player holding an angle on that point of the map. It does feel like Riot realized that the change affected the map quite a bit. A similar change was seen recently on the map of Lotus in the Episode 8 Act 1 update.

VALORANT announced that A Hall will be reopened for attackers to have another path to enter. The major difference is that the trap door that was present at the end of A Hall is now blocked off. This would not allow players present in A Hall to enter the A Site. If an attacker commits to go into A Halls, they can either go to Mid Pillar or A Metal Doors. According to Riot, these changes will “give attackers more options while retaining the rest of the changes to the map.”

Has Skye Been Nerfed Too Much In the Upcoming VALORANT Patch 8.01?

Skye has received a huge nerf in the VALORANT Patch 8.01 notes which affects the fundamentals of her ability. Riot has decided to remove the ability of the Guiding Light to recharge after a certain duration of time. This means that players will only have two flashes to use in a round instead of three.

“Removing the recharge on Guiding Light (E) sharpens the decision point of when to commit one throughout the round and balances the power of it providing both combat advantage and recon as a signature,” said Riot Games on the change.

The second change is to the Guiding Light ability as well. Now Skye’s flash will activate automatically at the end of its duration. Thus, removing the ability to use the flash as a fake or decoy. This has been done to make sure that if a player decides to fake flash their opponent, it is more intentional. This change could even backfire on the player as well since they can flash themselves if they’re not vigilant enough. The last change to Skye’s kit is her ultimate ability, Seekers. Now, when a Seeker gets close to the opponent, the target player shall get a yellow directional warning indicator of the Seeker approaching them.

What Are The Changes To Agents Like Raze and Iso?

Iso has received quite a few buffs for some of his abilities. Firstly, the shootable orb that appears after a kill will appear onscreen for three seconds. Secondly, the buff and shield that is provided to Iso after shooting the orb has been increased to 20 seconds. Finally, the width of his shield has been reduced from 120 to 100 points. According to Riot, these changes will allow players using Iso to have a combat advantage when entering the site.

Finally, the change to Raze concerns her blast pack audio. After VALORANT Patch 8.01, the audio for Raze traveling in the air with her ability Blast Pack will progressively get louder as she gets closer to the opponent. This will make it clearer for enemies to know when there is a Raze using her Blast Pack to close in on them.