The Valorant 1.02 patch was released today, finally giving righteous ass-kicking players a chance to throw in the towel, but it looks like ranked mode will have to wait a bit longer, although Riot said over the weekend that competitive play would be implemented with the update, According to a tweet earlier today, it will actually be implemented at a later date.

Fortunately, it looks like competitive play will not be delayed much longer. Game director Joe Ziegler tweeted a few hours later, "We are currently evaluating stability and tracking issues as the patch is applied in different regions. A few hours later, game director Joe Ziegler tweeted, "We're working on a new patch. Will update later today.

The patch made major changes to Viper and small adjustments to Jet, Raina, and Cypher. Maps were changed slightly, with more emphasis on abilities and teamwork to control certain locations, and tagging (the slowing effect that occurs when you are hit by enemy fire) was nerfed somewhat.

"Tagging is intended to reward players who position themselves better or successfully land a bullet on the enemy first. If a player is tagged, he or she is now gradually transitioned to a reduction in tagging speed. In addition, the reduction in tagging speed is slightly more forgiving. If you stay close to cover, you may be able to escape being tagged more often than before. Also, the impact of being tagged should be reduced, especially if you are playing at a higher ping," Riot explained." Tagging over walls should be further reduced, and you should be able to escape reliably if you are shot over a wall."

The HUD and UI have also been changed." This is only a small part of the improvements, but it should push the overall usability in the right direction. The navigation and UI changes are disruptive, so we appreciate your patience as you get used to the new approach."

The HUD and UI have also changed.

The centerpiece of this update, however, is a new early surrender option. There are some restrictions: surrender votes cannot be made before reaching round 8, and teams can only vote one vote per half.

The 1.02 patch also includes performance updates and bug fixes, and some issues will be addressed later. The full patch notes can be found at playvalorant.com.