Valorant’s Episode 4 started off the year in style. Neon’s introduction, the Lunar New Year celebrations and more all built up the hype this Act. However, recent patches have been more focused on improving existing content and optimizing gameplay. Riot Games recently released the Valorant 4.03 Patch Notes, which appear to continue the trend.
Right from changes to the Deathmatch mode, to bug fixes, to esports updates – this patch has it all. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered when it comes to breaking it down. Here’s everything you need to know from the Valorant 4.03 Patch Notes – summarized.
The last patch before Act II targets improved performance, spawn adjustments to Deathmatch and fixing a collection of Agent bugs. Read from the source: https://t.co/43FPXp0gmq pic.twitter.com/BxHQ9B3E7R
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) February 15, 2022
(All information is sourced directly from Riot Games.)
Mode Changes – Deathmatch
- Reduced respawn time, from 3s to 1.5s.
- Removal and relocation of dangerous spawn locations.
- Spawn logic optimizations: respawn farther away from death locations, higher chances to face other players.
- Fixes spawn logic bugs in the warm-up phase.
Deathmatch changes incoming👀
– Removed and in some cases relocated “dangerous” spawn locations
– Improved spawn logic and spawn placement to increase the likelihood that you will be
facing each other players in an encounter
– Respawn Time 3s to 1.5sThoughts?🧐
— George Geddes (@GeorgeCGed) February 15, 2022
Agent Updates – Brimstone
- Ultimate blocks gameplay visibility when active.
- Cannot see enemies on the mini-map through the ultimate.
- Abilities that require a line of sight (Sova recon, flashes, etc.) will not apply through the ultimate.
Brimstone’s ult now properly blocks gameplay visibility while active | #VALORANT
– You’ll no longer see enemies on the minimap through ultimate
– Abilities that require line of sight will no longer apply through the ult (recon pulses, flashes etc)— Mike – Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) February 15, 2022
Agent Bug Fixes
- Fixes a bug where Chamber’s Headhunter and Tour de Force would float away.
- Fixed a bug where Viper’s ultimate would not expand through doorways.
- Fixes an exploit where the nearsighted debuff did not affect enemies in Viper’s ultimate.
Social and Performance Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where the chat wouldn’t focus pre-game while pressing Enter.
- Fixes a bug where right clicking player portraits would not bring up context menus.
- Fixed a bug where performance stats were hidden while spectating the Spike.
Cosmetic and Game System Updates
- Updates to the colour of the tile used to display sprays in your Collection – making them easier to see.
- Adds an option to return to the strongest weapon using auto-equip or the ‘Equip Lat Used Item’ keybind.
Esports Features
- Fixes the projectile follow for observer followers.
- Adds observer settings toggle to turn Agent Portrait on/off.
Other Updates
There are also other notable changes coming in Patch 4.03. These include advanced AFK detection and penalization across game modes. This is majorly implemented to prevent undeserved EXP farming.
Additionally, devs are always looking to optimize gameplay. The introduction of Global Invalidation aims to improve overall performance. It is a UI feature that provides up to 15% improvement to baseline performance for CPU-bound players. Majority of the player base will benefit from its implementation. However, effects may vary depending on your PC.
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