3 Biggest Changes to Valorant in Update 2.06

The three biggest changes to Valorant in Update 2.06 include some promises finally fulfilled by Riot Games. Update 2.06 is the most substantial update to the game since Astra was added in 2.04.

The highlight of this update brings some long-awaited buffs to a pair of previously underwhelming Agents. One of the game's most powerful weapons receives some big nerfs, and some quality of life features were added such as the ability to view players' stats from the Leaderboard. Support for a new audio setting was also added to give player's a more immersive experience while playing Valorant.

3 Biggest Changes to Valorant in Update 2.06

While there is a multitude of changes and new additions to Valorant in Update 2.06, some are vastly more important to the game's meta and player experience than others. Here are the three most impactful changes:

1. Viper and Yoru Finally Receive Buffs

Viper and Yoru have often been considered the two worst Agents in Valorant and buffs have been expected for quite some time now. Viper receives a host of buffs that increase the utility and effectiveness of her Toxins. Her Poison Clouds can now be redeployed after being picked back up, and her clouds and Toxic Screen now remain active for a short additional time after she dies.

Most of Yoru's buffs pertain to his Gatecrash ability, which now replenishes every 35 seconds instead of on kills. Gatecrash and Blindside now have extended lifetimes to the fragment and flashes, respectively. Gatecrash can now also be reactivated while Yoru is using Dimensional Drift.

2. Bucky Gets Nerfed

Despite its modest appearance and relatively cheap buying price, the Bucky is considered to be the best shotgun in the game. This is due to the Bucky's two firing modes that can adapt to a specific range. In the Patch Notes, Riot stated that their goal was to make the Bucky's primary fire its more consistent tool and its alternate fire more situational.

The bullet spread has been decreased in both firing modes substantially. The damage per pellet has also been updated, severely limiting the Bucky's potential past 12m. The biggest nerf comes to the number of pellets in an Alt fire shot, which decreases from 15 to just 5.

3. HRTF Support Added

Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF) technology has been added as an audio option to Valorant in Update 2.06. HRTF is designed to simulate sound in a 360-degree plane. When a player is wearing headphones, they will be able to hear the direction of shots, footsteps, and other game sounds more clearly.

The HRTF option can be toggled in the game's audio settings menu. Currently, only footsteps, reloads, and respawns are rendered in 3D, but more are expected to be added over time.

Valorant Patch Update 2.06 is now live with other features such as additions to Escalation mode and player stats that can be viewed from the Leaderboard.