Valorant v1.06 patch notes: Shotguns nerf, Flash grenades visual and audio update, and more

It's far from the biggest update we have received for Valorant, in fact, it may well be the smallest but the update brings a couple of key changes and fixes to make the playing experience more enjoyable with little in the way of new content.

Nerfs to the shotguns are the most significant update, with both the Bucky and Judge having their accuracy while jumping reduced. This should help reduce the sheer terror you can feel when a camping shotty player springs on you from one of the games many 90 degree angles. There is no damage reduction so you will still need to be wary but their killing power has certainly been reduced with this nerf.

Shotguns have had their accuracy while jumping reduced. (Picture: Riot Games)

Flash grenades have also been giving an audio and visual do-over. Players often found themselves confused when it was safe to peak an area that had been flashed, and these changes are expected to elevate that. This is likely to affect Pheonix's Curveball more than Breach's Flashpoints purely because of their intended use. 

Valorant v1.06 Patch Notes

AGENT UPDATES

• The audio and visuals for blinding effects (Phoenix Curveball and Breach Flashpoint) should better indicate when to turn away, and when it's safe to look again

WEAPON UPDATES

• All shotguns updated to be less accurate when fired while in the air
• Spread penalty when in air increased .5 >>> 1.25
• While shotguns are doing well in situations they are supposed to, there's been overly frustrating moments where people are accurate with these weapons while in the air. We hope to curb some of those encounters while still making them possible if you catch an opponent at a short distance. We’ll also be investigating more potential changes to shotguns now that we’re rested.

QUALITY OF LIFE

• In Collection menu screens, the “Show Owned Only” toggle now persists between screens and client restarts.

BUG FIXES

• Potential fix for the bug where the player's HUD sometimes disappears.
• Fixed a bug in deathmatch match history & match details where ties between 3 or more players were not displaying as a tie, instead showing the lowest rank as if they were not tied (so a 3 way tie for 2nd would show 4TH PLACE instead of 2ND PLACE (TIED)).
• Fixed a bug that allowed progress towards competitive matchmaking for new players by forfeiting unrated games.
• Forfeited games will not count towards the Competitive requirement for the team who forfeited.
• Fixed a bug where ‘<Missing String Table>’ would appear in the chat log.
• Fixed a bug where strange player names could appear in chat when managing party invites
• Fixed a bug where some players were missing rewards after reaching the end of Agent Contracts or the Act Battlepass. Playing a game should grant the missing rewards, including missing rewards from Act 1.