VALORANT Episode 9 Act III: New Battlepass, Buffs and More
VALORANT is entering the final stage of Episode 9 as Act II ends. Now, Act III will include a new Battle Pass, a competitive rank reset, new armor and plenty of other updates. Here's everything we know about Episode 9 Act III including release times, Battle Pass content and more!
Episode 9 Act III Release Date
VALORANT's Episode 9 Act III will release on October 23 2024 at 9 AM EST (Eastern Time). The exact time the update will occur depends on the player's server location and time zone. Here's a handy list of equivalent release times:
VALORANT Episode 9 Act III Release Times
- BST: 4:00 A.M.
- CEST: 5:00 A.M.
- PST: 6:00 A.M.
- KST/JST: 6:00 A.M.
- EST: 9:00 A.M.
Episode 9 Act III Battle Pass
Episode 9 Act 3 Battle Pass | #VALORANT pic.twitter.com/3VrPcYAeKY
— Mike | Valorant Leaks & News (@ValorLeaks) October 21, 2024
The Episode 9 Act III Battle Pass contains three skin lines as well as sprays, gun buddies, titles, and player cards. The Torque Collection is its main line and includes Vandals, Operators, Spectres and Classics with gritty yet colorful designs. It also includes a unique melee knife and comes in four variants. The Bulletbox Collection is black, pink, green and purple, featuring graffiti-esque motifs. Finally, the Nanobreak Collection is an electric blue and orange twist to VALORANT's original matte black skins.
The Battlepass also includes thirteen unique Player Cards and plenty of additional cosmetics. Highlights include candy corn and zombie cat gun buddies, a pumpkin spray and witchy Reyna and Fade Player Cards.
Battle Pass Skins
- Torque Collection: includes Melee Knife, Vandal, Operator, Spectre, Classic (4 color variants)
- Bulletbox Collection: Bulldog, Bucky, Guardian, Frenzy
- Nanobreak Collection: Phantom, Sheriff, Odin, Judge
Other Items
- 13 Player Cards
- Sprays
- Gun Buddies
- Titles
Rank Reset
Like every fresh VALORANT Act, Episode 9 Act III will soft reset player ranks. VALORANT Competitive players will return to an Unranked status at the start of the Act. To gain back their previous rank, they must play one placement match in Competitive queue. The player's rank may shift slightly depending on their performance.
New Armor Type: Regen Shields
A new category of armor, Regen Shields, will arrive in the VALORANT Shop. Riot Games has not yet confirmed any information about these shields. However, we can infer from a video featuring the concept that the shields will include two 25-health charges. These charges will regenerate after either spending a certain amount of time undamaged or getting a kill.
Related Article: Is VALORANT Adding Regen Shields?
Other Episode 9 Act III Updates
Agent Buffs and Nerfs
Agents including Phoenix, Yoru and Gekko will undergo updates in Episode 9 Act III. Phoenix receives a huge buff in Patch 9.10 which allows him to recharge his Curveball flashes after two kills and throw his Blaze wall through obstacles. Yoru enjoys a slight buff as well, while many Gekko abilities including Thrash and Dizzy are being nerfed.
Related Article: Huge Phoenix Changes Coming in VALORANT Patch 9.10
New TDM Map
A new Team Deathmatch (TDM) map, Glitch, is now available in VALORANT. The map is inspired by a malfunctioning bot arena and will help players warm up their aim and duel skills.
Map Pool
Lotus and Icebox are leaving VALORANT's map pool in Episode 9 Act III. Meanwhile, Split and Pearl are rejoining the competitive map rotation. Below is a list of all current VALORANT competitive maps:
Episode 9 Act III VALORANT Maps
- Abyss
- Ascent
- Bind
- Haven
- Pearl
- Split
- Sunset
