Valorant patch 6.0 notes: Split map changes, Omen nerfs & more

Valorant patch 6.0 will bring some massive shifts to the game. Omen is getting nerfed, Split is returning with subtial changes to its map layout, Lotus will be introduced, and much more.

Valorant patch 6.0 is almost here, and it’s bringing with it a few massive changes to the game’s landscape

With two maps rotating out and Split’s reintroduction alongside the new map, Lotus, the biggest changes are with where you’ll be playing rather than how. That said, a big Omen nerf is set to throw a wrench in many of his smoke setups.

Along with some quality-of-life changes to the way rank is calculated, Valorant patch 6.0 is aimed at changing Valorant as a whole rather than targeting any particular Agents or weapons for the sake of balance after the sweeping set of Agent changes on patch 5.12.

Table of contents

• Valorant patch 6.0 map changes

• Valorant patch 6.0 Agent nerfs

• Valorant patch 6.0 Competitive updates

Valorant patch 6.0 map changes

New map Lotus added, Split reintroduced with significant changes

Lotus, Valorant’s newest map, will be added on patch 6.0. It won’t be in the unrated and competitive rotation until patch 6.1, but it’ll be playable via the Swiftplay queue when the patch goes live. For more information on the new map, you can find our article about it here.

Split is the other map coming into the rotation on this patch, but it’s coming with some small changes to its overall layout.

A thread from the official Valorant twitter account outlines these changes. There are seven alterations in total, all of which are aimed at making the map easier to traverse and corners harder to camp in.

For instance, the change to A rafters makes it so that players who want to try and catch attacks by surprise around the corner have to commit to playing low ground rather than being able to have a height advantage.

Bind and Breeze removed from the map rotation

Two maps are coming in, and two are leaving. Bind and Breeze will both be taken out of the rotation for competitive and unranked, though they’ll still be available in other game modes. This means that the standard map rotation will contain 7 maps for the duration of Episode 6.

Valorant patch 6.0 Agent nerfs

Omen is the only Agent getting changed for this patch, but his change will drastically affect his smoke lineups.

Omen

• Dark Cover placed inside walls will now fall to the height of nearby ground.

This is a small change on the surface, but a drastic change for high-level play. The ability to place one-way smokes was an advantage Omen had over other smoke Agents like Brimstone, and it could land him with drastically reduced power at higher levels of play.

Valorant patch 6.0 Competitive updates

Ranks will be reset, with the expectation set by Riot being that your rank will be lower than it was at the end of Episode 5 following your placements. That said, a few tweaks have been made to the way RR is calculated.

Changes to Ranked Rating calculation

• Ranked Rating gains/losses will depend slightly more on win/loss, and slightly less on the exact round differential of the match.

• Ranked Rating gains will depend more on individual performance instead of round differential. You should also see your rank and MMR converge faster.

Essentially, these changes were made for the purpose of making one-sided stomps matter less than before. Players who are still performing well despite their team losing should have their RR penalized much less than if they’re hovering near the bottom of the leaderboard in every match.

This, in theory, should make it so that players who consistently play well will be rewarded more than they were before.

For more about the game, make sure to check some of our other Valorant content:

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