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Valorant has over a dozen playable agents with the mysterious Agent 25 set to be revealed near the end of the month. As with lots of multiplayer games, it’s important that the characters are properly balanced so no one is too overpowered or weak. Improvements can always be made, and Valorant fans right now are debating which agents most need a nerf or buff for the next update.
Riot Games has just begun Episode 8 Act 2. This brought a new set of free and premium battle pass rewards along with much-needed changes to Premier mode. In addition to the beginning of this new episode, Riot Games is set to pull the curtain aside on a new playable character, and this one specific Agent 25 leak has fans ready to main them.
While the beginning of Episode 8 Act 2 has introduced a new battle pass, it also came about with update 8.04. The update 8.04 patch notes include bug fixes for KAY/O and Sage, but some fans want to see more nerfs and buffs in the next and future updates.
Valorant fans debate agents that need a nerf and buff
Reddit user ChampionDeitaLucario started a Reddit asking Valorant fans which characters need balancing. This is in response to the now-concluded kick-off events. Based on the pick rates across all four leagues, the Reddit OP believes Viper is the most obvious candidate for a nerf along with Omen.
In regard to Viper specifically, the Reddit OP says ‘stopping Viper from being able to pick up and reuse her orb is a possible nerf, with nerfs to the decay damage on her wall and orb being another possible chance’. As for Omen, while a nerf is possible, they think the strength of Omen can be fixed if ‘Astra, Brim, and Harbor are made a little stronger, which Viper nerfs might be able to do’.
Away from nerfs and onto buffs, the Reddit OP singles out Astra as the most likely candidate. The argument is reducing her utility cooldowns from 45 seconds to either 40 or 35, and also reducing the reuse time on recalling stars. Lastly, for the Sentinel class, it’s argued ‘Deadlock and Sage need fundamental changes’ such as ‘ the slow being moved to a rechargeable piece of utility and the heal become a “bought” ability’.
In the replies, many fans agreed with the sentiment that Viper and Omen need better competition. One fan said they ‘think Viper’s stopping power on defense is a little too much,’ meanwhile, another fan agreed with the sentiment that doesn’t need a nerf and that Riot Games need to instead ‘buff Astra and Harbor’.
Away from agents named by the OP, another character fans believe needs a heavy buff is ISO. One user said there’s ‘zero chance you see him played in high elo unless it’s a challenge series,’ and one player suggested Riot Games ‘make his Wall actually useful‘ and substantially buff his Shield as right now it’s a huge downgrade from Reyna’s heal.
Other names in the replies include Habor as fans ‘don’t see the point in slowing your own teammates,’ and there’s also the suggestion of Reyna with one fan hilariously saying ‘delete Reyna‘.
Judging by the replies to the Reddit thread, the consensus seems to be that Viper needs a nerf while Harbor needs a buff. It will be interesting how Riot Games balance agents in the next and future updates as nerfs and buffs are always contentious amongst the community as with most other multiplayer games.
For more Valorant, check out our 18 tips on how to get better at the game along with our guide for how to appear offline if you don’t want certain friends knowing you’re playing. We also have guides for how to chat with the team, all, and private, along with how to add friends.
