Valorant agent Omen's red one-way smoke removed in patch 6.0

Fariha Bhatti Published 07/01/2023

Valorant patch 6.0 brings many changes, but Split’s layout tweaks and an Omen nerf take the front row.

Each Valorant episode brings some sort of meta-shift. Sometimes it’s through new characters and maps, and other times it’s a complete economic overhaul. In Episode 5, Riot announced map rotation, meaning Split is returning — but there’s a twist. Minor tweaks will change how the map plays out. Paired with an Omen nerf, Episode 6 is quite a meta-shaker.

Players were expecting a complete remake for Split, but Riot has gone with slight changes instead. New-look Split is much more spacious and has clutter removed for better maneuverability.

What are all the changes in the new Split?

The first change is towards mid. The platform looks much wider, and there’s a new shelter on top of the dustbins. On the B site, bins on the tower have also been removed. The corner under the tower has also received some tweaks.

A site gets more significant changes. The entrance towards the bomb point now has a new platform allowing a clear peak towards the tower. It’d also help manage the crowd in the narrow alley, often resulting in instant death to the enemy’s utility. Besides this, Riot has moved the staircase on Haven toward the right side.

Finally, the little walkable ledge on A tower is now shorter. As a result, defenders will have one less rat angle to hold the aggressors. Jett’s signature tower at A entrance also becomes less accommodating, which means either Jett or Omen can hold this spot at a time.

These are all the changes to Split in patch 6.0. While they’re not precisely game-changing, the ranked experience on this map will surely improve as a result.

Omen’s one-way nerfed in Valorant patch 6.0

Valorant patch 6.0 is a bad news bearer for Omen players. The shadow agent’s smoke sees a small nerf that is a big one at a higher level of play. Omen can no longer land one-way smokes freely. Instead, only ledges and corners can hold them henceforth.

“One-way smokes are a part of Valorant, but they are difficult to play against, and we want to keep them limited to intentional and understandable areas,” Riot said.

Riot is selling this nerf as a bug fix. According to the developer, smokes left inside the wall should technically fall to the floor instead of creating a one-way window. Now, when Omen shoots smoke inside a wall, it acts differently. One-ways aren’t entirely gone. Instead, players must find suitable spots to create tactical smokes.

But it’s still a nerf — and a significant one, at least for serial Omen players. However, it also lets true Omen experts shine. To land the perfect smoke in patch 6.0, players must practice turning those red arrows into green.

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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