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Valorant update 2.04 patch notes tweak competitive mode and introduce Astra

Riot Games' has released the patch notes for Valorant update 2.04.

Donovan Erskine

March 2, 2021 3:00 PM

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Valorant has recently kicked off Episode 2 Act 2, bringing about a new battle pass, a new competitive season, and a new Agent. All of these changes come courtesy of the game’s latest update, patch 2.04.

Valorant update 2.04 patch notes

Riot Games shared the official patch notes for update 2.04 when Episode 2 Act 2 began on March 2.

Competitive updates

• This patch marks the start of Competitive Episode 2: Act 2!
• Placements have changed for the start of an Act. Now, if you have already placed this Episode, then:
• Your rank will no longer be lowered at the start of an Act
• You’re only required to play 1 placement match to display your rank
• Players who have not previously placed in Competitive this Episode will still need to play 5 placement games to earn their initial rank.
• Radiant will be more challenging to earn. You must achieve a certain level of RR before being able to ascend to Radiant. This is adjusted per region based on rank population size and RR distribution.
• Regional requirements for Radiant cut off:
  LATAM & KR: 100 RR
  BR: 200 Rank Rating
  NA & APAC: 300 RR
  EU: 400 RR
• You can now queue with a wider group of friends and teammates if you are at the lower ranks

Quality of Life

• Added Tactical Voice Over
• Additionally, we’ve added an option to place Tactical VO messaging into the Chat window
• Improved Client framerate by 3% on average for medium to high spec machines in 10-player games, by optimizing inventory management

One of the most notable changes in this patch is the reworking of the way competitive disparity works. Now players from Iron 1 up to Silver 3 can all play together, which Riot Games hopes will combat players’ smurfing in order to play with friends. Another neat addition is tactical callouts, where the Agents will be more descriptive when alerting others to an enemy or spotted spike. This will be helpful in situations where players aren’t very communicative, or if a player has to mute a teammate.

Valorant update 2.03 also introduces Astra, the game’s newest Agent, who we recently highlighted.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_