VALORANT Episode 4: Disruption Sees the Rise of the Ares
VALORANT Episode Four: Disruption is off to an exciting start, with the surprising resurgence of the Ares becoming the biggest shakeup in the game’s meta. While new duelist Neon has made an appearance, it is the improved Ares that is stealing the spotlight.
The start of Episode Four introduced Patch 4.0, which brought significant changes to the meta. One of the key updates was the nerfs to the widely used Spectre, while the Ares received a boost in fire rate. The Spectre now has earlier firing errors during sprays and increased recoil multipliers while running/jumping, making it less accurate for long-range and close-moving sprays.
The nerfs to the Spectre have paved the way for the Ares to become the weapon of choice in second round buys and force round buys, given its low cost of 1,550 credits. The Ares was already a decent option with its high fire rate, good damage output, high wall penetration, and large clip size. Now, with the increased fire rate and removal of the spin-up cycle, its time-to-kill has been drastically reduced.
The rise in popularity of the Ares has sparked discussions within the VALORANT community. The subreddit is filled with posts from players expressing their dissatisfaction with the Ares’ faster time-to-kill compared to the more expensive Phantom or Vandal. As a result, the second round has become a buy round for both sides, regardless of the outcome of the pistol round.
Even the professional players have joined the conversation, with many stating that the Ares is overpowered. A quick search on Twitter reveals numerous comments from pros. XSET’s IGL dephh described it as “a value Odin on steroids,” while Cloud9 leaf compared it to an “extended mag Stinger.” TSM Academy IG Payen shared a screenshot showing nine Ares being used in a round of an NSG tournament.
The dominance of the Ares brings back memories of the Stinger meta from early 2021. The Stinger was eventually nerfed in subsequent patches, rendering it less popular. If and when nerfs come for the Ares, it is crucial for Riot to find a balance where it remains relevant without becoming obsolete.
VALORANT, Episode Four: Disruption, Ares, meta, Patch 4.0, Spectre, fire rate, VALORANT subreddit, time-to-kill, pistol round, professional players, Stinger, nerfs, Riot.