Just two weeks after the addition of the Aeris Skinline, Valorant has already released a new patch. This update, called Patch 13.05, teases a new feature, saying “Pick’Ems for Champs soon.” Additionally, updates include “penalties for stream sniping and instalock tools, [along with] future changes to the Agent Gear systems.”
First, Valorant is bringing back Pick’Ems to celebrate their championships in Shanghai. Teams and players are not fully decided until September 24, so players have from September 10 until then to “predict the advancing teams.” If a player is able to successfully predict these teams, they will earn points. If they are able to correctly guess thee exact placement, or players on the team, they will receive bonus points. These points are then tallied on a leaderboard, with winners receiving in game or physical prizes. Participation awards will also be available. Interested players can make their predictions either in game or on the Valorant website, with more updates coming closer to the launch date.
For players concerned about their opponents cheating during matches, Valorant has continued to officially address these issues in Patch 13.05, stating “We’ve started rolling out penalties if we detect usage of stream sniping and instalock tools. Players found using these tools will be subject to temporary game bans that will escalate to permanent with repeated usage.”
In addition, various bugs across all platforms have now been resolved. These resolutions include fixes such as opponents not being be flagged as blinded when an ability does not blind anymore, dissipated smokes will no longer block flashes, and soundsprays now have a set range, as to not interfere with team communication.
The Valorant team has also announced some details for their next patch, sharing that “with the release of Patch 13.06 on September 22, we’ll be revamping the Agent Gear system and the way you unlock items on that progression track. You will still keep the gear you’ve already earned, and you’ll continue to use Kingdom Credits to unlock future gear. But after Patch 13.06, each piece of gear will be tied directly to how much you play the associated Agent. So if you’re currently grinding for Agent Gear on any Agents you don’t usually play, now’s your chance to lock in and get those unlocks.”