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VALORANT patch notes 9.02 adds toggleable abilities and Icebox to console

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VALORANT patch notes 9.02 adds toggleable abilities and Icebox to console

As a long-time Valorant player with countless hours spent strategizing and perfecting my gameplay, I am thrilled to see the latest updates that have been rolled out. The ‘Keep Player Centered’ minimap setting being forced on for high zoom levels is a game changer for me, as it has always irritated me when my minimap view gets all jumbled up at those levels.

In the patch notes for VALORANT version 9.02, you’ll encounter numerous bug fixes, as well as new features such as Icebox map and adjustable console abilities.

As a seasoned VALORANT player with hundreds of hours under my belt, I eagerly anticipate each new update. And here we are once again, embarking on another fortnight’s worth of excitement with the arrival of patch notes 9.02. The rhythmic cadence of VALORANT’s episodic structure has become a comforting constant in my gaming life. With Episode 9 Act 1 unfurling before us, I can hardly contain my curiosity to see what fresh gameplay tweaks and agent adjustments await. Let the strategic planning and tactical maneuvers commence!

As a long-time gamer who has experienced the frustration of having to search through lengthy patch notes to find the updates that matter to me, I appreciate when game developers organize their announcements in a clear and accessible manner. Breaking down changes into categories such as platform-wide, PC-specific, and console-exclusive makes it much easier for players like myself to quickly find the information we need without wading through irrelevant details. In my opinion, this approach not only saves time but also enhances the overall gaming experience by keeping players informed and engaged with the latest updates.

VALORANT patch notes 9.02 adds toggleable abilities and Icebox to console

(Image via Riot Games)

We’ll start with the adjustments to all platforms, move onto PC, then to console:

All platforms

  • PLAYER BEHAVIOR UPDATES
    • Behavioral Intervention Update: People who engage in comms abuse will experience increased penalties.
  • BUG FIXES
    • Agents
      • Neon
        • Fixed a bug where Neon’s hitbox could be slightly offset while sliding.
    • Gameplay Systems
      • Fixed an issue in Premier Overtime voting that prevented people from calling an Overtime Timeout when switching sides.
      • Fixed an issue with Ability HUD persisting into deathcam.
    • Maps
      • Abyss
        • Fixed several areas where the Spike could get stuck on certain ledges outside the map.
        • Fixed a bug where Omen could die by teleporting in a specific spot in Mid Bottom.
        • Several Visual Bugs fixed.
      • Sunset
        • You can no longer jump on the tall box in A Alley.

PC

  • GENERAL UPDATES
    • The new Basic Training (tutorial) and The Range from Console are available on PC.
      • All new players will be required to play through the tutorial, and will have an option to play a Bot Training Match.
      • For current players, you can access the Basic Training and The Range by going to the Practice menu.
  • GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS UPDATES
    • Combat Report
      • Visual refresh! The in-game combat report has a new look.
      • Combat Report will now be visible during the Buy Phase by default. You will still be able to toggle it on and off during this phase.
  • PREMIER UPDATES
    • Playoffs in Contender and Invite Divisions have a best of 3 finals. Rounds prior to finals are best of 1.
      • Map pick and ban takes place before agent select for each game in a match.
      • Once a map is played, it is removed from the map pool for subsequent games in the match.
    • Added playoff qualification rules in the side panel on the standings page.
  • SOCIAL UPDATES
    • Added platform information in the social panel. It is now clearer when a friend who is playing VALORANT is on a different platform.
  • BUG FIXES
    • Premier
      • Fixed an issue where the playoff results text on the standings page was always displayed in English.
      • Fixed an issue where the team page was showing the wrong background.
      • Fixed an issue where changing the Stage in the dropdown on the standings page sometimes wouldn’t refresh the content.

Console VALORANT – patch notes 9.02

  • GENERAL UPDATES
    • The ‘Keep Player Centered’ minimap setting will now be forced on for minimap zoom levels above 1.0. This prevents non-centered minimap views from getting into an unusable state for high zoom levels.
  • AGENT UPDATES
    • Toggleable Abilities: Select abilities which require you to press and hold a button down can now be set to ‘Toggle,’ allowing you to press and let go of the input to steer the ability freely while it’s active.
      • The following abilities can be set to Toggleable in the Agent Profile Settings:
        • Harbor: High Tide
        • Phoenix: Fire Wall
        • Skye: Guiding Light
        • Neon: High Gear
          • High Gear’s description in the Ability Info Panel has been updated to match the ability’s bindings.
        • Sova: Hunter’s Fury
          • Hunter’s Fury applies less drag on your controls, allowing more control over the charge’s duration.
  • MAP UPDATES
    • Icebox enters Competitive, Unrated, Swift Play, and Deathmatch queues.
  • SOCIAL UPDATES
    • The in-match scoreboard now has voice control shortcuts. You can now open the scoreboard and press a button to quickly mute other people or switch voice channels.
    • Added audio to social notifications. Now when you receive a friend request or party invite you’ll hear a notification sound.
    • Added party information to the social panel. The friends list now shows the number of people in your friend’s party and the remaining open party slots.
  • BUG FIXES
    • General
      • Fixed an issue where you can lose input when interfacing with the surrender vote system.
      • Fixed an issue where unbound inputs displayed incorrect controller bindings.
      • Fixed issue where megamap sometimes rotated when spectating other people after dying.
      • Credits are now localized properly in the tutorial.
      • Fixed an issue where the weapon wheel was not displaying the correct inputs when changing controls in individual Agent Profiles.
    • Gameplay Systems
      • Fixed an update with timestamp and ability status text overlapping in Combat Reports.
      • Fixed “Self” and “Ally” not localizing in Combat Report text.
      • Fixed overrun texts in Combat Reports for Indonesian localized texts.
    • Performance
      • Fixed a performance issue when changing controller presets.
    • Social
      • Fixed a bug where you could not remove someone as a friend while in match.
      • Fixed a bug where your presence sometimes would not update after a match.
      • Fixed a bug where social systems would sometimes not respect block.
      • Fixed a bug where your name would sometimes display in match even when you have set it to hidden.
    • Weapons
      • Mitigated an issue when using scoped weapons where your sensitivity would sharply increase at the beginning of scope zoom-in transitions.

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2024-07-30 17:40

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