Valorant Patch 6.0: Omen Smokes Nerfed
Valorant Patch 6.0 delivered a major nerf to Omen and his smokes.
Riot Games began teasing changes to the game as Episode 5 Act 3 came to a close. Players anticipated a new agent with the release of Episode 6 Act 1, but instead will see one of their controllers become less powerful.
#VALORANT 6.0 Patch Notes | Omen
— ValorIntel (@ValorINTEL) January 6, 2023
- Dark Cover placed inside walls will now fall to the height of nearby ground pic.twitter.com/ukxdUPxKj3
Omen's Dark Cover Nerfed
Riot Games has taken the steps to remove Omen's ability to create one-ways. Now, when Dark Cover is placed inside a wall, it will fall to the height of the nearby ground. Omen's smokes are no longer able to stay in place wherever he throws them.
The nerf eliminates Omen's advantage over other controller agents. Without the ability to place smokes over a wall or nearby other objects and structures, Omen mains must either adapt a new methodical play style for the agent or choose another controller, like Astra or Brimstone.
I get this change - Riot can’t really control balance of one ways without it - but I hope this means the map designers add some more intentional one ways to offset since Omen really isn’t in a state that can survive much of a nerf without Astra just totally overtaking. https://t.co/3QXPK1dCvV
— SEN kaplan (@itskaplan) January 6, 2023
Valorant Patch 6.0: Omen Smokes Nerfed
Sentinels coach, Adam "kaplan" Kaplan, expressed his concerns over the change. He, like others in the community, worry that as the season progresses, Omen will fall out of the meta with his Dark Cover nerfed.
Riot Games wants to ensure that one-way smokes are kept to intentional and understandable areas as opposed to abused, lucky placements. The developer assured players this nerf will be monitored regarding its impact on Omen's power levels moving forward.