Valorant Patch 4.00 is live, introducing the high-speed duelist Neon, key map adjustments on Icebox and Breeze, weapon balance tweaks, and competitive safeguards. As dedicated Valorant analysts with years tracking Riot's updates, we've broken down the essential changes below.
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Valorant 4.00 Patch Notes
This update delivers Neon's roster debut, vital bug fixes, substantial map reworks, and weapon refinements for balanced gameplay.
Map Changes
Icebox
- Double cover stack at Short A reworked to eliminate a dominant one-way smoke spot, easing attacker pushes while keeping defender options viable.
- Sentinels can still control the area effectively.
- New small bench added for initial visual confusion.
Breeze
- Main A choke widened, removing the 50/50 guesswork.
- Two-crate stack added in A cave.
- Site A back cover adjusted; pool extended to rear wall.
- Middle curved wall refined.
- Site B pillar cover added; back site walled off with new B wall crates.
- B door won't reactivate mid-animation.
Competitive Updates
- New accounts must hit level 20 before queuing for Competitive.
- Existing Competitive players below level 20 retain access.
Weapon Updates
Melee
- Right-click hitboxes expanded 1.5x; left-click now larger with slightly extended range.
- Center targets prioritized for precision strikes.
- Wall cuts now show instant client-side feedback.
Spectre
- First-shot inaccuracies shifted earlier (bullets 3, 6, 8 vs. 4, 7, 10).
- Run/jump/ascender recoil multipliers up from 1.25 to 1.5.
- Yaw protection while spraying reduced from 8 to 5 bullets.
- Yaw recovery time cut from 0.24 to 0.18 seconds for more frequent adjustments.
Ares
- Top twirl pattern removed.
- Fire rate boosted from 10 to 13 RPS.
Guardian
- ADS fire rate penalty eliminated.
- Added pre-recovery chip for smoother follow-ups.
Bulldog
- Hip-fire rate up from 9.5 to 10 RPS.
- Burst recovery improved from 0.4 to 0.35 seconds.
- Reduced recovery enhances burst fire reliability.
Bug Fixes
Game Systems
- Signature Kill Counter now updates visually.
Esports Features
- Trainer target swaps with number keys + mouse no longer fail intermittently.
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