Valorant patch notes reveal surprise deathmatch overhaul

Nina Forneloza Published 13/10/2020

Valorant has released its new 1.10 patch notes, which include the addition of a new map, an expected overhaul to ranked play, and a surprise change to the deathmatch game mode.

The Act 3 patch adds the much anticipated new map, Icebox. Included on the map is a zipline that players can use to move quickly across the map’s area, or as a strategic vantage point. The map won’t be available for ranked play until October 27, but players will be placed on Icebox more frequently when queuing for Unrated games.

Competitive players will receive their Act 2 rank badge and will start making progress on their Act 3 ranked badge with this new patch. Players can also now select which server they’d like to play on. Ranked disparity for parties has been reduced to three, and developers have noted that they have tightened the title’s matchmaking considerations to reduce skill disparity in ranked games.

Valorant Deathmatch mode sees big changes

The biggest and most surprising change is to the deathmatch game mode. Players were constantly complaining about the short match times and the always-on radar pings that reveal enemy locations. Both of those have changed in this patch. 

Radar pings are now disabled, aside from one radar ping when players first spawn into the game. This will allow players to enter the match without being instantly targeted by their foes. 

The player count for deathmatch has been raised from 10 to 14. Because the player count is increased, the kills required to win have also increased from 30 to 40 kills. Games will alternatively end after nine minutes pass. Each player is now awarded 900 xp for every deathmatch game they complete.

Another game-changing alteration is that when a player gets a kill in deathmatch, their weapon is automatically reloaded to full, unless the player is using the Ares or Odin, in which case they only get 30 bullets back. This increases the uptime of player’s weapons and allows players to always be in a position to take a fight.

There are also a number of bug fixes and quality of life improvements, as well as an increase in observer spots in private matches.

Nina Forneloza

About Nina Forneloza

Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.

View full profile

Read Also

Twitch

iShowSpeed Answers Fan Questions: Opens Up About Mental Health and One Piece Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. recently did an extensive Q&A where he answered several fan questions, talking about things such as mental health and loneliness despite being massively popular, while he also debunked being a One Piece “larper”. iShowSpeed is arguably the biggest IRL streamer in the world right now, with 2026 being a major year for the creator. Whether it was livestreaming the 2026 FIFA World Cup or being listed ...

Dota 2

Unstoppable Yandex crush NAVI in one-sided PGL Wallachia finals Michael Hassall Team Yandex has swept the grand finals of the PGL Wallachia Season 9 Dota 2 tournament, defeating Natus Vincere (NAVI) in a 3-0 drubbing this past weekend (Sep. 27). As predicted, the revitalized Yandex, hot off the signing of former Team Falcons star Ammar "ATF" Al-Assaf, crushed their youthful opponents in a three-game sweep in the best-of-five finals. Here’s how it happened: After upsetting the star-studded LGD Gaming roster (albeit ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat Reportedly Becomes First Streamer To Broadcast From Inside a Volcano Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat caused a major stir online when he announced his Exploring the Unexplored IRL series — and he has now gone live from the first country, Iceland, streaming from inside a volcano. IRL streaming is one of the best ways to gain exposure and become a bigger creator. Two of the biggest current examples are Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. and Rangesh “N3on” Mutama. Speed has been a ...

Dota 2

Team Yandex to win it all? PGL Wallachia Season 9 Finals preview and predictions Michael Hassall The first big event after TI15, PGL Wallachia Season 9, wraps up this Sunday, Sep. 27, and it’s set to be a hell of a show. After a solid week of action, with some surprise eliminations along the way, we’re down to just three teams from the original 16. Team Yandex, LGD Gaming, and Natus Vincere (NAVI) remain, having battled through some big upsets to get there. Yandex are hot ...

Valorant

Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know Khizar Mundia Esports organization Complexity Gaming is ending its 23-year run, as its founder announces its shutdown. Complexity is an organization that has been around since the early days of esports. The organization had rosters in multiple games, including Counter-Strike and Valorant. Despite this, Complexity’s CS roster was the most famous, as it won several major events. This is why it was a surprise for fans to hear that Complexity is shutting ...

Kick

Who Is N3on? Here’s Everything About the Self-Proclaimed First AI Streamer Khizar Mundia Rangesh “N3on” Mutama was initially known for being a controversial streamer, but he has since come a long way, even being considered by many as a contender for Streamer of the Year 2026. Here’s everything about N3on, ranging from who he is to how he became such a well-known face on social media. N3on achieved viral status multiple times with multiple over-the-top acts. He is also known to be a ...

News

Kalshi seeks CFTC approval for use of borrowed funds on its platform Michael Hassall Prediction market Kalshi has this week (Tuesday, Sep. 22) sought approval from regulators to allow its users to offer margin trading and leverage (that is borrowing and loans) on contracts and predictions. The practice of using borrowed funds to support trades is common in conventional stock trading but has not yet made its way into the prediction market space. Currently, it’s only possible too make trades and purchase contracts on ...