Valorant patch 1.07 nerfs Killjoy's Nanoswarm, Viper buffed

Olivia Richman Published 01/09/2020

Valorant players felt that Killjoy’s name was a bit too accurate when she was first released.

The 12th agent was initially disabled in tournaments due to her lack of stability. This was mostly due to pro players’ complaints about her Nanoswarm ability. The molly attack was doing damage too fast, said 100 Thieves coach Spencer “Hiko” Martin. This is especially concerning because players were unable to realize they were in a molly until they already received an extreme amount of damage.

At the time, Hiko told his viewers that Valorant developers were definitely going to fix the issue. It seems that his prediction is correct.

In patch 1.07, Valorant’s developers gave Killjoy her first big update. The initial change was to her Nanoswarm, addressing Hiko’s exact concerns. There is now a brief windup before the damage tick begins. The DPS has also been reduced from 60 to 40. Developers also noted that a visual effect has been added, making it easier to spot the grenade on the ground.

“Killjoy’s Nanoswarm has been a terror to play against. It’s meant to be a strong stalling and post plant tool—but we feel it’s currently dealing far too much damage and players aren’t able to engage in the desired counterplay,” Comms associate Jeff Landa said.

While Killjoy’s Nanoswarm was drastically nerfed, developers did give her Turret ability a buff. It’s no longer revealed by Sova’s Recon Bolt, maintaining her role as a strong defensive agent who ambushes players who aren’t careful enough. Her Turret is also more effective when it comes to shooting at an enemy’s last known location.

Valorant 1.07 patch hits Breach and Viper, too

Viper and Breach were the other agents targeted in patch 1.07. Viper was given a few buffs as developers continue to figure out ways to make her viable. Her Toxic Screen ability can now be placed during the buy phase of rounds, through spawn barriers. It also goes up faster along its full length.

“This change should allow Viper, in many situations, to get her wall placed pre-round and then join her team before the barrier drops—or create uncertainty about her location when the round begins. Increasing the speed of the wall rising should reduce the awkward period that occurs after it starts to rise but isn’t covering all the angles Viper and her allies would expect,” Landa explained.

Viper’s Decay no longer affects allies. Viper’s Pit is now shown on her team’s minimap once it’s deployed.

According to Landa, Valorant developers have a lot of “potential Breach changes” in store. The updates in patch 1.07 are part of their attempt to “ease” into the potentially bigger changes to his kit.

For now, Breach’s Flashpoint had its charge increased from two to three. Flashpoint’s windup was also reduced from 0.6 seconds to 0.5 seconds. The off-screen flashes will also match the behavior of other flashes in the game now, applying a minimum amount of flash more aggressively.

“Breach should be a choice pick in offensive entry and breaking utility. While the flash’s power was pretty good, too few charges were holding him back on being able to provide this value for his team. Considering he needs teammates to capitalize on his flashes, this should make up for that cost by simply having more of them,” Landa said.

Rolling Thunder had its detonation delay decreased from 0.3 to 0.255 between blasts. His Concussion ability now “de-scopes” players and “prevents re-scoping.”

Valorant shotguns tweaked again in patch 1.07

Shotguns came under fire in patch 1.06. It seems that 1.07 cleaned up a few more things Valorant developers had in mind for these weapons. Shotguns received an “aimpunch update,” decreasing aimpunch when players get a headshot with this type of weapon.

All shotguns also had their tagging tuned for targets past 10 meters. Hitting an enemy past 10 meters will apply a “different tagging value” instead of the standard tagging. The patch notes also explain that the new tagging is 30% slow for .5s on a smooth curve going back to normal speed.

“The goal of these changes is to improve the feel of playing against shotguns and to ensure that they don’t end up doing odd things. For example, tagging or aimpunching people from longer than expected ranges and then a teammate ends up killing someone who’s debuffed, or makes it hard to fight back against a weapon that should be deadly up close but fairly non-threatening outside its effective range,” Landa explained.

The Shorty and Judge also received nerfs. The Vandal was buffed, with its fire rate increasing from 9.25 seconds to 9.75 seconds. Of course, there are no updates for the Operator.

Valorant patch 1.07 makes hit registration changes

Another big change to Valorant came in the form of VFX as developers attempt to improve the hit registration clarity. Developers noted that they will be keeping a close eye on these changes and how they affect players.

The changes include hit VFX spawning in the location of the hit on the character and staying attached to that position as well as adjusting the sparks hit VFX coloring and shape to more closely resemble blood. They also adjusted the size of headshot VFX, “where both blood and sparks are scaled down slightly.” This addresses a previous issue where the headshot VFX would often “cover up” the head of a player, making it more difficult in tracking players through the effect.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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