Brimstone’s 15 minutes of fame are finally over. The controller agent has once again landed under Riot Games’ nerf hammer.
After months of player requests, Riot Games has showed the controller category some love. Brimstone was one of the smokers to get a heavy buff to his Stim Beacon. The unique device boosted Brimstone’s pick rate to the very top, making him a must-have in ranked games. The developer has now decided to make some crucial changes to his kit.
Brimstone’s Stim Beacon will see a price hike in Valorant patch 4.05. This change is expected to make him more balanced.
In patch 4.04, Riot Games introduced a unique feature to Brimstone’s Stim Beacon. The device could also apply a 15% speed boost in addition to RapidFire, but this will no longer be the case. The speed boost will remain, but the developer has made it rare.
“Some call him “Brimmy with the stimmy.” And while it’s been exciting to see you all leverage Brimstone’s recent Stim Beacon balance in fresh ways, we think having two stims reduced the importance of deploying it at the right moment,” comms strategist Jeff Landa said.
In patch 4.05, Brimstone’s Stim Beacon will go from costing 100 creds to 200 creds. Not only that, the developer has also reduced the available charges. Previously, Brimstone carried two stim devices, but now he’ll only have one. This change will ensure that players have a full-team speed boost only once in a given round. After this change, Brimstone players will be forced to use their devices more selectively.
His smokes and molotov remain untouched, but the new changes could make for a big nerf. Players finally started picking Brimstone more for the Stim Beacon, which could boost as many as five players to a higher speed. This made breaking into the bombsites easier. But it also made him too strong, as only Neon and Jett have such movement tactics available to them.
The Valorant patch 4.05 nerf to Brimstone’s kit shouldn’t heavily impact his new pick rate as Stim Beacon’s speed boost remains a feature. However, players may also start looking at other controllers after the price hike and charge reductions.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
