VALORANT’s 9.08 update is here, and the patch notes touch on some changes to the likes of Gekko and the map Sunset.
VALORANT patch 9.08 is the starting point of Episode 9 Act 3. There's a new Battle Pass, a new Team Deathmatch Map, a new shop bundle, and much more. In terms of gameplay instead of content, were getting changes to Gekko and the previously noted adjustments to Sunset.
Let's take a look at highlights of the patch notes, so you know what to expect when the VALORANT 9.08 update goes live.
Changes to all platforms in the VALORANT 9.08 patch notes
Gekko isn't the only Agent receiving some adjustments in VALORANT patch 9.08, but his changes are certainly the most impactful. Here they are, alongside of tweaks to Yoru and a few others.
Agent Updates
Gekko
- Globules
- Reduced time in world from 20s to 15s
- Reclaim time increased from 1s to 1.5s
- Dizzy
- Time active after being thrown and forming is reduced from 1.5s to 1s
- Targeting algorithm updated to be more reliable
- Goop flash now also blinds the minimap of affected players
- Wingman
- Increased the angle of the cone concuss area from 45 degrees to 65 degrees
- Unique visuals added to when Wingman becomes a globule after planting the Spike
- Thrash
- Ultimate points increased from 7 to 8
Yoru
- Various abilities were not interacting properly with Yoru's Fakeout clone
- Blind abilities like Gekko’s Dizzy and Vyse’s Arc Rose will now display the blind effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone as if he was a real Agent
- Vyse will play her Successful Blind celebration lines when blinding Yoru’s Fakeout clone
- Cypher’s Neural Theft will show the Yoru’s Fakeout clone
- Clove’s Meddle will now show the decay effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone
Skye and Jett
- Jett’s Tailwind and Skye’s Trailblazer will no longer stop at the window in Ascent. They will instead bust through and continue movement onto the other side.
Related articles
Map Updates
Here's the big one. We've got the Sunset changes and the update to the map rotation:
- Icebox and Lotus removed from Competitive Queue
- Pearl and Split enter the Competitive Queue
- Sunset's B Site and Mid receive updates
You can check out our piece focusing on the changes to Sunset coming in VALORANT patch 9.08.
PC only changes in VALORANT patch 9.08
The only changes for PC only deal with Premier. This time around, there are zero console-specific changes in the VALORANT patch notes of 9.08.
Premier Updates
A new schedule arrives, as Episode 9 Act 3's Premier season begins. Other adjustments to the competitive mode are here, as well:
- At the end of this Stage, the top 16 teams in Invite will remain in Invite. All other Invite teams will be demoted at the start of the next Stage. These rules are listed on the Standings tab.
- Demoted teams will seed into the zone they originally promoted from. Next Stage, Team Owners can change their zone in the Team Settings dropdown anytime before the team plays a match.
- If your team cannot be placed into a zone at the start of the next Stage, your Team Owner will be prompted to select a zone.
- Divisions other than Invite will not have demotion, and teams will still be promoted or be seeded into a division as normal at the start of next Stage.
- Contender Eligibility updates
- If you have five Contender Eligible players on your team, you are guaranteed to place into Contender Division.
- Contender Eligibility for 2024 expires at the end of Stage E9A3.
- To be Contender Eligible in 2025, you and your team must perform a qualifying action in Stage E9A3 or at any point in 2025.
- Qualifying actions include:
- Play a Weekly or Playoff match on a team in Contender or Invite Division.
- Reach Immortal 3 or higher peak rank in Competitive.
- Play in a Playoff match in Elite 5.
- Contender Eligibility for 2025 expires at the end of the last Stage in 2025.
That does it for the VALORANT 9.08 patch notes highlights. You can read them in full on the official VALORANT website to see what we didn't cover, such as some cosmetic updates.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and VALORANT coverage.
