Valorant patch 9.11's Neon and ping nerfs confirmed

Steven Rondina Published 06/12/2024

Valorant patch 9.11 will bring a pair of major changes to the game including a long-awaited nerf for Neon and changes to the ping system.

In any game where there are defined characters with unique abilities, there’s always going to be a singularly best option. That’s the case with fighting games, Pokemon, hero shooters, or anything else. Developers are often in a constant battle with this fact, and need to find ways to handle it if they want a game to hold up over time.

Valorant has had that issue for some time, with Neon being the definitive best duelist in the game. Not only does she have superior movement options compared to most agents, she actually gets stronger gunplay while using them. But now, Riot Games is set to bring her back to earth.

Neon nerfs coming in Valorant patch 9.11

Neon will be limited to having one slide and will see big nerfs to her accuracy while sliding.

Every Valorant streamer’s highlight reel is full of Neon slides where they dizzy opponents  before one-tapping them. Neon still has that wrist-snapping potential, but won’t be able to do the same goofy slide and aerial chains that have made the character so frustrating to play against.

Alongside this a nerf to Neon’s aim during slides. Previously, Neon was gifted with having no real penalty to her aim while sliding, either from spraying or moving. After Valorant patch 9.11, that will be changed to having her sliding aim work as though she’s crouched. This will still give her improved accuracy, but won’t let high-level Neon players effortlessly and consistently laser down opponents while sliding anymore.

Ping spamming through smokes will be removed from Valorant

With Valorant patch 9.11, players will no longer be able to abuse ping spamming to ignore utility.

Players have been able to ping into smoke to effectively see what’s on the other side of it for some time now. For example, if players pinged a Jett smoke and their crosshair just happened to be over where an enemy player is on the other side of the smoke, the ping would behave as though players were able to see that enemy.

Valorant 9.11 will effectively make it so that the ping will stop on the smoke. This will let players alert their teammates to the utility, but won’t serve as an abusable tool.

Not all the changes are known for Valorant patch 9.11 yet. Players can expect the usual roundup of changes such as performance improvements, tweaks to weapons and characters, and new skins.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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