Riot Games today release VALORANT Patch 4.03 which includes a multitude of updates and bug fixes including changes to Brimstone, adjustments to Deathmatch game mode, updating AFK detection and increasing game performance for CPU-bound players among other changes.
AGENT UPDATES
Brimstone
- Brimstone’s ultimate now properly blocks gameplay visibility while active
- You’ll no longer see enemies on the minimap through the ultimate.
- Abilities that require line of sight (flashes, Sova recon pulses) will no longer apply through the ultimate.
MODES UPDATES
Deathmatch
- Removed and in some cases relocated “dangerous” spawn locations
- Improved spawn logic and spawn placement to increase the likelihood that you will be facing each other players in an encounter
- Spawning logic will now favor respawn locations farther away from where you are defeated
- Fixed an issue where the Warm-Up Phase was not using spawn logic properly
- Respawn Time Reduced: 3s >>> 1.5s
SOCIAL UPDATES
- Updated AFK detection in game to deter players from exploiting game modes to farm EXP
PERFORMANCE UPDATES
Global Invalidation
- Global Invalidation provides up to 15% improvement to baseline performance for CPU-bound players
- CPU-bound players are generally mid-to-high spec machines.
- These numbers are based on data gathered from PBE over two weekends (Jan. 22–23, and Feb. 5–6).
- Although we expect a large portion of the player base to benefit from these gains, your machine’s performance may vary.
COSMETIC UPDATES
- Updates to the color of the tile used to display sprays in your Collections
- Some sprays were too close to the color of the original tile and were hard to see properly before actually using them in-game.
GAME SYSTEMS UPDATES
- Added option to return to strongest weapon
- You can now return to the strongest weapon when pressing the “Equip Last Used Item” key or when auto-equipping a weapon.
- To toggle ON, go to Settings >> Controls >> Equipment under “Prioritize Strongest Weapon.”
- This was released in 4.02 but did not make it into the patch notes. My bad!
ESPORTS FEATURES
- Projectile follow is now fixed for observer followers
- Added observer settings toggle to turn Agent portrait on/off
BUGS
Agents
- Fixed a bug where Chamber’s Headhunter and Tour de Force could float away
- Fixed an exploit where, using specific line-ups, it was possible to see inside Viper’s ultimate without being affected by the nearsighted debuff
- Fixed a bug where Viper’s ultimate would sometimes fail to expand through doorways
Social
- Fixed a bug where pressing enter in pre-game wouldn’t focus chat
- Fixed a bug where right clicking a player portrait would not bring up a context menu
Performance
- Fixed a bug where performance stats would be hidden while spectating the Spike
KNOWN ISSUES
Esports Features
- There is a brief flash when swapping into free-cam mode as an observer follower
