VALORANT Patch 13.02: Phoenix Nerf, AROS Delayed

Summer is heating up, and the VALORANT team is dropping a key update to the game. This Patch includes a highly-anticipated Agent nerf, several quality-of-life changes, and more. Plus, there’s news on AROS: Replication. Let’s recap the Patch 13.02 contents.

VALORANT Patch 13.02 is Here

VALORANT Patch 13.02 is bringing notable quality-of-life changes, a big announcement, and a nerf to one of the game’s most broken Agents. Yes, a Phoenix nerf is coming, and the dev team has given the community an update on AROS. Here’s a quick summary of what to expect before we dive in:

• Phoenix is getting nerfed.
• AROS: Replication has been delayed.
• The Retake map pool is expanding.
• Several bugs on Summit with ability interactions are fixed.
• Several Agent ability bugs and visuals are fixed.

Phoenix Sees a Big Ultimate Nerf in Patch 13.02

For the past few months, Phoenix has reigned as the dominant duelist in VALORANT’s meta. Part of this is because he’s extremely strong on Summit, the game’s newest map. However, he also has some of the best team value and his utility is extremely versatile. Phoenix can slice up sites and entry with his wall and flash, comfortably lurk with his self-heal, and halt site pushes by using his molly as stopper utility. His Ultimate is also one of the most broken in the entire game, allowing him a chance to cheat death and take aggressive fights without being traded.

Esports fans saw how insane Phoenix is in VCT recently. In late July, Team Vitality‘s Derke was spotted using 6 Phoenix ults in just 11 rounds, a truly… fascinating number. Indeed, farming ult orbs and Spike plants could get Phoenix his Ultimate in only 6 points.

VALORANT devs have listened to the community on this issue. In Patch 13.02, the team is nerfing Phoenix’s Ultimate by increasing its ult point requirement.

• Phoenix Ultimate (Run it Back): 6 Ult Points > 7 Ult Points

AROS: Replication Has Been Delayed

VALORANT announced its AROS “All Random One Site” mode in January. The mode is similar to League of Legends‘ beloved ARAM, which randomizes players’ Champion pools for a truly unique experience in every matchup. The setup strips away the usual predictability. Every round hands you a fresh Agent at random, with no repeats allowed on your team. Plus, only one bomb site stays open per round, so fights turn into fast, chaotic scrambles. Matches wrap up quickly too, since it’s first to five rounds: much shorter than a standard competitive game, and perfect for players in a rush or who just want to warm up before comp.

An AROS Replication spinoff, which locks the whole squad into the same random agent for extra mayhem, had the community excited. Riot originally planned to release the mode following the Patch 13.02 update. However, it has now been delayed, with no set launch date in sight:

“All Random One Site: Replication will no longer [arrive] in this update. We don’t take these decisions lightly as we know a lot of you were looking forward to this mode. We are still targeting a future release date and will let you know when we have more to share.”

Retake Map Pool Changes in Patch 13.02

Riot followed the AROS delay with some happier news for another game mode: the Retake map pool is getting expanded. VALORANT originally introduced the format in June, and every round drops both teams straight into a post-plant scenario. Attackers already have the spike down, and defenders have to carefully clear the site and defuse on a time limit. Rounds fly by in a matter of seconds, so Retake is perfect for warming up aim or working on site-clearing habits before jumping into ranked.

In Patch 13.02, these three maps will become Retake play options:

• Split
• Corrode
• Lotus

Big Bug Fixes

There are tons of bug fixes in this update. Riot has prioritized making VALORANT a smoother visual experience. A ton of the changes focus on UI, minimap, and ability animations, so Agent locations and ability uses are clearer than ever. In addition, the Summit door should no longer have unexpected ability interactions. Let’s just summarize the most important, but you can check out Riot Games’ official Patch Notes here for more info.

• The Summit door will no longer crush Agent utility if it’s already closed.
• Omen’s Shrouded Step has more accurate placement indicators.
• Fixed a glitch with Cypher’s Cage VFX.
• Fixed a glitch where Cypher could disconnect unexpectedly.
• Waylay can no longer clip walls in Icebox.
• Deadlock can no longer capture Omen with her Ultimate while he’s using his Ultimate.
• Fixed a bug that made Vyse’s Razorvine indestructible.
• Fixed a bug where Chamber’s teleport wasn’t working.
• Fixed a bug where Reyna’s Dismiss wasn’t working after eliminating an enemy.

Stay tuned for more VALORANT esports and in-game news.