Fade has insane win rate after launch, are nerfs coming?

William Davis Published 04/05/2022

New Valorant characters usually have a low win rate, but Fade is already showing signs of being overpowered.

According to Valorant stat tracking website Valorbuff, Fade currently sports a win rate of 50.6%. That makes her the fourth-most winning character in the game. Such a high win rate so close to her release indicated that Fade could become a major problem once players get comfortable with her. Will Riot Games respond with a nerf?

Is Fade too OP in Valorant?

50.6% may sound reasonably balanced, but Fade is a fairly complex character with lots of tech to develop. The fact that she’s performing so well just a week after her launch means that her win rate will most likely rise over time.

For reference, Chamber had a launch win rate of under 48% and is now deemed overpowered enough for a massive nerf. Fade also performs better in immortal and up compared to silver and gold, which indicates that top players are very interested in her unique kit.

Fade’s strengths lie in her incredibly powerful initiation and information tools. Her terror system reveals enemy positions for a very long time, and clever setups make them difficult to avoid. She’s also incredibly good at applying status effects.

By combining abilities, Fade can apply nearsight, terror, and deafness all on top of 75 health decay. Those terror trails last 12 seconds, which is plenty of time to storm a site. All of those effects help Fade boast such a high win rate right after launch.

High win rate could end with a nerf for Fade

Fade could get hit with the nerf bat soon if her win rate doesn’t mellow out, and Riot left plenty of knobs to turn in her design.

Fade’s status effects are the most likely part of her kit to get nerfed. The duration of Terror Trails could get reduced from 12 seconds down to a more reasonable duration. Haunt and Nightfall currently have the same trail duration, so making the Haunt easier to destroy could work as well. There’s also always the straightforward nerf of reducing Fade’s Prowler charges, but the current 3.5second nearsight could also take a hit.

Even with a high win rate, Riot Games will probably leave Fade alone for a patch or two to settle. Complex characters require time to develop, but that also buys time to figure out counterplay. Fade’s win rate could even out over time after more testing from both sides.

Read Also

Valorant

Paper Rex vs FULL SENSE betting preview, odds, and best picks: VCT Pacific Stage 1 grand final predictions Owen Harsono FULL SENSE will take on Paper Rex for the VCT Pacific crown, as the two teams clash in the Pacific Stage 1 grand finals. The former made a clean run through the upper bracket, while the latter has been ramping up through the lower bracket. Here are our Paper Rex vs FULL SENSE VCT Pacific predictions. Tournament: VCT Pacific Stage 1 Stage: Grand Final Game: Valorant Format: Best of 5 ...

Valorant

Valorant’s TenZ joins T1 as a content creator Hannan Mundia After a long career with Sentinels, the former professional Valorant player TenZ joined T1 as a content creator. Riot Games’ FPS title Valorant has given rise to multiple names. However, few have earned the recognition and respect that Tyson “TenZ” Van Ngo has. While he has retired from his career as a professional Valorant player, he continues to create content on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. While he’s most ...

Valorant

Trainwreckstv’s Valorant ban has xQc and Riot Games quarrelling Hannan Mundia The popular Kick streamer Trainwreckstv has received a 30-day ban on Valorant for apparently boosting despite playing on his own account, sparking heated discourse in the community. The terms of service of online competitive games are usually shakily implemented. In particular, Riot Games is known for only occasionally giving players any punishment for actions such as boosting and smurfing. The primary exceptions to this matter are popular streamers who catch ...

Valorant

Here are the real-life locations of every Valorant map Owen Harsono Have you ever wondered why some Valorant maps feel familiar? That’s because they actually take place in real-life locations. That’s right, your favorite maps are based on real cities in our world. However, there’s also a little twist which we’ll go over. Below, we take a look at all Valorant map locations and what they’re inspired by. Before we dive into the list, there’s something you should know about Valorant’s ...

News

This is how to change your name and Riot ID in Valorant Owen Harsono Are you bored of your Valorant name and want to switch things up? Fortunately, Riot Games makes it very easy to change your name in Valorant. In this guide, we'll tell you everything you need to know about how to change your Valorant name. A Riot ID is pretty much the same thing as your Valorant name. Riot IDs feature a combination of your in-game display name, as well as ...

Valorant

Here’s why Riot Games banned canezerra for 12 months Khizar Mundia Riot Games is known to punish players when they violate the terms of service or cheat, and Alex "canezerra" Banyasz is the latest to fall foul of the rules — he has been banned for one year. canezerra rose through the ranks in the Tier 2 Valorant circuit and gained fame in the Challengers circuit while playing for Envy, qualifying for the VCT Americas after winning Ascension in 2025. canezerra ...

Valorant

Best Valorant Streamers in 2026 Owen Harsono Sometimes, playing Valorant can be a little stressful and exhausting. That’s why many Valorant fans prefer watching someone else play the game instead. If you’re looking to sit back and watch some entertaining gameplay, here are the top Valorant streamers in 2026. Mixwell is a name that’s been hovering around first-person shooter games for a while. He kickstarted his career in professional Counter-Strike, where he played for a handful of ...