Riot finally buffs Astra in Valorant patch 7.05

Fariha Bhatti Published 06/09/2023

Astra has received a long-due buff to her toolkit, which is crucial enough to convince controller players to give her another shot. 

Riot has finally buffed the overly-overlooked agent in Valorant, Astra. The spacefarer will now stay conscious and alert in her Astral form, making her less vulnerable to enemy attacks and movements. 

Valorant’s spatial controller, Astra’s use, has been strictly limited to those who don’t mind putting some extra effort and brains into Valorant. Despite going the extra mile, Astra players were always at a major disadvantage due to the vulnerability that comes with Astral Form.

In her Astral form, Astra travels into the wider space to toss stars around the maps. Logically, the sound from the map muffles, putting her in a tough spot. This weakness becomes a major drawback mid-game when Astra must activate utility in risky locations. Without audio, she becomes a liability for her teammates. 

Astra significantly buffed in patch 7.05

Valorant patch 7.05 focuses heavily on Astra’s Astral form, granting her some power even when she’s in outer space. 

“Going in and out of Astral form is a complex mechanical task that leaves Astra vulnerable to attackers by denying her information about her surroundings. The change we’ve made to her Astral Form (X) gives Astra back some agency and information,” Riot said.

• Astral Form (X)
  • Astra will now be able to hear everything happening around her physical body while in Astral form.

This change may not rope new players toward Astra, but it would certainly convince the controller mains to give her another shot now that she’s buffed. 

With this change, the latest Valorant map Sunset will also enter the competitive and casual queue in patch 7.05. Besides this, Riot has also fixed Gekko’s Moshpit, which will now deal 10 damage per second before exploding. 

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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