All Cypher & Viper nerfs in Valorant patch 8.08

Cypher and Viper have been significantly nerfed with Valorant patch 8.08 and here’s everything you need to know about the changes.

Cypher and Viper are common Agent picks for the Sentinel and Controller roles in ranked games and VCT matches. These two Agents can significantly change the course of a round, thanks to their unique set of abilities.

However, with Valorant patch 8.08, Cypher and Viper are hit with major nerfs. These changes will impact gameplay in significant ways and will potentially bring pivotal changes to the meta in Episode 8 Act 3.

Cypher nerfs in Valorant patch 8.08 explained

The primary changes to Cypher’s kit in Valorant patch 8.08 are:

• Trapwire (C)
  • Reactivation time increased to 2s from 1s
  • Slow time on Trapwire reduced from 2s to 1.25s
• Spycam (E)
  • Enemies now hear looping audio when they are actively being watched by Cypher from within the Spycam.

Cypher’s Trawire nerfs will give players more time to deal with its slowing ability, making it easier for them to use movement to escape or even get killed inside his Cyber Cage.

Now that his Spycam will give a looping audio cue to opponents while they’re being watched, it’ll serve as a counterplay tactic for the enemy team.

Viper nerfs in Valorant patch 8.08 explained

Viper nerfs are more significant than Cypher’s:

• Snake Bite (C)
  • Charges reduced from 2 to 1
  • Price increased from 200 to 300
  • Duration increased from 5.5 to 6.5s
• Toxic Screen (E) and Poison Cloud (Q)
  • Max uptime on each individual smoke source reduced to 12s
  • Minimum fuel needed to activate smoke increased from 20% to 30%
  • Cooldown on re-activating smokes after putting them down reduced to 5s
• Poison Cloud (Q)
  • Can now only be picked up during the Buy Phase

Thanks to the Valorant patch 8.08, Viper mains would be able to use only one Snake Bite that will last longer (6.5 seconds). It needs to be seen how tactically players use this ability of Viper as it’s one of the main ingredients for a successful post-plant situation to deny opponents from defusing the Spike.

Her Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud will last 12 seconds and the minimum fuel needed to reactive them has now been increased to 30%. This means players will need to wait longer before they can use Viper’s smokes.

Also, you can only pick up the Poison Cloud during the Buy Phase from patch 8.08. This means once a round starts, you can’t change its position after where you placed it initially.

For more on Valorant, check our other guides below:

Best Valorant crosshair codes used by pros | Best dot crosshairs in Valorant & how to get them | How to get Gun Buddies | All Valorant skin bundles | How many people play Valorant?