Huge Gekko changes, Sunset map revamp, and more

With Act Two closing its curtains soon, VALORANT Patch 9.08 is all set to inaugurate Act Three of Episode Nine, the final competitive season of the year, promising several exciting meta updates and new content for the tac shooter.

Set to go live on Oct. 23, Patch 9.08 updates Gekko’s kit, revamps the Los Angeles-based Sunset map, introduces a new Team Deathmatch map, and more. Besides disabling the ranked queue for a few hours, Riot Games will perform scheduled server maintenance to prepare for the patch drop. You can download the patch after the maintenance ends.

If you’re looking for the full VALORANT 9.08 patch notes, we’ve got you covered.

All changes in VALORANT’s Patch 9.08

Gekko’s got some nerfs and buffs

Gekko looking at Dizzy in VALORANT — Balancing changes for the Angeleno. Image via Riot Games

In December 2023, Patch 7.12 buffed Gekko by reducing his globule pickup time, significantly strengthening his place in the initiator meta. But, with “little to no downside” for the Angeleno, Riot acknowledges that Gekko’s had it too easy all this, addressing the imbalance in Patch 9.08. But don’t worry, Gekko mains. Our adorable Wingman and Dizzy have received buffs, so cheer up.

To sum up the changes, the globule pickup time for Dizzy, Wingman, and Thrash has been increased, and the time the globule remains in the world has been reduced. Dizzy has received changes to help players better understand her blinding effect on enemies. Wingman’s concuss debuff now affects anyone in a greater cone radius than before. Lastly, you now have to pick up an extra ult point to charge up Thrash. Here are all the changes, in detail:

Globules
- Reduced time in the world: 20 seconds >>> 15 seconds
- Reclaim time increased from one to 1.5 seconds.
Dizzy
- The time active after being thrown and forming is reduced from 1.5 seconds to one.
- Dizzy’s targeting algorithm has been updated to be more reliable.
- Dizzy’s goop flash now also blinds the minimap of affected players.
Wingman
- Increased the angle of the cone concuss area from 45 degrees to 65 degrees.
- When Wingman turns into a globule after planting the Spike there are unique visuals.
Thrash
- Ultimate points increased from seven to eight.

Yoru’s clone gets a makeover (a subtle buff)

According to Riot, Yoru’s Fakeout clone hasn’t been interacting with certain agent abilities correctly, making it easier for enemies to distinguish the clone from the real player. Well, one-tricks, this patch is for you.

With Riot taking measures to fix the unintended, Yoru’s clone should now “properly” interact with other abilities in VALORANT, so players will have a harder time realizing the Japanese trickster’s mind games. Here’s what’s changing for Fakeout:

Blind abilities like Gekko’s Dizzy and Vyse’s Arc Rose will now display the blind effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone as if he were a real Agent.
Vyse will play her Successful Blind celebration lines when blinding Yoru’s Fakeout clone.
Cypher’s Neural Theft will show the Yoru’s Fakeout clone.
Clove’s Meddle will now show the DECAY effect on Yoru’s Fakeout clone.

A crucial map-specific change for Jett and Skye

Jett’s Tailwind (dash) and Skye’s Trailblazer (dog) now break through the glass window on Ascent and continue their movement, instead of stopping after the collision.

A new Team Deathmatch map

VALORANT’s fifth TDM map, Glitch, features a “dual-themed” arena controlled by Max Bot. As its name suggests, the arena is glitched out, so brace yourself for multiple scenarios packed in an exciting warmup session.

A much-needed Sunset map revamp

If you thought Sunset’s defender meta was weird and inflexible, Riot’s efforts in Patch 9.08 should please you. The B Site and multiple locations near it have been drastically revamped to address issues with defensibility and post-plant while providing more ways to play on the site. Check out all the changes here.

The map pool changes we’ve been waiting for

Split and Pearl are back in the competitive map rotation, while Lotus and Icebox have been removed from the ranked experience to accommodate them.

“Clean” cosmetics update

If you thought some weapon skins had a lot going on when scoped in, as pro player Derke did, you’re in for a treat. Riot has updated the scope designs for multiple skins, including the Araxys Operator, Valiant Hero Operator, Reaver Operator, and Gothic Marshal, to make them “clean and less distracting.”

Premier updates

Act Three ushers in a new season of Premier, where the top 16 players in the “Invite” category remain where they are, and the remaining teams get demoted. If you’re in the Invite category at the moment and are expecting to be demoted, these rules should help you get an idea about what’s about to happen:

Demoted teams seed into the zone they were originally promoted from. Next Stage, Team Owners can change their zone in the Team Settings dropdown anytime before the team plays a match.
If your team cannot be placed into a zone at the start of the next Stage, your Team Owner will be prompted to select a zone.
Divisions other than Invite won’t face demotion. Teams will be promoted or seeded into a division as normal at the start of the next Stage.

In addition, if your team aims to hit Contender this season, make sure you know the following:

If you have five Contender-eligible players on your team, you are guaranteed to be placed into the Contender Division.
Contender eligibility for 2024 expires at the end of Stage E9A3.
To be eligible for Contender in 2025, you and your team must perform a qualifying action in Stage E9A3 or at any point in 2025.

To qualify for the Contender division, here’s what you can do: