Riot Games Acknowledges Mistake in VALORANT Patch
Riot Games, known for its popular video game titles, is not immune to making mistakes. Recently, the developers of VALORANT admitted to making a significant blunder in Patch 7.09, released on October 31, 2023.
The mistake involved unintentionally shipping changes to the character Viper’s smoke duration and cooldown. This oversight went unnoticed by many players initially, given Viper’s dominant presence in the game’s current meta. She has consistently been one of the top picks for both professional players and those in solo queue.
Viper, alongside Omen, remains one of the dominant agents in the solo queue and ranked matches. Additionally, she held the highest pick rate at VCT Masters Madrid 2024, as reported by thespike.gg. Her kit of abilities allows players to easily control and manipulate map areas, making her an attractive choice for any team composition.
Viper possesses the unique ability to split apart sites using her Toxic Screen, providing her team with an advantage by blocking enemy vision. Furthermore, she can employ her Poison Cloud to hold specific angles and create area coverage. Her Snake Bite molly allows her to close off popular choke points, solidifying her position as one of the top Controller choices on any map.
Despite the unintended changes in Patch 7.09, Riot Games maintains accountability and transparency by keeping those changes in play. They are also using this experience as a “rough preview” of upcoming updates planned for Patch 8.08, emphasizing their commitment to avoiding shadow drop nerfs or buffs to any agents.