"How out of touch is the dev team" Valorant patch 11.08 leaves fans fuming

Valorant patch 11.08 is set to be released on October 15 or 16, 2025, based on your region. The patch also officially kicks off Season 25 Act 6 and brings about literal game-changing updates. For instance, it nerfs just about every Agent one can imagine, from Duelists like Yoru to Sentinels like Cypher. It also changes gunplay and utility usage, making the game more tactical than ever before. These changes caught a lot of fans off guard, prompting upset and angry reactions.

Under the game's X post, where the devs discuss said changes, one fan, @_po1ar expressed their frustration with the team of developers at Riot Games who decided to make the drastic changes in Valorant patch 11.08:

"How out of touch is the dev team for how utility makes valorant the game it is. These changes will make all the initiators feel awful to play, yoru’s ult feel like its not a playmaking tool but just a scouting tool, and it will make opers feel unstoppable. Please reconsider."

The new patch is heavily focused on making the game more about tactical decision-making and less reliant on abilities. One fan, @AmiyahGarc97865 brought up a comparison between Valorant and CS2, arguing that the former is more about different skills and abilities working together rather than pure mechanical prowess:

"What kind of game is this? CSGO2? Your fun place is that different skills work together, instead of pure versus gun. Why not play CSGO if you want to play pure versus gun?"

Similarly, @Entrr_Username also felt disappointed about the massive nerfs to virtually all the Agents. The user pointed out that Riot Games had introduced power downgrades for all the characters that actually make the game unique:

"Still nerfing the hero in the hero shooter I see. What was the point in making unique characters exactly?"

Valorant Patch 11.08 also makes changes to the spray patterns of rifles like the Vandal and the Phantom, making them slightly more manageable to control. Protected bullets have also been increased by two bullets each for both guns.

Naturally, the tactical aspect remains the main focus of the update. Bringing this highlight up, @theaaronl19 deemed this patch the worst in the game's history:

"If I wanted to only focus on gunplay id just play CS ffs. Absolute worst patch ive ever f***ng seen"

Finally, @KristineVader believed that the idea to reduce the ability spam was well-intentioned; however, perhaps it could have been executed in a different way. The player believed that in the Valorant patch 11.08, abilities would become redundant:

Also read: Valorant Dolmir's Revenge collection release date and time

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Valorant patch 11.08 explained in a nutshell

Veto also changes the meta by essentially erasing utility (Image via Riot Games)

A significant portion of the fans are frustrated about the changes being introduced in Valorant patch 11.08. This is largely due to the upheaval of the in-game meta introduced in the new update. Many Agent abilities were nerfed, suddenly making certain characters much less effective than they used to be.

For instance, Yoru will no longer be able to use any abilities during his ultimate except for Gatecrash. This significantly changes the way he can be used to execute attacks in Valorant patch 11.08.

Further changes include standardization of stuns, flashes, and other nearsights. The durations of all of these have been changed, with most flashes blinding the enemy for about 2.25 seconds, except for Yoru. The Duelist's Blindside now only flashes enemies for 1.5 seconds.

Initiator Signature abilities now have a universal 60-second cooldown, which means players will have to use them more cautiously. Agent-specific changes also include a universal concuss duration of 2.5 seconds across all characters with such abilities.

Finally, Sentinels received major nerfs with Sage and Deadlock's walls having lower HP and Cypher's Spycam being more visible at longer ranges. His Trapwires have also been changed to no longer concuss an enemy or tether them. To read all the changes, players can now read the official Valorant 11.08 update patch notes.

Edited by Prit Chauhan