Valorant Patch Notes 2.06 Update: Viper and Yoru Getting Major Buffs
Published: Mar 31, 2021 - Last Updated: Jul 19, 2023
Riot promised changes for Viper and Yoru, and they finally delivered. The new Valorant 2.06 patch notes just came out, and they bring exciting new adjustments we can look forward to. As already mentioned, Yoru and Viper are getting buffed, so we’ll probably see them picked more in competitive play from now on. It remains to be seen how severely these buffs will impact the game’s meta, but rest assured that you can find your Valorant betting tips and predictions all in one place!
As far as weapon changes go, Bucky is getting a nerf. Without further ado, let’s dive right in and see what surprises Riot has in store for us.
Viper and Yoru Changes
Viper has been one of the most neglected Agents in Valorant, and didn’t find much play in the competitive scene. Of course, there are teams that are willing to step outside the meta once in a while, but we haven’t seen Viper be picked consistently.
This new patch enhances her toolkit and focuses mainly on boosting her toxin damage. Her toxin decay is massively buffed, inflicting 50 decay on targets that step into her cloud. Not only that, but the decay level increases the longer they stay in.
This will make Viper an incredible Controller, capable of locking down entire sites. Enemies will have to think twice before attempting to push through the Poison Cloud, but if they opt for another route, Viper can easily redeploy her smoke and quickly adapt to the situation.
Yoru is finally getting some love from Riot. This was an Agent that has immediately been overshadowed by other meta Duelists since day 1. He was barely ever picked in competitive play and has always been considered as the black sheep of the family.
The new buffs address Yoru’s flash, decreasing the activation time and increasing the duration. Gatecrash no longer requires kills to refresh, but instead has a fixed 35-second cooldown. This will make the ability more consistent, and less reliant on good rng.
Yoru’s ultimate has also been reduced from 7 points to 6 points, which means Yoru players will be able to activate the ability more often than before. Still, it remains to be seen if these changes will be enough in order to dethrone the current meta Duelist picks.
Poor ol’ Bucky gets nerfed
It looks like Riot was watching the match between 100 Thieves and Gen.G, and saw the carnage that gMd inflicted on Steel, Nitr0, and Hiko when they decided to push against a lone Bucky. It was a hilarious moment, but also a reminder for Riot that they really had to sort this out.
Bucky’s left-click and right-click spreads were decreased. The damage curve was also adjusted, and the number of pellets in the right-click shot had been cut from 15 to 5. This is a heavy nerf, and the damage is significantly reduced depending on the range between you and your target. It looks like Bucky will be taking a well-earned rest for a long time. It remains to be seen how Bucky’s nerf will impact the shotgun’s play in the competitive scene, most notably at the Valorant Champions Tour.
Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF)
This is a unique feature that Riot is adding in this patch, and it focuses on enhancing your situational awareness.
If you’re wearing a pair of headphones, and have this feature on, a simulated surround sound audio will play and enable you to more easily spot footsteps, reloads, and Deathmatch respawns. This will help train your ear to notice these little details more easily while playing in a high-pressure environment. It’s a welcome change, and we’re curious to know what other quality of life features like this will be coming to Valorant in the future.
