What’s VALORANT without Riot’s whacky updates leaving you wanting to uninstall it? Season V25 was a busy year in terms of new content and changes to existing features. However, some patches were particularly significant in size and features—and we’re here to run them down before the new Season V26 kicks in.
Season V25 saw the release of three new agents and a new map, as well as a bunch of meta-stirring updates to existing agents, maps, and features. Below is the list of the year’s biggest VALORANT updates.
The biggest VALORANT updates released in 2025
6) Patch 11.02: The Chamber buff we all needed
This was a long-due change that Riot delivered unexpectedly—and silently.
Patch 11.02 removed the range restriction from Chamber’s Trademark (trap), allowing him to position more flexibly. This change restored his ability to control flanks for his team without compromising his risk-taking potential, solidifying him as a strong sentinel in both the then and current meta.
While he isn’t as “broken” as he was before the series of nerfs he endured, Chamber has managed to climb the pick-rate ladder in ranked VALORANT. We’re yet to see whether pro teams will abuse his buff in the upcoming VCT season, although a strong double-sentinel trend, featuring Sage, already emerged during the 2025 VCT Game Changers Championship.
5) Patch 11.00: Corrode’s release and some
This patch brought one of VALORANT’s most complicated maps—Corrode—in the picture. Not that it’s an unplayable map, but it’s definitely a complicated one. The map is highly attacker-friendly, so if your team has two duelists or a couple of initiators supporting a solo duelist—and the opponents don’t—the game is in your favor. I personally dislike how long the rotations are on this map. It’s hard to push or retake a site without having someone hold the mid space.
As defenders, if you’re successful in stopping a site push, the round will go in your favor. But if the attackers have a lot of utility to dump, good luck holding your ground.
Not just Corrode: Patch 11.00 changed VALORANT’s meta with major agent updates too. Waylay, Reyna, Neon, and Phoenix received balance changes, while other agents received some “clarity and consistency” updates.
4) Patch 10.04: Waylay’s release
Patch 10.04 introduced Waylay, a speed-driven duelist designed to claim space at lightning speed. Her kit looked incredibly strong—and a bit thrilling—at first, but players soon realized she lacked the utility needed to hold that space. Nevertheless, her uniqueness was undeniable. Riot later buffed her abilities in subsequent patches, making her a strong duelist pick in VALORANT.
Patch 10.04 also significantly reworked Deadlock and Iso. The sentinel’s then-signature ability, Barrier Mesh, was swapped with GravNet, which had previously been her basic ability. Currently, GravNet is a free, rechargeable ability, while Barrier Mesh is purchasable for 300 credits. Iso, on the other hand, had his Undercut ability reworked to apply both Suppression and Vulnerable, along with additional tweaks to the rest of his kit.
3) Patch 11.10: Harbor rework
Harbor’s complex and lackluster controller abilities kept him at the bottom of the pick-rate ladder in both esports and ranked VALORANT for a long time. Simply buffing his abilities no longer seemed like a good idea, so Riot reworked most of his kit instead—with Patch 11.10.
Cove is now his signature ability, and Harbor can deploy it similarly to how Omen places his dome smoke. He also has the option to activate a shield on the smoke. His wall remains unchanged but has been moved to a basic ability. His Cascade ability was replaced by Storm Surge—an ability that creates an explosive whirlpool at the target location, Near-sighting and Slowing enemies caught in it. Lastly, his ultimate now sends a surge of water barreling forward, Near-sighting and Slowing enemies hit by the wave. Unfortunately, despite these changes, Harbor is still hovering near the bottom of the pick-rate ladder across all ranks. However, I remain hopeful about his prospects in the upcoming VCT 2026 season.
The same patch also nerfed Clove for the n’th time, yet they continue to dominate the pick-rate ladder in ranked games. This suggests that Clove’s design may need a rework to shift their power slightly toward teamwork. It’s not that they’re an overpowered controller—they’re simply easy to play.
2) Patch 10.00: Tejo’s introduction
Coming in at number two is Tejo’s release at the start of Season V25, and he was undeniably broken at the time. He had a rechargeable ability with two missiles on a single charge, his drone cost only 300 credits, and his Breach-like, lethal ultimate required just eight points. Together, his kit outshone most of his initiator peers, and players struggled to counter his post-plant setups.
Patch 10.09, however, addressed his dominance by reducing his missiles to two total charges. His drone and ultimate were also made more expensive.
Patch 10.00 also introduced an improved, automated remake system that now requires only three votes instead of four.
1) Patch 11.08: The ultimate hit to VALORANT as a whole
And first came Patch 11.08—the most controversial of all VALORANT updates.
Just when we thought Veto’s ability-negating mechanic was a broken addition, Riot stepped in and nerfed almost every ability in the game. Here’s a summary of what Patch 11.08 changed:
- Rechargeable abilities for initiators and sentinels now have a 60-second cooldown.
- Smokes received higher cooldowns as well.
- Several agents had their abilities nerfed, while some received buffs.
- Abyss and Pearl maps were reworked.
- Weapons were buffed.
- Only a few agents escaped any kind of change.
- New smurf reporting feature was introduced.
These changes were aimed at better balancing abilities and gunplay, with a stronger emphasis on gunplay. You can read the full patch notes for a detailed recap.
