Valorant patch 1.06 is bringing a big nerf to shotguns

Valorant developers have shared the notes for patch 1.06, and the focus seems to be on shotgun consistency. 

Valorant developers felt as though shotguns weren’t consistent enough, creating a lot of frustrating and possibly unfair in-game moments. This was mostly because of the fact that shotguns didn’t lose any accuracy when the weapons were shot in mid-air. 

“We hope to curb some of those encounters while still making them possible if you catch an opponent at a short distance,” comms associate Jeff Landa wrote in the patch notes. 

Shotguns will have their spread penalty drastically increased while in the air from 0.5 to 1.25. Now it won’t be as easy for players to get OHKOs with the Bucky, Judge, or Shorty while jumping. 

This is an unfortunate update for Jett and Raze mains. These agents in particular often utilize shotguns while flaunting their mobility-focused abilities. By using Tailwind and then Updraft, Jett could rush an opponent and blast them with a shotgun before they are able to react. Raze uses her Blast Packs to close gaps on her opponents, letting off fatal shotgun blasts from up close. 

Valorant developers also stated that they will be “investigating more potential changes” to shotguns now that they are back from their break. 

What is in Valorant patch 1.06?

The shotgun nerf is the most significant change in patch 1.06, but Valorant developers have a few other changes in store as well. 

Another important update is audio and visual changes for blinding effects such as Breach’s Flashpoint and Phoenix’s Curveball. According to Landa, the updated audio and visuals should “better indicate when to turn away” as well as when it’s safe to look back again. Developers made a similar change to Raze in the last patch. 

Valorant developers also had a few bug fixes in patch 1.06, addressing how player’s HUD “sometimes disappears” and how new players who forfeited unrated games could still have progress towards competitive matchmaking. They also fixed a bug where players would sometimes miss rewards after reaching the end of Agent Contracts or the Act Battlepass.