VALORANT Update: Patch 2.04 brings new agent Astra and more
The upcoming update for VALORANT is set to go live soon, introducing several important changes and new content. One of the highlights of Patch 2.04 is the addition of Astra, the next agent. This update also includes tactical voice overs and various other updates.
What to expect in Patch 2.04
If you want to know more about the full notes for VALORANT Patch 2.04, you can visit the official VALORANT website. However, here’s a quick overview of the main features:
- The addition of Astra as the next agent
- Bind’s Teleporter now has open doors to prevent camping in Escalation mode
- Changes in competitive rankings and smaller quality-of-life improvements
If you want more details on how to play Astra, the new controller agent in VALORANT, check out our related article.
Out of your Bind
In the Escalation mode, Bind’s Teleporter will have its doors locked open, preventing players from camping inside after taking a strategic position on the map.
The pick rate for Bind has also been restored to its original level before the reduction in Patch 2.03. It is now equally weighted with other maps in Escalation, but Riot Games will monitor community feedback regarding this change.
Ranked reworks
Patch 2.04 marks the start of the competitive season for Episode Two, Act Two. This season brings changes to various aspects of VALORANT’s ranked progression.
One significant change is that players will no longer have their rank lowered at the start of each act. For example, if you were a Radiant player at the end of the previous act, you will retain your Radiant rank on the leaderboard in the following act. However, your Ranked Rating will still be reduced by 90%, so Radiant players will technically be bumped down to Immortal and will need to prove themselves to remain among the top players.
Reaching Radiant will become more challenging, as it now requires a player to be one of the top 500 players in their region and maintain a specific Ranked Rating. The RR requirements vary for each region.
- Latin America and South Korea: 100 RR
- Brazil: 200 Ranked Rating
- North America and Asia-Pacific: 300 RR
- Europe: 400 RR
During the season, Riot will reduce the average RR gained or lost per win or loss by five to refine the matchmaking rating in competitive matches.
Other changes include ranks no longer appearing during Agent Select or in-game, wider matchmaking options for lower-ranked players, and allowing them to queue with a broader selection of friends and teammates.
Tactical voice over
Riot is introducing additional agent voice overs to improve team coordination and information sharing. These new voice overs will provide context for teammates based on location.
For players who don’t use a microphone for communication, generic agent voice overs like “Spike spotted” or “enemies spotted” will now include additional qualifiers depending on the location, such as “Spike spotted B.” The goal is to provide richer information to players with these changes. However, callouts will be lowered in volume when a teammate is speaking over VOIP.
Players also have the option to toggle the display of tactical voice over messages in chat for continued reference.
NOTE: Tactical voice overs will not be available in all game modes, but they can be fully disabled. Additionally, chat messages for callouts can be enabled in the Accessibility options.
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VALORANT update, Patch 2.04, Astra, tactical voice overs, competitive rankings, Bind’s Teleporter, Escalation mode