Despite coming out just recently, Riot Games’ Valorant has already established itself as a multiplayer spectator contender. The game is currently in its second act, and its birth pangs have not quite abated. Massive changes to things like the ranking system in Valorant are still quite common.
That said, the playerbase has remained fairly stable, and the metagame is shaping itself rather definitively now. Valorant has become the popular game to stream for many, and with good reason. Its combination of CS:GO objective and weapon purchase mechanics combined with shooter hero elements that are rapidly becoming industry staples have ensured it a place in many players’ hearts.
Patches for Valorant have been coming every now and again, although nothing is consistent for the game yet, including updates. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Valorant patches will continue to be sporadic for the near future. One did drop recently though, and while it fixed several different bugs, the main focus was on shotguns. Valorant‘s patch 1.06 was mostly focused on shotguns (every shotgun in the game), and nerfed them in one significant way.
The change increases the spread of all shotguns when they are used midair by a factor of 150%. The main thrust behind the change is that, with several shotguns, sniping foes from the air was very viable. Even at long distance, players could confidently blast at long range while jumping or, in Jett’s case, flying around opponents. This has now become less viable, at least at long range, although mid-air shotgun blasting can still be done close up. This may very well annoy players who are still waiting for the footstep audio issues to be fixed, since attacking players now have less air advantage, meaning they will have to walk, and thus give away their position, more frequently.
Shotguns tend to be popular with both casual and serious players in any game, and Valorant is no exception. Requiring fewer shots and slightly less precision than other weapons in the same weight class, they are a good choice for any skill level. How the best Valorant players will adapt to the change remains to be seen, but it will probably mean less dynamic aerial strategy.
The change is very focused on a specific aspect of Valorant‘s shotguns, so it is unlikely that their use will drop off completely. That said, new strategies will have to be created and practiced for shotguns to retain their effectiveness. How this will factor into effective strategies for climbing Valorant‘s ladder has yet to be determined, but it will undoubtedly be determined fast.
Valorant is available now for PC.
Source: PlayValorant
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