Valorant Season 2026 Act 4 has arrived, and Riot Games is kicking it off with a massive update. The Valorant patch notes 13.00 introduce the new Summit map, a brand-new Retake mode, significant Sentinel buffs, ranked progression improvements, and several quality-of-life updates.
Whether you are jumping into Competitive, testing the latest balance changes, or learning new Valorant map Summit for the first time, this patch brings plenty of new content to explore. Keep reading for the complete breakdown of everything included in the Valorant update 13.00 patch notes.
The biggest gameplay changes in Valorant patch notes 13.00 focus on Sentinels. Riot believes Sentinels should be better at punishing reckless site hits and anchoring objectives without needing constant support from teammates.
Riot believes Sentinels, among all other Valorant agents, should play a larger role in slowing down aggressive site executes. These changes improve both utility effectiveness and solo site-holding potential.
This is one of the largest Sentinel-focused balance passes Valorant has seen in recent months. Site anchors now have significantly more utility to slow down aggressive executes.
Riot is also giving Initiators more opportunities to influence late-round situations. The signature ability cooldowns for the following agents have been reduced from 60 seconds to 50 seconds:
Meanwhile, Gekko’s ability cooldown after reclaiming his companions has been reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds.
Omen receives a small but important quality-of-life adjustment in this update. Riot wants enemy teleports to be easier to identify during chaotic engagements.
Shrouded Step
The adjustment should make it easier to identify nearby Omen teleports during chaotic fights, reducing situations where players miss important audio cues.
Several agents have received new interactions and updated voice work in Act 4. Riot is also removing older lines that no longer meet its current quality standards.
Riot has also removed a number of older voice lines across the roster to improve consistency and reduce unnecessary audio clutter.
Valorant Summit is the latest map joining the map pool. Set within a Radiant training academy high in the mountains of China, the map features two sites, three lanes, and dynamic walls that can be dropped during rounds to create new pathways and block sightlines.
Summit enters the Valorant Ranked queue immediately. To encourage players to learn the map, Riot is providing temporary ranked protection.
That means experimenting with strategies on the new map carries far less risk than a normal ranked match.
As with every major map release, Riot is rotating maps in and out of the active pool. These changes affect both Competitive and Deathmatch queues.
Added
Removed
These changes apply to both Competitive and Deathmatch queues.
Alongside Summit, Riot has launched a brand-new limited-time mode called Retake. Unlike traditional matches, Retake in Valorant begins with the Spike already planted. One team defends the site while the other attempts to defuse before time expires.
The mode is designed to create fast-paced rounds that emphasize teamwork, utility usage, and clutch potential. Every match throws players directly into a retake scenario.
Match Format
Gameplay Rules
Loadouts
Available Maps
Retake removes the setup phase entirely and throws players straight into high-pressure post-plant scenarios.
A dedicated Summit Only queue is available for seven days following launch. Matches use the Swiftplay ruleset, allowing players to learn the map faster before taking it into ranked games.
Riot is making several adjustments aimed at improving the overall ranked experience. These changes focus on progression speed and matchmaking consistency.
Riot has adjusted RR calculations to help players progress more naturally when consistently winning matches.
The goal is to make players feel less stuck while preserving overall competitive integrity.
For PC players, matchmaking has been updated so both teams are more closely matched by average rank. For example, if one team’s average rank is Gold 2, the opposing team’s average rank should now be within a similar range more frequently.
Act 4 also introduces a new quality-of-life feature inside the Valorant client. The new Inbox system gives players a central place to review important notifications.
Valorant now includes a new Inbox feature that stores important notifications in one place. At launch, Inbox supports:
This makes it easier to revisit important updates without relying on pop-up notifications.
The Bandit receives a small set of balance changes in this patch. Riot wants the weapon to feel more reliable while preserving its precision-focused identity.
Riot has made several changes to improve the Bandit’s consistency outside of pistol rounds.
These changes should make the weapon feel more reliable while preserving its high-skill identity.
Valorant patch notes 13.00 include fixes for several agents and gameplay systems. Notable fixes include:
That completes the full Valorant patch notes for update 13.00. Which changes are you excited to try in the game? Let us know in the comments.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。