Having not checked in on Valorant in recent months, it is not surprising that Riot still isn't quite sure what to do with Viper. This toxin-based controller agent has always been tricky to fit into teams due to her unique fuel mechanic, but with the upcoming patch they are once again reworking her abilities to make her a viable presence in the meta. Currently, Viper can install reusable vision blocking walls and smoke grenades, but they only last as long as she has fuel. Managing the remaining fuel is a hassle when it comes to coordinating with teammates and shooting straight.

To make Viper worth the effort, Riot adds more bite to her poison cloud, making the smoke grenades more maneuverable. Also of note are the Yoru and Bucky shotguns, both of which Riot has buffed to make them more effective in their intended situations. Bucky's changes are particularly interesting, as his primary diffuse fire has been enhanced to better match his ranged, alt-fire.

Highlights of Patch 2.06 include:

Toxin (passive)

Poison Cloud (Q)

Toxic Screen (E)

Snakebite (C)

Blindside (Q)

Gatecrash (E)

Dimensional Drift (X)

Very interested to see how Bucky feels after this change. I like the idea of leaning toward the popular alt-fire mode rather than trying to keep the shotgun's range down to the original up-close design; the average range of the shotgun in the Valorant is not ideal for Bucky's current close-range blast, so I would like to see the range It makes sense to further differentiate it from the Judge auto shotgun by extending the range.

There is another new sound option in the patch notes called Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). The default setting uses a predetermined measurement, which Riot warns "may not feel natural to all listeners at first, depending on how close you are to your own profile," but encourages you to try it out and give feedback.