VALORANT patch 13.05 is a smaller update mainly focused on quality-of-life tweaks, esports features, and a wave of bug fixes.
Pick’Ems return for Champions Shanghai, spray sounds have been adjusted, and it comes with a warning that Agent Gear progression will be changing soon. Riot also began enforcing penalties for stream sniping and instalock tools.
Full VALORANT 13.05 patch notes
Pick’Ems return for Champions Shanghai
Pick’Ems are back for VALORANT Champions Shanghai, starting Sept. 10. Players can make their predictions for the Group Stage both in-client and on the web, earning points for correct picks and bonus points for nailing exact placements.
You’ll also get rewards just for participating, so even if your bracket isn’t perfect, there’s still something to gain. All picks must be locked in before Groups kick off on Sept. 24.
Agent Gear system change warning and sound spray audio adjustments
Riot is revamping the Agent Gear progression system in Patch 13.06 on Sept. 22. After that update, each piece of gear will be tied directly to how much you play that specific agent. You’ll keep everything you’ve already unlocked, and Kingdom Credits will still be the currency used.
Based on player feedback, Riot has tuned sound sprays so their audio only plays when enemies are nearby. This should reduce noise clutter and make team comms clearer during matches. This new attenuation standard will apply to all future audio sprays as well.
Penalties for stream sniping and instalock tools
Penalties for players detected using stream sniping and instalock tools have started rolling out. Offenders can receive temporary game bans that escalate to permanent bans with repeated violations. This is done for maintaining competitive integrity and reduce toxic behavior, especially in ranked.
All Agent bug fixes in patch 13.05
Fixed performance drops the first time Chamber equipped, aimed, or fired Headhunter in a round. Fixed an issue where Trapwire’s debuff could stick indefinitely on a new target if the original target died just before the wire triggered. Fixed Cyber Cage incorrectly blocking flashes, detection, and other line-of-sight abilities.
Fixed Deadlock’s unintended VFX briefly appearing on screen when casting GravNet. Fixed an issue of Fade on Lotus where Seize’s danger indicator didn’t show up for enemies in certain spots. Fixed KAY/O’s client-side framerate drops caused by each pulse of NULL/cmd. Fixed an issue where Omen’s Dark Cover could still obscure vision after the smoke had fully dissipated. Fixed Sage’s missing Healing Orb ability tooltips on the HUD when equipping the ability.
Fixed Waylay’s vision-blocking abilities preventing Saturate from applying Hinder to players inside its area, fixed Refract leaving snapshots of dynamic map objects visible after the ability ended, and fixed Saturate applying Hinder to agents while they were intangible.
For more details on the latest update, you can check Riot’s official blog post.
