VALORANT News: Official News
Thu, Jul 9, 2020
Fri, Jun 12, 2020
VALORANT API has Launched! Read our API Launch post for more details.
Update 06/12/2020
No ETA just yet. We're working on it. Want to have it ASAP. My hope is that we're in the weeks range, but it's too early still to commit to anything. Once we can commit, you'll likely see a post about upcoming VALORANT apis and what they'll look like.
Riot has said publicly that they working on the API but no specifics. They plan to launch the API during the "launch/kickoff period" they have said "around 2 weeks after release."
In other words, soon™. June 16th is that 2 week mark, but don't hold your breath.
However, Riot Games has opened up API applications to VALORANT. You can submit your request at developer.riotgames.com. No documentation or official features have been announced yet, but Riot Gene has been actively promoting the features on Twitter and Reddit.
We hope to provide robust APIs for VALORANT similar to the the LoL/TFT/LoR APIs where people will be able pull data in the future.
This is nothing but good news for players, streamers, pros, and fans. With Riot's commitment to robust statistic APIs, it is exciting to think about what the community will come up with. Following kill/death ratio per character, win rate by map, round, agent, accuracy, headshot accuracy, play time -- The options are virtually endless.
We have enabled submissions for @PlayVALORANT products on http://developer.riotgames.com.
If you are interested in developing for VALORANT, please submit your ideas/products and I'll get back to you.
We at VALORANT Haven will be keeping a close eye on this. We have applied to get access to the API and plan to take full advantage of it as soon as we possibly can.
Tue, Jun 9, 2020
Not the major patch we saw with 1.0, but VALORANT version 1.01 has been rolled out. Here are the highlights:
- Sage's barrier orb cast ranged has been reduced from 20 to 10 meters.
- Spike Rush new orbs:
- Health orb: Grants team health regen for 20 seconds (12 HP per second)
- Deception Orb: Reduces vision of enemy team for 10 seconds
- Golden gun: Instant kill + speed up
- When you kill someone who has a golden gun, it instantly transfers into your inventory with full ammo
- The Area-of-Effect indicators for Sova’s Recon Bolt and Reyna’s Leer now only show up on the enemy’s minimap if the player or their allies are close to the affected area
Read Full Patch Notes
Tue, Jun 2, 2020
The day is here! VALORANT is now live in most countries around the world!
Alongside the game’s debut, the VALORANT team released the official launch cinematic and gameplay trailer titled, “Episode 1: IGNITION” & “DUELISTS”.
The trailers feature the newest map, Ascent.
In the cinematic trailer, Phoenix talks to someone about obtaining a “package”. He then chases Jett across the map. Jett eventually escapes after getting ahead of Phoenix. Phoenix leaving the building where Jett was last seen is surprised to see a huge chunk of land floating in the sky with waterfalls flowing from each one.
Definitely gets us hyped up to play!
You can download VALORANT for free now at the official VALORANT website: playvalorant.com
Mon, Jun 1, 2020
Mon, Jun 1, 2020
What is Spike Rush?
Spike Rush is a fast paced, quicker game mode in VALORANT. Every player on offense has a spike and there are pickupable powerups like hyper speed, crippling decay, and damage amp. Buy phase has been replaced with a barrier phase, and you use what ever weapon you get.
Players: 10 (5v5)
Round length: 1 min 20 seconds
Barrier phase: 25 seconds
Game length: First to 4 (switch sides after 3)
Exp: 1,000
First look at Spike Rush gameplay:
Original post 6/1/2020 4:38 PM
The new game mode's name was announced on ESPN Esports va Joe Ziegler (@riotziegler). Spike Rush.
What we know, per Ziegler, is that it is similar to the core game place of VALORANT but a much shorter game length. It is designed to be quick fun and something you can play in about 10 minutes. It is meant to be a fun experience for inbetween games, or a quick warmup, or cool down / cool off.
From the v1 patch notes: "Spike Rush (beta) also arrives to deliver a fresh and more hectic flavor of VALORANT."
Spike Rush game icon pictured above leaked by famed data miner @floxay.
Mon, Jun 1, 2020
VALORANT is launching on Tuesday, June 2nd and release times have been revealed for each region:
Korea, Japan, Asia-Pacific: 8AM KST
EU, Turkey, MENA, Russia & CIS: 7AM CEST
NA, LATAM & South America: 5AM PDT / 8AM EDT
The image accompanying the post on social media appears to be the opening frame from a short film / trailer. In addition to the text reading, “Episode 01: Ignition”. There’s also smaller text below the title that reads “Ascent // Italy” under the title.
This suggests that there are seasons in VALORANT, called “Episodes, and the first season is known as Ignition. Maybe we’ll get a bit more information about the Agent’s backstories in this opening trailer.
The image and text also suggest the new map could be based around an Italian theme. The trailer that accompanied the launch date reveal, showed Jett jumping over a canal with gondolas. That scene looked exactly like Venice, Italy. Maybe the new map will be based in Venice? Either way we can’t wait to play VALORANT during the official launch!
Read our overview of what’s to expect at launch »
Sat, May 30, 2020
After days of teases, Riot Games surprised fans by dropping the reveal trailer for the 11th Agent, Reyna.
While no info is given about her backstory, text accompanying the video states she originates from Mexico. It appears one of her abilities allows her to “take the heart” of opponents she kills to increase her HP. Interestingly this healing can cause her to become “Overhealed” as noted by a notification that appears during gameplay.
Alongside an ability that seems to function as a flash, Reyna also appears to have the ability to create something called a Combat Stim. Whether that bolsters the strength of her attack or provides defensive shielding can’t be determined from the gameplay released. A huge factor in Reyna’s gameplay, her Ultimate ability also remains unknown.
In FPS games, any character that has a healing / HP advantage will draw increased attention.
VALORANT Game Director Joe Ziegler noted, prior to the reveal, that the new agent would evoke strong feelings from players.
You’ll be able to play as Reyna and all of the other Agents on launch day, Tuesday, June 2nd.
What do you think of Reyna and what do you think her Ultimate will be? Let us know in the comments.
Learn more about the VALORANT launch date, with our overview »
Fri, May 29, 2020
Get a first look at the new Agent!
In a promo video posted by the VALORANT Brazil Twitter account, we get our first look at what the finalized new Agent looks like.
What a teaser! We can’t wait to play as her during the game’s launch on Tuesday, June 2nd!
What do you think her abilities and ultimate will be? Let us know your guesses in the comments.
Find out more about the game’s launch here»
Tue, May 26, 2020
The VALORANT team has confirmed that the Closed Beta ends at 9AM PDT on Thursday May 28 for all regions. To get in the last possible game, be sure to start it at or before 8:59AM PDT. At 10:30am PDT all servers will go offline until the game launches on Tuesday, June 2nd.
Riot provided additional info with an FAQ about what to expect over the next few days.
The game will launch in most regions of the world including Oceania, but it won’t be available in Vietnam, India, or the Middle East just yet.
Closed Beta drops have ended, though people who were eligible will have a special Twitch / VALORANT player card in their inventory at launch on June 2nd.
All progression will be reset, but anything earned in the Closed Beta player pass (including the exclusive gun buddy) are yours to keep.
Store purchases won’t carry over but your VALORANT points will with a 20% bonus. If you spent the points or not, they will be returned to you at launch.
Get the full details on what to expect at launch »
Thu, May 21, 2020
Game Director Joe Ziegler and Executive Producer Anna Donlon surprised fans with a video announcement. They revealed that the game would not be launching in a few months, but in a few weeks! Tuesday, June 2nd, to be exact.
While exactly how the global rollout will proceed has not been revealed, this is great news for fans not able to make it into the closed beta.
With server stability, anti-cheat, ranked, and other systems being fine-tuned, is Riot Games ready for launch?
The VALORANT team addressed all of these issues in a blog post.
On Vanguard, the anti-cheat system, the team mentioned that it’s still a work in progress. At launch a new auto-ban system will be deployed that can aggressively remove waves of cheaters as they are detected.
On addressing player behavior, an automated report system will help the team widely enforce a policy that discourages player harassment. 72-hour voice and chat restrictions will be doled out to those found in violation of the policy
On servers, the team is working with ISPs globally to improve routing to the best servers. In the short-term new gamer server deployment will happen in Warsaw, Madrid, London, Atlanta, and Dallas. The team is also looking to address latency issues in Colombia, Argentina, and Eastern Europe.
On regions at launch, the game will not yet be available in Vietnam. Players in India and the Middle East will be routed to SEA and European servers respectively until servers can be built out in those areas.
On the game itself, the team says they will continue to take note of bugs and balance issues to maintain competitive integrity. We can also expect new agents, new maps, new skins, and new ways to compete. Having an alternative game mode by launch or a few weeks after is on their to-do-list.
We’ll keep you updated on further announcements as the launch date draws closer.
Read the full blog post from the VALORANT team »
Tue, May 19, 2020
Phillip Koskinas, anti-cheat engineer at Riot Games, tweeted today that an additional 1600 accounts were banned yesterday for cheating. Add on the 8800 banned last week, it is amazing that nearly 10,000 accounts have been banned on a game in closed beta!
Tue, May 12, 2020
Riot Games took servers offline in all regions for the roll out of a major patch, Patch 0.50.
This patch includes a huge number of changes including: tweaks to the Creds cap & ability costs, balance updates for Agents & weapons, & fixes for FPS drops when shooting.
One of the biggest changes involves weapon accuracy while moving. The removal of being in the “walking accuracy” state when transitioning from a run to a stop, means it’ll be harder to “strafe and shoot”, as intended.
In addition, the deadzone accuracy speed threshold has been slightly increased from 25% to 30%. The “deadzone” is the point an Agent is considered to no longer be moving, therefore fully accurate. Since it’s considered to be a zone, you don’t have to be literally completely still to be fully accurate. With the slight increase in the size of the zone, you’ll be able to go from running accuracy to full accuracy a bit quicker when letting go of a movement key or counter strafe.
VALORANT Game Director, Joe Ziegler, gave insight into some of the changes made.
A major change to the economy is the reduction of the total credit (cred) cap from 12,000 to 9,000. This makes eco rounds much more important and will make comebacks possible against teams/players with a rich economy.
Additionally the credit (cred) cost of several Agent’s abilities were increased. Sage, Raze, Phoenix, and Brimstone had some ability costs increase, while Jett’s Updraft was reduced in credit cost.
Rifles got an update to make single-tap and burst fire more efficient. Tap, Burst, and Spray shooting styles will all be possible due to a slight improvement in “Gun Recovery Time”.
Maps Split, Haven, and Bind all received updates. Split received changes to allow attackers to better contest A Main, Mid Top, and B Tower.
To counter some exploits with Omen on Haven, a new system has been activated.
Sage, Cypher, Omen, Brimstone, Phoenix, and Viper all received balance updates.
Sage’s Slow Orb was nerfed.
Cypher received nerfs to his Cyber Cage (no longer slows enemies moving through it) and his Spy Camera (cooldown when destroyed increased). Fixes for several exploits with Cypher’s Spy Camera on all 3 maps were also deployed.
Viper received a buff with her Snake Bite radius increased.
Brimstone, Phoenix, and Viper all received a buff for their Incendiary, Hot Hands (Fireball), and Snake Bite abilities respectively to prevent bunny hoppers from taking no damage when inside the radius of the ability.
A nice QoL update finally allows toggling between walking & running! No more holding down that shift key with your pinky finger.
Read the full patch notes from Riot Games »
Sat, May 2, 2020
Riot levels up the fight against cheaters with account & hardware level bans.
Former Overwatch League pro and streamer, dafran lamtened on Twitter that he was encountering cheaters in ranked.
VALORANT’s anti-cheat lead, Paul ‘arkem’ Chamberlain responded about the changes incoming:
Alongside the account and hardware level bans, ongoing tweaks to Riot’s VANGUARD anti-cheat system will keep cheaters at bay.
As Game Director, Joe Ziegler said, the “BanHammer” is in full-swing now:
Fri, May 1, 2020
On Tuesday, May 5th most of LATAM, South Korea & Brazil join the Closed Beta!
Annyeonghaseyo, Korea!
Vamos, Latinoamérica!
Bora, Brasil!
In a Friday Developer Update video, VALORANT Executive Producer, Anna Donlon, revealed the next regions to join the Closed Beta.
While exact times for the roll out to new regions hasn’t been revealed, we’re sure fans are excited nonetheless!
Game Director, Joe Ziegler, also expressed the team’s excitement:
We'll keep you updated on the latest information on the new region roll out as details are revealed!
Fri, May 1, 2020
How is rank determined in Competitive mode? Joe Ziegler, VALORANT Game Director, provided additional details about how you’re “seeded in rated” mode in a series of Tweets on May 1st.
Performance is measured on an individual level. VALORANT takes into account a number of factors outside of just wins, including how you fare against similar and more highly rated players.
For a deep dive into the Ranked System, read our ourview from Competitive mode’s reveal, here.
Fri, May 1, 2020
Min-spec GPU requirements have been increased due to Unreal Engine changes.
Shader Model 4 (SM4) in Epic Games’ Unreal Engine is being depreciated and Shader Model 5 (SM5) is now a requirement.
As a result, VALORANT’s minimum spec GPU requirement has been increased from the Intel HD 3000 to the Intel HD 4000.
Game Director, Joe Ziegler added:
The Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics solution was released back in 2011, as part of the Sandy Bridge line of processors. Found in many laptops introduced around that time, the 32 nm HD 3000 can struggle running modern games like CS:GO, Fortnite, and, of course, VALORANT. At the lowest settings, VALORANT players reported seeing frame rates between 20-30 fps.
Launched in 2012, the Intel HD 4000 gives a bit of a boost as it’s a part of the 22 nm Ivy Bridge line of processors. The HD 4000’s architecture allows it to run SM5 at Riot’s promised 30 fps as part of the minimum spec requirements.
While VALORANT will still run on lower spec GPUs, there may be compatibility issues the VALORANT team cannot fix.
VALORANT’s Hardware requirements are now, as follows:
- Minimum Spec - 30 FPS:
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
- GPU: Intel HD 4000
- Recommended Spec - 60 FPS:
- CPU: Intel i3-4150
- GPU: GeForce GT 730
- High-End Spec - 144+ FPS:
- CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz
- GPU: GTX 1050 Ti
- PC Hardware Requirements:
- Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
- 4GB RAM
- 1GB of VRAM
Fri, May 1, 2020
After a successful EU roll out of the hotfix, Ranked is now live in EU & NA!
The VALORANT hotfix patch brought stability to servers, addressing a number of service issues and bugs. This allowed Riot Games developers to feel confident in rolling out ranked in NA first, then EU in the early morning hours of May 1st.
Looking for Ranked mode? Click the “Play” button at the top of the screen. Then click the “Competitive” tab that appears below.
Remember, to play Ranked matches you must meet the following requirements:
- Complete 20 Unrated matches to unlock Competitive mode
- Queue with up to 5-player parties, but must be within 2 ranks
The eight levels of rank, each divided into three tiers are: Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Immortal, and the highest rank — VALORANT.
For a complete run through of Competitive mode, check out our review of the initial reveal, here.
Thu, Apr 30, 2020
The wait is officially over! Ranked mode rolled out today for NA players at approximately 3:30pm PDT!
If all goes well, Ranked will go live for EU after the hotfix after 9:30am CEST on Friday, May 1.
If there are problems, Riot may disable ranked at any time.
It’s an exciting time for all Closed Beta VALORANT players!
VALORANT Game Director, Joe Ziegler cautioned:
VALORANT Executive Producer, Anna Donlon added:
Wed, Apr 29, 2020
A Hotfix patch is incoming to correct exploits, fix 2 bugs & to bring back the headshot sound, according to a late night post from VALORANT’s Twitter account on April 29th.
The Hotfix will roll out as follows:
- NA: Thursday, April 30 at 4:30am PT. Servers back at 12pm PT
- EU: Friday, May 1 at 3:30am CEST. Servers back at 9:30am CEST
If all goes well, the VALORANT team might activate ranked mode after the hotfix!
We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments here at VALORANT Haven.
UPDATE (April 30 - 12pm CDT): NA Server maintanance is taking a bit longer than expected. The VALORANT team now expects NA servers to go back online around 12pm PDT.
