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Riot Games has dropped the latest patch for Valorant, and while there’s not much in the way of major changes, it does mark the start of the new Ignition Stage testing for the free-to-play shooter’s forthcoming game mode, Premier.
The Premier mode is set to be an even-more competitive ranked mode, meant for the truly best to put themselves to the test and crown themselves the best Valorant players. It’s previously been in an open beta, but this latest stage of testing resets everyone back to zero for the latest round of changes ahead of the mode’s full release coming later in August.
The Premier Ignition Stage of testing kicks off from today, and runs until August 11. Those interested in taking part have until July 20 to enrol, ahead of the weekly matches kicking off from then until the August 12 deadline. The best teams will then go on to play in the Playoff Tournament, taking place on August 13. You can find out more about the Premier game mode in Riot’s handy FAQ over here.
In the meantime, here’s the full list of changes in the Valorant 7.01 patch, courtesy of Riot Games.
Valorant 7.01 patch notes
Agent Updates
- We’ve updated the ability action icons to be more consistent across all Agents and abilities that have a common cast paradigm or output. We’ve also added new ones to where it was necessary. These icons appear above your equipped ability.
- We’ve added voiceover line interactions between Gekko and Deadlock.
Competitive Updates
Premier
- Ignition Stage is live!
- If you played in the Premier Open Beta, first of all, thank you! Second, everyone is starting from scratch with Ignition so you’ll have to make or join a new team this time around, too. Your team and match history will carry over from Ignition to the launch in August though, so choose your team name carefully. (You can’t change it later!)
- Enrollment runs until July 20, so get your team together and make sure to choose a Zone before then. The exact time for the end of Enrollment varies by Zone—make sure to check the schedule in the client for more information so you don’t miss it.
- Matches start on July 20 and run through August 12, with Playoffs on August 13. Earn a Premier Score of at least 375 by then to qualify and to have a chance to be crowned one of the best teams in your Division. (Oh…and get a sweet Premier Champion title and gun buddy, too.)
Player Behaviour Updates
- We added in-game bans for repeated AFK, Friendly Fire, and Queue Dodge in Competitive and Unrated modes.
- People who are text-muted in real time will now also be voice-muted for the entire match.
Elsewhere, on the game, Valorant fans are currently submitting their fan-made designs for a theoretical Barbie crossover.
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