Valorant update 9.00 patch notes: Iso nerf, new Premier division, Competitive on consoles, more

Valorant patch 9.00 is here and finally sets Episode 9 Act 1 in motion. It also slightly nerfs the Iso and introduces a new division for the Premier game mode. Below you can find a complete rundown of Valorant update 9.00 patch notes.

Iso was one of the Duelists that was significantly buffed in patch 8.11. Contrary to what it was after his release, this buff has made him a formidable Agent in ranked – a complete arc of rising from the ashes. With patch 9.00, the Duelist from China gets slightly nerfed after win rates started surging.

Premier mode gets a new Invite division and it changes the qualification requirements for VCT Challengers. Also, you can finally start playing Valorant Competitive mode on consoles, and enjoy the new Battle Pass and Evori Dreamwings bundle as well.

Riot Games

Valorant update 9.00 patch notes

Starting patch 9.00, Iso’s Double Tap duration is reduced to 12 seconds from 20 seconds and his Signature kill reset also gets removed.

On consoles, Sova’s Owl Drone’s health gets a buff where it’s now 100 from 60. The new map, Abyss, joins the Ranked map pool.

The new Invite division in Premier will impose strict rematch protection in weekly matches. This is to prevent you from ever matching against the same team more than once in a Stage.

You get a Bye if you find no match during the queue window – and each Bye means a match win plus 100 points. Losses will award 0 points and Finals in playoffs will be played in Best of 3 matchups.

Below you can find the full Valorant 9.00 patch notes from Riot Games.

Agent Updates

ALL PLATFORMS

• We’ve added new conversation voice lines between Agents that includes: Phoenix, Harbor, Brimstone, Yoru, Raze, Iso, Sage, Neon, Gekko, Skye, Deadlock, Omen, Kayo, and Reyna.

PC

Iso

We’re happy that Iso has been more comfortable entry-ing towards the front of his team but want to increase thoughtfulness and context around when Iso activates his Double Tap. This should make the counterplay around breaking his shield or denying the Double Tap orbs more successful.
So we’re decreasing the duration of his Double Tap buff while also removing the refresh that comes with securing two kills. Iso can now only extend Double Tap by shooting the orbs that spawn while the buff is active.

• Double Tap (E): Duration: 20s >>> 12s
  • Signature kill reset removed

CONSOLE

• Sova’s Owl Drone’s HP is now 100, up from 60.

Competitive Updates

PC

• Abyss added to the Ranked map pool.

CONSOLE

• Competitive Mode is coming to Console this patch! Queue up and see if you can climb the ranks and make it onto the Immortal Leaderboards. Good luck on your first race to Radiant!
• Our Competitive Mode map pool will start with Abyss, Ascent, Bind, Haven, and Sunset with new maps slowly being added in the next few patches.

Gameplay Systems Updates

CONSOLE

• Added a new “Controls Preset” selection screen upon first boot-up prior to loading into the tutorial
  • You can now choose between our VALORANT-specific controls preset or a more familiar, TRADITIONAL console FPS preset as your starting controls scheme.
  • You can easily change your preset and customize controls at any point once in-game through the Settings menu.
• Polished sound transitions between Focus and ADS to better reflect the aim state you’re transitioning into.
• Crosshair presets have been updated to reflect a better variety of usable crosshairs.
• Updated the Fighter controls preset so that Crouch is a Hold action instead of a Toggle action.
• Added holistic Aim Sensitivity slider.
• Added the ability to enter precision mode while in controls settings to adjust sensitivity sliders by .1 increments.

Player Behavior Updates

PC

• In addition to removing zero tolerance terms from text chat, people who repeatedly engage in this behavior will see increased penalties on their transgressions.

Premier Updates

PC

Welcome to the Path to Pro!

• Teams in Contender that earned a promotion in Stage E8A3 are in the new Invite Division, where finishing the Stage at a high enough rank will earn you an opportunity to make it into a Challengers League.
• Contender and Invite Divisions play a little differently:
  • Strict rematch protection in weekly matches prevents you from ever matching against the same team more than once in a Stage.
  • If we can’t find you an appropriate match during the queue window, you’ll be given a Bye. Byes award a match win and 100 points.
  • Losses award 0 points.
  • Finals in playoffs are Best of 3 matchups.
  • There are some extra roster restrictions for Contender and Invite Division teams.

Social Updates

PC

• When you add a friend, you can now paste or type a full Riot ID (including tagline) into the “Riot ID” field and it will automatically split the data into the “Riot ID” and “tagline” fields.

CONSOLE

• We’ve updated the communications menu so it’s easier to manage team and party voice on the fly.
• We’ve added Voice Chat to the Settings page. Now you can tailor your mic behavior and voice settings to suit your setup.

Bug Fixes

Agent

• CONSOLE
  • Fixed an issue with Jett’s Tailwind (diagonal dash) that was reducing the dash length.

Competitive Systems

• CONSOLE
  • Fixed an issue in Team Deathmatch where you would incorrectly see DRAW as a final result in EOG screens
  • Added specific scoreboard screens for Team Deathmatch and Deathmatch

Gameplay Systems

• ALL PLATFORMS
  • Fixed a particle issue when using ADS on the Level 3 and 4 Mystbloom collection.
  • Fixed an issue when exiting Cypher’s Spycam that caused Cypher’s hands to stutter for Spectators.
• CONSOLE
  • Fixed issue where both Focus and ADS sounds would play during transitions.
  • Fixed Leave Game menu persisting through AFK idling.
  • Fixed animation bug with Leave Game Menu.

Maps

• ABYSS
  • Fixed several unintended boost positions.
  • Fixed bugs allowing players to get under the map.
  • A Site cover should now properly appear in Omen and Astra smoke targeting world.
  • Fixed an Omen exploit allowing him to get between the spawn barriers.

Social

• CONSOLE
  • Fixed an issue where the friends list would sometimes display inaccurate platform information for friends.

Known Issues

General

• CONSOLE
  • When navigating Surrender menus, there’s a chance your controls can become locked for an entire round. Due to this, we’ve elected to disable the Surrender and Remake menus until we can properly fix the issue. Draw will remain functional.

Premier

• PC
  • When changing the Stage in the dropdown on the standings page, the content doesn’t refresh. To see accurate standings for past Stages, change the Stage, then change division or zone and the content will update.
  • The standings page sometimes fails to update, and you may see fewer teams than expected. Click on another tab in the Premier Hub and then return to standings to fix the issue.
  • If you are in Contender or Invite and are awarded a Bye during Weekly matches, you will not see that match recorded in their Premier Match History tab. You will be awarded a win and 100 Premier Score as expected, and that is reflected correctly on the standings.