The Outlaw makes its long-awaited debut in VALORANT Episode 8 alongside various changes to Deadlock and Killjoy.
VALORANT Episode 8 is here and Riot Games have released a new wave of patch notes ahead of the update. Between some major agent changes as well as the introduction of the new Outlaw weapon, there is plenty in store for VALORANT players in the 8.0 update. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the VALORANT 8.0 patch notes.
Everything coming to VALORANT in Episode 8 Act 1
New Weapon
Outlaw
The VALORANT developers are introducing a brand new weapon for Episode 8; the first time this has happened in the game's history. The Outlaw is a powerful semi-automatic sniper set to change the course of the game's gun balance for the foreseeable future. You can find more information about the Outlaw by heading to our piece on the subject.
Agent Changes
Deadlock
- Sonic Sensor
- The sensors are now recallable within rounds.
- Sensor pickup distance increased from 12m to 27m.
- Concussion time reduced from 1.0s to 0.5s.
- The time it takes to destroy the sensor has been reduced from 0.65s to 0.5s.
- Deadlock and her teammates will now be able to hear the Sonic Sensor's audio when they are in the affected area.
- Barrier Mesh
- The Barrier Wall lengths increased from 6m to 10m.
Deadlock receives huge buffs to her utility in the 8.0 update. Though these are not as powerful as the changes Gekko received in the last update, we could see an increase in her pick rate in the coming weeks. Especially given that her wall can now completely block off most lanes on a map. As this tweet from Team Liquid's Enzo demonstrates.
Killjoy
- Turret
- The turret's vision radius has been decreased from 180 degrees to 100 degrees.
- A vision cone will now appear for Killjoy when she places down the turret.
- Added VFX and updated the Turret's animations to reflect the change to its vision radius.
While Killjoy hasn't been hit hard by these new updates, the same cannot be said for her trusty turret. The decrease in its area of vision will mean players will have to be more precise about where they place the turret. This isn't likely to affect her pick rate much as the rest of her toolkit is still very good. But poor ol' Timmy is going to find his job much more difficult.
Map Updates
Icebox
Icebox makes its long-awaited return to the VALORANT map pool in the Episode 8 update. And it is sporting a new hairdo. With the middle of the map and B-Site areas receiving huge changes, we imagine that things will be. You can find a full list of all the changes to Icebox by heading to our corresponding article.
Lotus
Lotus has also been given the makeover treatment for VALORANT Episode 8. With huge changes coming to the A and C sites, as well as some minor touchups to the B site, players are going to have to start learning the map all over again. Especially in light of the recent changes to Deadlock, who is likely to become a must-pick on this map. You can check out all of the Lotus changes by heading to our article on the subject.
Premier Updates
- Team Captains
- Premier teams will now be able to designate one member of their team as a "Team Captain." This role will allow another player to make changes, such as adding and removing players, at any point during a premier season. As a safety measure Team Captains are unable to kick Team Owners out or delete teams.
- Standings
- You can now view standings in other divisions. As well as view standings from prior seasons. You can do these things by using the drop-down menus on the Top Left hand side of the Standings tab.
- Divisions
- You will now be able to see which division you have been seeded into before you play your first match.
- EMEA Zone Updates
- All Zones have been updated for EMEA to facilitate the VCT Challengers League's Path to Promotion.
Gamemode updates
Map Pool for Episode 8
As mentioned earlier, Icebox will be returning to the VALORANT map pool, with Haven on its' way out the door. The full map pool for VALORANT Episode 8 Act 1 will be as follows:
- Ascent, Bind, Breeze, Icebox, Lotus and Sunset.
This will be the map pool available to players across all game modes except for Team Deathmatch and in Custom Games.
Team Deathmatch
- Stage 2 - Sheriff Loadout
- The Heavy Shield is replaced with a Light Shield.
The developers have seen fit to modify the sheriff loadout for the second stage of games. They state in the patch notes that they believe that the Sheriff was overperforming the other weapons in its' class. Which has led them to reduce the amount of shielding you have when using it.
Gameplay Systems Update
Spatial Audio:
VALORANT will now support third-party spatialization software from Episode 8 onwards. This will allow players to better differentiate sounds occuring all around them during matches. Head to the patch notes link located at the top of this article for a full rundown on how to set up Spatial Audio for yourself.