VALORANT patch notes 12.00: Breeze returns with rework, new weapon joins the arsenal, and more

Welcome to 2026, VALORANT fans! Kicking off the year in a big way, patch 12.00 brings a wave of exciting updates. Breeze returns to the map pool after years away, a brand-new weapon enters the arsenal, and much more is happening. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive straight into it.

Riot Games is bringing some general updates to improve your in-game experience. The Replays feature is now available for additional game modes. This means you can review your Custom, Swiftplay, and Standard matches repeatedly. Moreover, Party leaders can now choose in the settings whether they want their Custom games to be recorded.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Riot has been working on changes to MMR calculation. The goal is to improve match quality and help deliver more consistent experiences from match to match.

As for the EU players, you'll now be required to enable the Riot Mobile Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to access the Competitive queue. This is only mandatory for players in Ascendant or higher. The other ranks won't be affected. We wrote an article explaining this system, so check it out if you have doubts about this topic.

According to Riot, Breach has been underperforming in high-level play. After the multiple changes to Initiators in 2025, Riot wants to bring him back to the spotlight.

As for the general, don't worry, he won't be either buffed or nerfed this patch. Riot is only bringing some visual clarity to this Sky Smoke and Orbital Strike for better readability. Now, you will be able to see the map details more clearly. The colors will also be slightly more vibrant.

Harbor was reworked at the end of 2025, but the changes didn't push him back to the ranked queues as Riot Games was hoping for. To give him a boost and try to make him a better option for controller players, Riot is buffing him again.

Our beautiful healer will also be updated to make her targeting more accurate for Agent models. If your agent is blocked by geometry in the mid and lower sections, Sage will be able to heal you anyway.

Tejo was one of those agents that was released too overpowered. However, he has been suffering from the constant nerfs. In the VALORANT patch 12.00, Riot is adding power to the abilities that support Guided Salvos.

With this update, Special Delivery will be more helpful to disrupt defensive utility in ways that players are already able to do with Guided Salvos. The changes to the Stealth Drone are aimed at helping make the call to action clearer for knowing where to place Guided Salvos or when playing alongside Tejo.

Vyse fans, this one is for you. The agent is being buffed after slightly underperforming over the last few months. These updates to her Steel Garden are likely to boost her defensive capabilities, making her a more reliable sentinel.

Breeze is back! After being out of rotation since June 2024, the map is back to the pool with a major rework. Riot Games made significant changes across the map to "reduce angle complexity, tighten open spaces, and improve rotation times for defenders."

For the first two weeks of Competitive, Breeze RR losses are reduced by 50%, and wins are still 100% to help you learn the map once again!

Recently, wall spam has become a growing trend, making the gameplay experience unbearable. Therefore, to reduce unwanted wall penetration, Riot Games is addressing specific positions where teams could meaningfully influence rounds.

For Haven, the mid window will get a breakable element to prevent early round start kills through wall penetration. The same is happening on Corrode A Site, with the addition of a wall material on a key surface. Corrode will also have the same addition to the B Site, due to the planting location.

To enter the new Act, Breeze is entering the map pool in Competitive and Deathmatch queues. Sunset will leave the map pool for now. The official lineup will be:

Riot Games is introducing the All Random One Site, a new fast-paced 5v5 limited-time mode. Your Agent changes every round, you fight for a single site, loadouts are free, and abilities recharge throughout the round while high-value Ultimate Orbs are scattered across the map. Overall, everything will be chaotic, but it will be perfect to have fun with your friends and random people online.

As part of the updates, the Snowball Fight game mode is being removed from the game modes pool.

On your Social Panel, you’ll now see an indicator if you have an active penalty or are at immediate risk of a future penalty. Additionally, after expanding it, you will receive more detailed information about your situation.

When you log in for the first time after the patch, you'll see the Community Pact. This is an evolution of the Community Code, covering the expected behavior of players. Therefore, to better reflect these expectations, Riot has updated the categories and descriptions on the Report Player screens so that they align with these core principles.

You can see the Community Pact in detail on Riot Games' official page.

Bandit will join our diverse arsenal of weapons. It brings one-tap headshot power for players looking to steal budget rounds. As a result, it lands between the Ghost and the Sheriff, providing more diversity during light rounds.

You can check all the agent and map bug fixes via the official VALORANT patch notes You can also check out their socials for additional in-game footage.

For PC only, Riot Games brings some interesting changes to the home screen and its navigation system. As a result, the Home Screen has been revamped to better utilize the top navigation seen on other screens.

The Social Panel has been revamped with a fresh coat of paint and some quality of life improvements, including a new tab for managing friend requests.

Welcome to Stage V26A1! The Premier matches start on Jan. 14. If your team was in the Invite Division in Stage V25A6 and did not finish in the top 16, your team has been demoted. You'll now see your new Provisional Division in the Premier hub.

Riot fixed a bug where Deadlock's Barrier Mesh walls were sometimes invisible if placed when experiencing packet loss. They also fixed a bug where KAY/O would make no sound upon dying while downed in NULL/cmd.

Riot is well aware of the ongoing issue with whispers. Therefore, they will attempt to resolve it in the upcoming patches. In the meantime, if whispering a friend doesn’t work, you can always send them a message via the Riot Client’s social panel first, or join a party together, or re-add them as a friend.

That's all for now. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.