Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 Analysis – Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 Overview

Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 is here, and so is the new patch. Let’s analyze the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0.

The long wait is finally over. After showing the Valorant Episode dates, Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 is finally here, and it brings tons of changes. We’ve already reviewed the Battle Pass (there are some cool items worth getting), but now, it’s time to focus on the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0.

Considering this is the first update of 2024, there are a lot of new things in store that you need to be aware of. Valorant is always listening to what the community has to say, so we would not be surprised if there are changes in the future. With that said, let’s learn what’s new. Don’t forget to take a look at the complete changelog before you start playing.

Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 – General  & Weapon Updates

There are not that many general changes following the arrival of Valorant Episode 8 Act 1. In fact, the Gun Buddy Carousel appearing in alphabetical order is the only change that we’ll have access to. This is definitely a quality of life update because it will make finding what you want much easier.

With that said, the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 brings a lot of changes regarding weapons. As reported by ESTNN, there is a new weapon in the game called the Outlaw. We’ve already included a lot of things about the gun, such as the fact that it costs 2,400 credits and has a semi-automatic fire rate. Moreover, it has 2 slugs in a magazine, which is an interesting approach.

Valorant Patch Notes Episode 8 – Agent Updates

Aside from the minor general update and the new gun, the Valorant new patch release date also gave us access to several agent updates. There are a few intriguing new things you need to know about, so let’s dive in.

Deadlock

The first set of changes in the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 are related to Deadloick. Here is what you need to know about him:

• Sonic Seosnor can now be recalled in a round and has a shortened windup time. These changes will allow the ability to be more reliable and flexible.
• Barrier Mesh has an increased max length of the wall, meaning it can divide larger spaces than before. Once again, this change makes the ability more reliable.

Killjoy

Another agent that was affected after the Valorant Episode 8 release date is Killjoy. The major changes related to this agent affect the Turret. Following the new update, the vision radius is now 100 instead of 180 degrees. Also, Riot decided to add a representation of the Turret’s vision cane on Killjoy’s minimap, as well as new animations.

Even though Killjoy receives pretty big nerfs, the idea is to force players to think carefully about when to use the ability. 

Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 Patch Notes – Map Changes & Mode Updates

People were eagerly waiting for the Valorant new patch release time because we’ve learned there will be loads of map changes. With that said, our team has already covered them a few days ago, so we suggest reading this article to get familiar with everything. To make a long story short, there are changes to Lotus, and Icebox, as well as a few other things. 

Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 – Premier Updates

Some people were patiently waiting for the Valorant Episode 8 Countdown because of the premier updates. There are several important things you need to know here:

• Team Captain Role – Rosters now have a secondary management role that Riot calls Team Captain. The latter can help the management invite/remove team members, but they can't delete the team or kick the owner.
• Standings  – Players now have the chance to view the standings in other divisions by using the drop menus located in the Standings tab.
• Divisions – Players can see the divisions they’re seeded in before playing the first match. This is an interesting change in the Valorant patch notes 8.0, but we think it may have a negative impact on some people. 
• Playoff Qualifications and EMEA Zone Updates 

Gameplay System updates 

Another thing that players were interested in regarding the Valorant Episode 8 release date and time is the new gameplay system updates. Episode 8 Act 1 of Valorant is important because the game finally supports third-party headphones software. The so-called “spatial audio” is a virtual surround sound system for headphones that will now be available. In order to experience it, you have to do the following:

• First, go to VALORANT’s audio settings, find the Speaker Configuration option, and select “Auto-Detect” instead of “Stereo”.
• Second, check your Windows settings and enable the Spatial Audio option. This should be located in the sound control panel.
• Keep in mind that certain peripherals are bundled with a specific software. Therefore, you may have to enable this option from this software, as well as from your Windows settings in order to run. If there are no such things, you can turn off the 3rd-party spatialization by going to the Sound control panel.

Conclusion

Aside from everything mentioned so far, the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 also has a few bug fixes. For example, the bug with the Raw Input Buffer is fixed. Interestingly, Riot also addressed the known bug in a Team Deathmatch, where when someone gets the Outlaw from a Weapon Spawner, it comes with no reserve ammo. According to the team, it is working on a fix, so we expect it to arrive soon.

Overall, the Valorant Patch Notes 8.0 brings a lot of intriguing changes, especially to the maps and some agents. We expect the meta to change, so make sure to follow us for more information.