VALORANT Patch 13.00: Summit and Sentinel Buffs

VALORANT is entering Act 4 with several key upgrades in Patch 13.00. Sentinels and Initiators are receiving major buffs, and the new map Summit will shake up the Competitive meta. Plus, matchmaking adjustments should lead to fairer games, and users can experiment with a new Retake gamemode. Many of these changes, such as Immortal+ competitive improvements and the Fracture map pool removal, address specific pain points from the community. Let’s explore a summary of everything to know.

New Retake Game Mode

Patch 13.00 is bringing a new game mode to VALORANT players. It’s called Retake, and the studio describes it as a ‘fast-paced 3v3 spike mode built around constant post-plant action.’ The mode simulates retaking the plant site in-game as Defender (not gonna lie, some of y’all random teammates need this practice).

The Retake mode should be immediately available when the Patch launches. Here’s a quick list of its key features:

• Retake is 3v3 instead of VALORANT’s typical 5v5.
• Attacker and Defender side swap every round.
• The first team to 5 rounds wins.
• There is no eco. Weapons automatically upgrade every round.
• Retake has a map pool of Ascent, Bind, Haven, Summit, and Sunset.

Better Competitive Matchmaking in VALORANT Patch 13.00

Riot Games is reportedly improving matchmaking in VALORANT’s next patch to prioritize even teams. The studio writes, “Now that the MMR changes we made earlier this year have has some time to settle, we’re adjusting our RR calculations so you feel a little less stuck if you are consistently winning matches.”

The changes should ensure more players face opponents within a 1 division range from them (for example, Silver to Gold, or Gold to Plat). They should be most significant for players above Immortal.

This adjustment notably arrives after several pro players and streamers, including Dasnerth, went viral on X.com for posts criticizing the game’s current competitive state.

Patch 13.00: Big Buffs for Sentinels and Initiators

In the Creator Showmatch after Masters London, we saw VALORANT’s new map, Summit, for the first time. It has a strong lore relationship with Sentinels like Sage, and its wide-open sites will make good Initiators absolutely brutal to play against.

Indeed, the two roles are getting major buffs in this Patch. Sentinels and Initiators will be much stronger in 13.00. Notably, Sage’s self-healing has doubled from 50 to 100%, significantly increasing her power in the meta. Here’s a quick list of which Agents are rising up:

Cypher

• Trapwire windup .9s > .7s

Deadlock

• Gravnet cooldown 60s > 50s

Killjoy Buffs in Patch 13.00

• Turret fire rate increased 50%
• Alarmbot movement speed increased 50%
• Nanoswarm duration 4 > 5s

Sage

• Max self-healing doubled from 50% > 100%

Veto

• Interceptor reclaim cooldown 30s > 20s
• Crosscut usable area 24m > 30m
• Arm time after placing 1.5s > .75s

Breach

• Fault Line cooldown 60 > 50s

Fade

• Signature ability cooldown 60 > 50s

Gekko

• Post-reclaim cooldown for all abilities 20 > 15s

KAY/O

• ZERO/Point cooldown 60 > 50s

Skye

• Guiding Light cooldown 60 > 50s

Sova

• Recon Bolt cooldown 60 > 50s

Omen

• Minor audio changes to make Shrouded Step teleport easier to locate.

Weapon Changes: Bandit Buffs

The Bandit is VALORANT’s newest gun. This mini pistol packs a punch, as it has higher damage potential than the Ghost and rewards headshots while being more eco-efficient than the Sheriff. After its introduction, players gave it quite favorable reviews. In Patch 13.00, the Bandit receives several reliability buffs.

• Recoil spread recovery time: .45s > .4s
• Tap efficiency: 3 > 4
• Max pitch recoil: 4 > 3

VALORANT Patch 13.00 Map Pool: Fracture Out?

VALORANT’s competitive map pool will be changing in Patch 13.00. Fracture and Pearl are both leaving the rotation. Fracture is quite a controversial map in the community. Its mid-section spawn and ziplines make it easy for enemies to flank. Every player knows the struggle of immediate Breach utility dumped in A-main, and holding site as Sentinel is a struggle against Initiator-heavy pushes. Pearl is less controversial, but has been chilling in the competitive queue for a while.

The new map, Summit, and LA-inspired Sunset are popping in instead. Summit will feature open bomb sites and unique vertical positions. Sunset is well-known for its massive mid-map area, which is crucial to control for wins.

So, to summarize, the VALORANT 13.00 Map Pool is:

• Summit
• Sunset
• Abyss
• Breeze
• Corrode
• Haven
• Split

When is Summit in the Competitive Queue?

It’s important to note that Summit will not join the Competitive queue right away. The map will cycle in after some time in an exclusive queue, so players can get used to it. In addition, Summit losses will have a 50% RR reduction during its first two weeks in the pool.

New Map Summit

Summit is the newest VALORANT map, revealed in a Creator Showmatch after Masters London. The map has extremely long and wide hallways with rat corners. In addition, its sites are open with very little cover. There is also a door that can crush you to death if you’re underneath it when it closes. Check out our Summit agent guide if you’re stuck on who to pick!

Summit has a lore connection to Sage, who trained there in her youth. It’s inspired by the mountains of China, and has a muted yellow and jade-green aesthetic.

When Summit first arrives, it will appear in a new Summit-only gamemode. This mode will last for several days and allows players to learn the map without worrying about competitive RR repercussions. Even when Summit joins comp and deathmatch, it will include a 50% RR reduction for two weeks.

Stay tuned for more VALORANT news from EsportNow. In addition, players can view Riot Games’ official Patch Notes with full changes here.