Sheep Esports – VALORANT: Everything about patch 11.08, including weapons, agents and map changes

Major Hotfix Overview

VALORANT 11.08 Patch Notes

Weapons

Rifles (Vandal, Phantom, Bulldog)

• Adjusted horizontal recoil patterns: slower direction changes, higher consistency.
• Increased “protected bullets” for jet stability:
  • Vandal: 4 → 6
  • Ghost: 6 → 8

SMG (Spectre, Stinger)

• Dart: Loses its accuracy more quickly under sustained fire.
• Spectrum: Reduced spread and faster recovery of first shot accuracy.
• Shielded bullet logic standardized with rifles.

Systemic gameplay changes

Near vision

• Visibility range has been increased from 5m → 7m for all relevant abilities (Omen, Reyna, Fade).
• The developers aim to further differentiate close-vision effects from flashes, creating clearer counterplay.

Concussion

• Most non-ultimate stuns now consistently last 2.5 seconds.
• Includes Breach’s Faultline, Astra’s Nova Pulse, and similar abilities.
• Designed to build muscle memory and consistency between agents.

Combat stimulants

• Standardized between Brimstone, Reyna (Empress) and KAY/O (Overdrive).
• Slightly reduced effectiveness following the good results obtained since patch 9.05.
• Now provide consistent movement and rate of fire bonuses regardless of source.

Rechargeable capacities

• Many abilities now share a 60 second cooldown after use or destruction.
• Affects agents such as Sova, Fade, Breach, KAY/O, Astra and Gekko.
• Reinforces more strategic pacing and intentional utility use between fights.

Agents — Initiators

• Signature Ability Cooldown: 40s → 60s (Sova Recon Bolt, Fade Haunt, KAY/O Zero Point, Breach Fault Line).
• Flash duration standardization: 2.25 seconds (Breach, KAY/O, Skye).
• Violate:
  • Faster liquidation of the fault line.
  • Reduced ultimate coverage and duration of concussions.
  • Lower ultimate point requirement.
• Disappear:
  • Reduced ultimate duration and area.
  • The haunted eye remains active for a shorter period of time.
• Gekko:
  • Longer cooldown after picking up Wingman or Thrash.
  • Wingman and Thrash reduced their HP for clearer counterplay.
• Goal: Make initiator configuration tools accurate, time-sensitive, and easier to read or counter.

Agents — Controllers

• Controllers are receiving major updates to bring their utility in line with the rest of the roster.

• Short-sighted counterplay has been improved.
• Concussion and stimulation standards are applied globally.
• Rechargeable cooldown times have increased on Astra and Omen.

• The cooldowns of Nova Pulse (stun) and Gravity Well (pull) have been increased to 60 seconds.
• The duration of the Gravity Well “Fragile” debuff has been shortened.

• Smoke cooldown increased but lower than 60 seconds.
• Near paranoia vision radius reduced; movement speed increased.
• Designed to require more deliberate positioning for optimal casts.

• The degradation of enemies passing through smoke or walls is reduced (less instantaneous HP loss).

• Stim Beacon adjusted to align with new systemic setting.

Agents — Sentinels

• Cooldown for destroyed utility: 45s → 60s.
• Health of breakable gadgets reduced.
• Standardized debuff durations with new concussion and close-up timings.

• Sage’s Barrier Orb HP reduced from 800 -> 600

Agents – Duelists

• Yoru:
  • Duration of Fakeout and Flash: 2s → 1.6s.
  • Off-screen flashes now behave like initiator flashes.
  • Can no longer deploy Fakeout or Flash during the ultimate (Dimensional Drift).
• Neon:
  • Sprint duration has been increased; fuel regeneration has slowed.
  • Relay Bolt concussion duration reduced from 3.5s → 2.5s.

Cards

Abyss

Pearl

– Corentin Phalip –