VALORANT Patch 9.06: Huge Ascent Updates
VALORANT's 9.06 Patch Notes are here, and they focus on agent ability interactions with maps Ascent and Haven. Agents including Harbor, Neon and Phoenix will face small but significant nerfs and buffs from these changes. In addition, Player Behavior is undergoing an overhaul — comms abuse penalties will become stricter and players can now block users they do not wish to interact with. There's plenty more to discover, so let's dive into what to expect in VALORANT Patch 9.06!
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Overall Buffs:
- Vyse: map changes make it easier to place Vyse's Arc Rose.
- Cypher: map changes make it easier to place Cypher's tripwires.
- Neon: Neon's Fast Lane wall can break windows.
- Phoenix: Phoenix's Blaze wall can break windows.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Overall Nerfs:
- Harbor: Harbor's High Tide will no longer break the Ascent A heaven window.
- Brimstone: Audio changes make Brimstone ult easier to dodge.
- Killjoy: Killjoy's Lockdown will no longer break windows.
- Chamber: Chamber's Trademark will no longer break windows.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Release Date and Time
VALORANT Patch 9.06 is set to release on September 24 2024 at 6 A.M. PT. Here is a helpful list of the patch's exact release times in different timezones:
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Release Times
- PT: 6:00 A.M.
- EST: 9:00 A.M.
- CEST: 3:00 P.M.
- KST: 10:00 P.M.
- JST: 10:00 P.M.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Agent Changes
Brimstone and Vyse are directly changing in Patch 9.06. Brimstone and Vyse both have AOE Ultimate abilities. Brimstone's Orbital Strike Ultimate continually damages players within a 9-meter radius, while Vyse's Steel Garden prevents enemies in a 32.5-meter radius from using primary weapons. Previous audio settings for these Ultimates made it difficult for players to detect and evade them once cast. Patch 9.06 is fixing this issue by prioritizing audio at the ability's location instead of the agent's.
- Brimstone: Orbital Strike Ultimate will now play activation audio in the direction of the Ultimate so players can more easily escape.
- Vyse: Steel Garden Ultimate will play windup audio in its cast direction so players can more easily escape.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Map Changes
Ascent and Haven are changing in Patch 9.06. While these changes are slight, they are quite significant. Ascent's A-site window overlooking the tree room is receiving an overhaul and Riot Games developers have clarified which agents can and cannot break it with abilities. Here's a handy list:
Can break Ascent A-site window:
- Phoenix's Blaze
- Neon's Fast Lane
Cannot break Ascent A-site window:
- Harbor's High Tide
- Chamber's Trademark
- Cypher's Trapwire
- Killjoy's Lockdown
VALORANT map designers are also shifting several Haven crate interactions around. This will simplify Trapwire and Arc Rose placement and indirectly buff Cypher and Vyse.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Player Behavior and Social Updates
It's more important than ever to be kind to your teammates — VALORANT's behavior violation penalties are becoming more intense. Repeated comms abuse will lead to stricter punishments as a player's in-game reputation worsens. VALORANT's moderation system will also penalize players who have repeated comms abuse infractions after manual behavior evaluations.
If reporting isn't enough, players can now also block other users. Blocking a VALORANT user will prevent them from communicating with you in any way, including friend requests, party invites and whisper messages.
VALORANT Patch 9.06 Console Changes
VALORANT Console's mini-map receives the most attention in this patch. It will now include individual sensitivity settings for Omen, Brimstone and Clove's mini-map abilities. In addition, Fracture is entering VALORANT Console's Unrated and Swiftplay map pool!
What other changes are in VALORANT Patch 9.06?
On PC, new VALORANT users have the option to access 'New Player Tips'. If a user isn't interested in this or wants to revisit the tips after completion, they can select or deselect the feature as an option in the game's Settings. Weapons will also display their cosmetic skin name in the HUD (if applicable) when players use the Weapon Switcher in-game. Finally, in a long-awaited change, draw votes will no longer include AFK players.
For more in-depth information, check out the official VALORANT Patch Notes here!
GABBY DESENA