Riot Games is testing major Reyna buffs in Valorant

Fariha Bhatti Published 25/09/2022

As promised, Riot Games is now refurbishing the flashes in Valorant, starting with Reyna, Yoru, and Skye.

The agent 21 teasers in the recent State of the Agents Valorant blog seemingly upstaged the agent changes Riot touched on. But the developer said it’s looking over the flash landscape to sharpen the correct strengths and weaknesses for flashing initiators and duelists, something the community has wanted for a while.

Valorant has numerous flashers distributed across different categories, but Reyna has mostly been slacking off. PBE players have revealed promising changes to flashes are currently being tested. Skye and Yoru’s blinds are under Riot’s microscope for crucial balances, whereas Reyna is in line for a small nerfs and massive buffs.

What are all the Yoru and Skye buffs in Valorant?

While all changes in PBE don’t make it to the patch update, players are hopeful that the Skye and Yoru buffs will materialize. Riot Games has massively buffed Yoru and Skye’s flash duration, making flashes highly powerful.

The PBE changes buff the duration of Yoru’s flashes. The rest of the balances are relatively small.

Blindside duration increased 1.5s >>>1.75s
Visual in 3rd person for flashed players render behind the person’s head once it starts to fade.
Window increased for awarding assists on flashes, near sights, and concusses from 1s >>> 3s.

Skye received significant buffs for her Guiding Light. Besides a longer duration, enemies can no longer destroy the bird. This change makes her bird more powerful as it was the only destructible blind in Valorant in the Initiator category.

The max flash duration of Skye’s Guiding Light now scales from 1.25s to 2.25s over a .75s charge up after being cast.
Guiding Light can no longer be shot and destroyed.

Both characters are equipped with blinding flashes. Previously, Valorant was all about annoying blinds, covering the monitors in bright lights. However, new agents have balanced the lineup, putting flashers somewhat in the backlines. However, the recent Yoru and Skye changes may revitalize the initiator roster.

Reyna’s flash buffed in Valorant PBE

The biggest change in the update is related to Reyna’s Leer, which had become fragile for its low health and range restrictions. The Radiant duelist could flash players in a limited range, and even the enemy would quickly destroy the flimsy eye, making her blind futile. That will no longer be the case.

Riot Games is testing a crucial Reyna buff in PBE. After ruling the first few acts, Reyna quickly became a has-been as new agents entered the roster. But, an indestructible eye with no limit restrictions may mark her return to the meta.

Wind-up of near sight effect increased .6s >>> .4s
Range Restriction on Leer removed
Nearsight unequip delay decreased: .7 >>> .5
Nearsight unequip delay set to “Instant.”

These are the notable buffs, but they come with a significant nerf that’d prevent Reyna from becoming overwhelmingly powerful. Her flashes now last for 2 seconds as compared to the previous 2.6s.

These changes are currently in PBE, and whether all of them make it to the next patch remains to be seen.

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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