The next Valorant update may be one of the most meta-changing we've gotten recently. Let's see what Riot has prepared in Patch 5.10, which you can already test on the PBE server!
Cypher was one of the least picked Agents in Valorant for many months now. However, from what we can see in the latest PBE update, this may change and there is a chance he will be a much more frequent pick as the go-to Sentinel Agent. That said, let's see what we are likely to see in the next Valorant update.
- Get ready for the upcoming Cypher buffs with this guide: How to Play Cypher? | Valorant Agent Guide
Valorant PBE Patch 5.10 Notes
General
- Menu Update.
Having heard the pain caused by removing one-click access to most of our menus, we’ve returned that functionality in the form of icon buttons in the universal navigation at the top of the screen. You’ll now be able to jump from Home, Battlepass, Agents, Career, Collection, and Store with one click from anywhere. Not sure what icon is what? Give them a hover - we’ve added tool tips to help you familiarize yourself.
Agent Updates
Cypher
Trapwire
- Maximum Trapwire length increased to 1500 (from 1000)
Neural Theft
- Neural Theft now reveals enemies two times. There is a four-second delay between the reveals.
- Time restriction to cast on enemy corpses has been removed.
- Maximum cast distance increased to 1800 (from 1200)
These above-mentioned buffs are pretty decent, but in our opinion, this is a true game changer:
Quality of Life Changes
- Updated the yellow silhouette used for Cypher’s reveal on Spycam and Neural Theft.
- Yellow silhouette now disappears if the revealed enemy becomes visible to you, to help reduce confusion of seeing two representations of the enemy in different places.
- Yellow silhouette now starts to dimmer and fades faster to make it more distinguishable from an actual enemy.
- Cypher’s placed utility is no longer destroyed by allies’ AOE damage.
The last change is the most significant here. Cypher's utility was always quite strong on its own but was too easy to counter, which will no longer be the case.
Will these changes make Cypher the go-to Sentinel Agent for your ranked games? Well, it's still a long way off, especially since Agents like Chamber and Killjoy still exist. Still, it's definitely a step in the right direction, and although Cypher won't be one of the most played Agents after these changes, he will definitely become a better pick than he was before.
Fade
What we're about to discuss is, in our opinion, the reason why this Patch may be one of the most meta-changing we've gotten in a long time. Fade was the best Initiator Agent we've had in the game, and there's no debate here. However, the nerfs she got are so harsh that we think she will no longer be nearly as good as she was for the last six months.
Prowler
- Prowler will be alive for only 2.5 seconds without a trial (previously 3 seconds)
- Bite delay after reaching target increased to 0.6 seconds (previously 0.4 seconds)
- Nearsight duration on hit reduced to 2.75 seconds (previously 3.5 seconds)
- Prowlers now fizzle out and no longer debuff instead of debuffing their target if they teleported away before it finishes its animation
- Hitbox improvements
Nightfall
- Cost increased to 8 Ultimate Points (previously 7)
And what do you think about all these changes? Make sure to hit us up on our Facebook and Instagram and let's have a conversation about it!
Bugs
Harbor
- Fixed a bug where Harbor’s Cascade would sometimes spawn under the map
- Fixed a bug where Harbor’s Cascade targeter on the minimap would shorten when aiming up or down even though the Cascade would travel the same distance
- Fixed a bug where Harbor’s Cascade targeter on the minimap was slightly shorter than the actual distance it would travel
Astra
- Fixed a bug where Astra could cast a fake Nebula right at the start of a round before her Star charged up.
Known Issues
- Button highlight/coloring state inconsistencies on the new universal navigation buttons for Home, Battlepass, Agents, Career, Collection, and Store.
- Selected universal navigation icons do not navigate to the selected menu when used from any sub-nav menu
Keep in mind that not every single one of these changes will necessarily be implemented in the final version of the game. Some buffs and nerfs may be added in a slightly different form than here because, well, after all, PBE is for testing.