Killjoy Turret bug forces restart at VCT, what exactly happened?

A back-and-forth row between FPX and XSET at Valorant Champions Valorant Champions 2022 playoffs led to a long stretch of overtime all thanks to a Killjoy Turret bug. 

Day 13 of VCT 2022 saw the defending champions of VCT Copenhagen 2022 go up against North America’s XSET in a close game, with the former clutching a victory in 2-1 fashion. However, an odd bug in the final round of the third map Ascent prompted Riot to respond. A mysterious bug appears to allow Killjoy’s Turret to shoot behind itself. The result is a ton of controversy in the Valorant ecosystem.

However, fans and players are still not over Riot’s decision of a re-run. Dedicated Killjoy players are blaming the developer for not patching a long-standing bug, while others stand in favor of XSET. The reply sure led to a long night of overtime, but the results remained unchanged, as FPX bested the North American team with a 16-14 scoreline. 

Competitive Update Regarding the FPX and XSET match: pic.twitter.com/c0QayBBl0v

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) September 13, 2022

Killjoy Turret bug disrupts a game at VCT

Killjoy’s Turret is designed as a third eye that deals damage upon spotting an enemy. Players rely heavily on the machine’s intel, so even slight misinformation can lead to disaster. That’s precisely what happened at VCT 2022, causing XSET to lose a crucial round during a do-or-die game. 

In the 24th round on the third map, Ascent was about to wrap in XSET’s favor as the team had three attackers alive on bomb point with the Spike already in place. FPX Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov and Andrei “Shao” Kiprskii were holding A-short, testing waters to try and defuse the Spike and finish the game. A Turret placed by Jordan “AYRIN” briefly spotted ANGE1 on A-short, firing a few shots before turning towards haven. 

This behavior of Killjoy’s Turret led Rory “dephh” Jackson to believe that one player might be haven and Omen and Fade’s utility coming from A-short could be a lineup. The misfire resulted in false intel, forcing the attackers to aim away from A-short. The minor glitch led to a round win for FPX and, ultimately, the game. 

FPX still won despite the replay, but Riot’s decision has now split the player base. Community figures argue that replaying a game for a minor bug sets a bad precedent while others believe there’s no bug to speak of in the first place. The Killjoy Turret either acts this way naturally or this bug has existed since the agent’s release, according to many who claim to have experienced it. 

This isn’t the first time a bug has marred an official Valorant game. Previously, a Cypher camera bug and Viper screen bug have caused controversy, but nothing has stirred the pot quite like Killjoy’s glitched Turret.