VALORANT Patch 10.04: Waylay On the Way, Agent Changes
VALORANT Patch 10.04 introduces a new Duelist, Waylay, after a recent Masters Bangkok reveal. In addition, this update will ease Clove and Tejo's chokehold on the meta, shift Iso and Deadlock's priorities, clarify some confusing interactions with Killjoy's utility and protect players in Ascent B-main. Let's examine everything about Patch 10.04, including the update's winners and losers, competitive map rotation and how it will change the VALORANT meta.
VALORANT Patch 10.04: How Will It Affect the Meta?
VALORANT Patch 10.04 focuses on nerfing overpowered agents and encouraging more strategic play. Clove and Tejo, two top-performing agents in the competitive ecosystem, will face significant nerfs. Tejo's Guided Salvos will no longer destroy Killjoy's Ultimate and now damage Sentinel objects 50% less, slightly alleviating the retake meta. Meanwhile, Iso's kit is being revamped to make him more "well-rounded." New Duelist agent Waylay will thrive in strategic defaults since her Refract ability lets her gather info before committing to a site, and Deadlock changes will also slow things down by improving GravNet's capability to stagger pushes.
Ascent is also returning to the map pool with some changes. Unfortunately for the silly goose Sova camping B lane with an Odin, the wall into B main is no longer penetratable. Teams can more easily take B-main space without fear of early punishment.
Related Article: VALORANT Esports in 2025: Full Calendar
VALORANT Patch 10.04 Winners and Losers
Here's a quick rundown of the winners and losers in Patch 10.04:
Winners (Buffs)
- Killjoy (Indirect)
Losers (Nerfs)
- Clove
- Neon
- Tejo
- Anyone who likes to recon and Odin spam through the Ascent B main wall as soon as the round starts
VALORANT Patch 10.04 Agent Changes
New Agent: Waylay
Thai Duelist Waylay is arriving in this Patch, and her powers are changing the game at the speed of light. Her kit has a particular focus on movement, with one ability that resembles Jett's dash and another which allows her to gain info and backtrack before committing to a site.
Waylay's Kit:
- Refract: INSTANTLY create a beacon of light on the floor. REACTIVATE to speed
back to your beacon as a mote of pure light. You are invulnerable as you
travel. - Light Speed: EQUIP to prepare for a burst of speed. FIRE to dash forward twice. ALT
FIRE to dash once. Only your first dash can send you upward. - Saturate: INSTANTLY throw a cluster of light that explodes upon contact with the
ground, HINDERING nearby players with a powerful movement and
weapon slow. - Convergent Paths (Ultimate): EQUIP to focus your prismatic power. FIRE to create an afterimage of
yourself that projects a beam of light. After a brief delay, you gain a
powerful speed boost and the beam expands, HINDERING other players
in the area.
Waylay's addition also includes a new debuff status effect, known as Hindering. This applies slows affecting:
- Fire Rate
- Recoil Recovery
- Equip Time
- Reload Speed
- Movement Speed
- Jump Speed
Check out our comprehensive guide to Waylay in the related article below for more info.
Related Article: New VALORANT Agent Waylay: Ability Breakdown
Nerfs
Clove and Tejo face the biggest nerfs in this patch after ruling the 2025 meta for the past two months. Other controllers, including Viper, Astra and Omen, can now compete for the spotlight. Tejo changes will make him less oppressive to Sentinels like Killjoy. A small visual adjustment clarifying Neon's movement still technically counts as a nerf.
Clove
No longer explodes after a 1.3 second timer after casting. Explodes after
contact with the ground after a 0.75s timer; Projectile audio has been updated to fit this new behavior.
Meddle
- No longer explodes after a 1.3 second timer after casting.
- Explodes after contact with the ground after a 0.75s timer.
- Projectile audio has been updated to fit this new behavior.
Ruse
- Cooldown 30 > 40 seconds.
Pick-Me-Up:
- Health Buff 8 > 10 seconds
- Move Speed increase 8 > 3 seconds.
Neon
Overdrive
- VFX now makes Neon and her movement clearer when active.
Tejo
Guided Salvo
- Killjoy’s
Lockdown will now survive Guided Salvo with 5 HP. - Damage 70 > 65
- Now does 50% less damage to non-player objects.
Adjustments
Deadlock and Iso adjustments will shift their kits' priorities to reflect the VALORANT community's playstyle. Deadlock mains' growing fondness for GravNet will give the ability a buff and encourage her to stagger pushes while her wall is nerfed. Though Iso changes lean towards nerf territory, they offer a useful alternate-fire slower Contingency wall option.
Deadlock
Barrier Mesh
- Is now a non-signature ability
- Cost is now 400 credits
GravNet
- Is now a signature ability
- Cooldown is now 40 seconds
- Total Size 16m >>> 13m
- Increased audio clarity when casting and breaking.
Iso
Undercut
- Charges 2 > 1
- Cost 200 > 300 credits
- Now applies Suppression alongside Vulnerability for the same duration (4s) on players hit.
Contingency
- Now has an alt-fire option that makes the wall move at half the speed (does not affect duration).
Double Tap
- Status effect when broken Wall Penetration > Heavy Penetration (Iso is slowed more)
Kill Contract
- Bug fix: won duels will always spawn an orb.
VALORANT Patch 10.04 Map Changes
VALORANT 10.04 Competitive Map Rotation
Ascent and Icebox (two of Waylay's strongest maps) return to the Competitive queue, while Abyss and Bind leave. This means Patch 10.04's map pool will include:
- Ascent
- Fracture
- Haven
- Icebox
- Lotus
- Pearl
- Split
Ascent Adjustments
Ascent B Main became a firing range in previous patches since players could easily spam through B lane and quickly eliminate unsuspecting opponents. This left pushing teams in a pickle when they had to dodge a wall of bullets and wait for reload breaks before executing. Now, Riot Games has eliminated Ascent's B main wall weapon penetration. Teams will have an easier time taking its important space at the beginning of the round — and the devs have luckily preserved our beloved ambiguous graffiti animal buddy, leaving callouts unaffected.
VALORANT Console Changes
While VALORANT Console strives to replicate its PC predecessor as closely as possible, the difference between the two systems' controls means certain differences are often necessary. Patch 10.04 will buff Neon, Yoru and Reyna so the duelists can perform at their full potentials.
For a more in-depth list of changes, including bug fixes and full console logs, check out Riot Games' official VALORANT Patch Notes here.
Esports Impact
Coming just after VCT Masters Bangkok, Patch 10.4 kicks off the race for the next Masters event with a brand new meta. The patch addresses some of the power picks seen at that tournament while also introducing a brand new agent that could play a pivotal role in shaping the strategies that lead teams to the next international event.
Esports pros will also have to adapt once more to a new map pool and changes to one of the more popular maps. Given that every team has its preferred maps, these changes will help certain teams while giving others a steeper mountain to climb.
