Major Operator nerfs in next VALORANT update

Riot Games developer Nick Wu explained that VALORANT’s Operator, commonly called the Op, will see major nerfs. This information comes from an interview with Team Liquid’s Lucas “Mendo” Håkansson where they spoke about what’s next for VALORANT.

Operator Nerfs and Changes

Given that it’s become something players hated to see, it was time for a change. During the interview with Mendo, Wu spoke about Riot’s plans and even gave the details on upcoming Op nerfs.

Price increased from 4500 to 5000
Scope Movement Speed decreased from 76% to 72%
Scope Deadzone increased from 30% to 50% movement speed – less accurate aim sooner after moving; accurate normalizes after 2.2 seconds.
Fire Rate increased from 0.75 to 0.6
Equip Time increased 0.3s to 0.5s
Leg Shot damage decreased from 127 to 120
After landing from a jump, aiming is not accurate for a longer period

The biggest nerf to VALORANT’s Operator comes in its cost, which will increase by 500. Now costing 5000, it becomes much more difficult to buy the gun, especially in early rounds. Since a player’s total bank is only 9000, those looking for an Op must spend over half their credits. Reducing how easily a player can buy the Op certainly reduces how often it’s seen.

Another notable change comes in the form of readying the Op. In the next VALORANT update, the gun takes longer to equip and takes much longer to reach normal accuracy after moving. This makes a big difference when defenders try to defuse the Spike. Now when tapping the defuse to bait out any attackers, the Operator nerfs will take 2.2 seconds to gain proper accuracy.

I had the pleasure to get to talk to @Nickwusmith about upcoming OPERATOR changes, I got to ask a bunch of nerdy and in depth questions about balance philosophy, I brought up community ideas and even some of my own!

Watch here: https://t.co/KeCcaZCyxa

— Liquid Mendo (@Mendo) September 28, 2020

VALORANT Op too OP

As one of the game’s most iconic weapons, the Op is a popular gun used by many. Although it’s the most expensive weapon in the game, the high-risk high-reward style of play often brings it to players’ hands. Able to one-shot kill nearly anywhere on a player’s body, it’s arguably the most popular gun to use after the Vandal and Phantom. Even esports players and casters have their own opinion on VALORANT’s Operator and upcoming nerfs.

As a Professional Angle Holder ™️ this suite of changes effects me and my daily job of holding C long not all that much.

(Jokes aside, I like the changes even though I happily used the weapon in its unnerfed form)

— Julian Carr (@Pastrytime) September 28, 2020

If Riot Games plans to nerf the popular Operator, that shows how serious the developer is in tuning the game. Unlike its CS:GO counterpart that rarely sees gameplay updates, Riot continues to balance VALORANT ever since its launch in June. Because enough complaints came through about the Op’s power, any gun could be the next victim in a batch of nerfs.

Even though the fan-favorite weapon won’t be as strong as it is now, it shows that Riot listens to its community and fanbase. Every FPS has its own powerful sniper rifle and only time will tell how viable the VALORANT Op is for players. According to Wu, the VALORANT Op nerfs go through next update.

Written by Justin Amin