Valorant patch 1.07 brings huge Sage nerf and much more

Valorant patch 1.07 is significantly bigger than 1.06, with multiple character buffs and nerfs, and several weapon changes as well. Most notably are large nerfs to Sage and some buffs to Breach. The Vandal was also made a bit stronger.

What does patch 1.07 bring to Valorant?

First up, Sage’s heals are being nerfed into the ground. She now heals others for 60 over five seconds, down from 100. Her self heal was also reduced to 60 and even takes ten seconds as opposed to five. Riot aims to reduce the amount of healing done throughout a round of Valorant, and wants to incentivize Sage to self-heal less. But don’t unclench just yet. There’s more.

Her slow orb also got nerfed with a 30% reduction to its size. This should, in Riot’s opinion, make Sage players aim the orb more deliberately. Her barrier orb was made slightly cheaper (from 400 to 300 credits) but spawns at 400 HP. It’ll take three seconds to solidify into its full 800 HP self. A moment of silence for all Sage mains.

Let’s move on to the latest addition to Valorant, Killjoy. Her nano grenade was given a slight nerf, with a wind-up animation before it starts doing damage. The damage in question was reduced from 60 to 40, which should make those defuses a little more manageable when she’s hidden it somewhere.

Speaking of hiding the nanoswarm grenade, it should now also be easier to spot. Killjoy’s turret was improved, as it no longer gets revealed by Sova’s Recon Bolt, and will be more effective at shooting at an enemy’s last known location.

Next up, Viper. Many players consider Viper to be one of the weakest agents in Valorant. (TSM’s James “Hazed” Cobb disagrees, though.) Either way, Viper is getting some buffs. She can now place her Toxic Screen before the round starts, and it’ll activate along its length more quickly. Also, Viper’s smoke ability Viper’s Pit will no longer put Decay on her teammates.

Breach was given a decent buff, with his Flashpoint ability getting an extra charge (from two to three). It also charges up a little faster. Additionally, his Concussion descopes players and prevents them from rescoping, which is hopefully going to help against Operators holding an angle.

Weapon changes: the vandal gets a buff

A whole host of weapons were given some changes, but most notably the Vandal. As a premier rifle in Valorant, the Vandal is often passed on compared to its brother, the Phantom. Riot has now increased the Vandal’s firing rate and damage slightly to nudge the balance back towards the middle: “Goal is to bring the Vandal in closer competition with the Phantom. We believe these weapons aren’t that far off in competition and hope these changes will do that.”

Shotguns were given an overall nerf, as getting hit by a shotgun over 10 meters away will now apply a weaker slow. On top of that, the Shorty had its range reduced, while the Judge had its price increased from 1500 to 1600. However, Riot will keep a close eye on the latter to see whether it’ll be enough.

There’s a bunch more smaller stuff, quality of life changes, and bug fixes coming, so for the full scoop, check out the official Valorant 1.07 patch notes.