The Judge Shotgun in VALORANT Set to Receive Nerfs in Upcoming Patch
The ultra-aggressive run-and-gun playstyle with the Judge shotgun in VALORANT is about to undergo some changes. In the next patch, the weapon’s running and jumping spread will be nerfed, affecting its accuracy while in motion.
Prior to the release of the early VALORANT 7.09 patch notes, players discovered a small change coming to the Judge in the next act: a reduction in magazine size from seven to five. While many players were disappointed with this change, Riot had additional adjustments planned.
In the upcoming patch, the Judge will see its jumping spread increase from 1.25 to 2.25, and its running spread increase from .10 to .75. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, spread value refers to how likely a shot deviates from the crosshair. Higher values indicate greater deviation. In VALORANT, only three weapons—Operator, Marshal, and Guardian—have no spread on their first shot.
Running and jumping spread refers to the penalties on accuracy while moving. The current running and jumping spread of the Judge is much lower than that of the Vandal, with the Vandal having a running and jumping spread of five and ten respectively. This makes it nearly impossible to achieve accuracy while running or jumping with the Vandal.
The upcoming adjustments are intended to reduce the effectiveness of the Judge shotgun while in motion. Riot wants to emphasize the Judge’s identity as a shotgun for hunkering down, and force players to be more efficient with only five shots instead of seven.
Will you still have trouble dealing with Judge players hiding in corners? Probably. But at least Raze and Jett players flying in to blast you won’t be as deadly as before. VALORANT Patch 7.09 is expected to go live on October 31, coinciding with the launch of Episode Seven, Act Three.
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