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Valorant update 5.0 patch notes add Pearl map and Ascendant rank

Riot Games has revealed the full patch notes for Valorant Episode 5.

Donovan Erskine

June 22, 2022 7:44 AM

Image: Riot Games

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Valorant Episode 5 is a big one. Not only does the update introduce a brand new map to the rotation while putting another on ice, it also adds a new rank for competitive queues. There are also a slew of other changes and fixes as Riot Games continues its pursuit to keep its tactical shooter as balanced as possible. Let’s dig into the patch notes for Valorant Episode 5 Act 1.

Valorant update 5.0 patch notes

Here are the full patch notes for Valorant Episode 5 Act 1, as shared by Riot Games.

Map Updates

Pearl

• Pearl-only queue
  
  • This queue is a standard, Unrated mode that will give players a chance to practice the new map before they see it in Competitive play.
  • Pearl-only queue will be available for 2 weeks, then after that Pearl will enter Competitive.

Split

• We are temporarily removing Split from the map pool in Unrated and Competitive queues
• There are reasons! You can read more about our decision in our map pool update article.

Competitive Updates

New Rank: Ascendant

• Added an additional rank above Diamond, below Immortal, called “Ascendant.”
  
  • We believe our lower ranks have a few too many of you, especially Bronze and Silver. When we were looking at rank distribution, we realized that if we were to move some of you up and out of those lower ranks, it would overpopulate Platinum and Diamond. So by adding a new rank we can better distribute you across ranks, keep the prestige of high ranks, while helping better define the skill level of each rank.
• Moved the rank MMR targets that determine rank down, due to the addition of the new Ascendant rank, for all ranks below Ascendant. Moved the ranked target for Immortal 1/2/3 and Radiant up.
  
  • These are the cut-offs that say “You should be X MMR to reach this rank”. MMR targets determine your RR gains and help push your rank to match your MMR.
• This means players will go up in rank, if they are below Ascendant.
• To align with our expectations of what it means to be in the highest ranks of VALORANT, Immortal+ players will find it harder to climb back to their previous episode rank. This means Immortal will also have a smaller leaderboard population in all regions.
• Due to the seasonal reset, you may not see a rank increase at the start of the Episode without putting in some work; but the reset will be “less harsh” compared to the last Episode reset. So because we are pushing the player base upwards to fill
• Ascendant, the reset will not hit you as hard.
• Next time we reset ranks it will probably push you down more than this Episode’s reset. Please remember that the “less harsh” reset is unique to this Episode because of the introduction of Ascendant.
• Grouping restrictions for Ascendant are 3 ranks above or below the Ascendant ranked player
  
  • This fits in with our Platinum+ rule set for grouping.
• The highest placement allowed has increased to Ascendant 1 (previously Diamond 1)
• Five stacking 25% RR penalty now starts at Immortal 1 (previously Diamond 3)
• Solo/Duo/5-stack restriction now starts at Immortal 1 (previously Diamond 3)
  
  • Remember, Diamond 3 and above could previously only solo, duo, and 5-stack. This restriction now begins at Immortal 1.
  • By adding another rank we were able to push the Five Stack penalty and Solo/Duo restrictions into Immortal. This makes it more straight forward, Immortal is where the leaderboard starts and because of this we try to hold players more accountable for their standings.
• Due to a naming clash with the new rank, we’ve renamed Sage’s tier 8 Agent Contract unlock—the new Sage title is “Dauntless”
  
  • Renaming this title was not something we chose lightly, but after talking about the title we felt like it was a chance to give the title more meaning to Sage and her personality/theme.

Bugs

Maps

• Fixed a bug on Haven that was preventing players from using their spray on a wall in A Garden
• Shout out to @eminakob for passionately pointing out this bug

Agents

• Fixed a bug where Jett could equip a weapon during Tailwind
• Fixed a bug where Agents revealed by Sova’s Recon Bolt or Fade’s Haunt would sometimes briefly appear in an incorrect location on the minimap
• Fixed a bug where the scope visual effect would sometimes disappear when aiming with Chamber’s Tour De Force

Game Systems

• Fixed a bug where using an Ultimate point orb or defusing the Spike at maximum range could cause channeling and progress bar animations to flicker
• Fixed a bug where the use channeling progression bar does not update if the player disconnects and reconnects during the match
• Fixed a bug where some weapon equips could play the wrong equip speed animation, which could visually misrepresent when you were able to fire. Some situations impacted by this bug were:
  
  • Cypher exiting Spycam
  • Capturing Ultimate point Orbs
  • Canceling and completing Spike plant

Those are the full patch notes for Valorant Episode 5 Act 1. For more on Riot Games' tactical shooter, be sure to bookmark Shacknews' Valorant topic page.

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_