Valorant

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 release date, new Agent, skin bundle & Battle Pass rewards

Nikhil Bahuguna
Vyse in ValorantRiot Games

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 is around the corner with exciting new content in store for players. The latest Act will add a brand-new Agent to the roster and update the map rotation on Valorant for console. It will also offer a fresh new Battle Pass to grind through.

With this in mind, here’s everything you need to know about Valorant Episode 9 Act 2.

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 start date

Episode 9 Act 2 will arrive in Valorant on August 28, 2024, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST. There will be a server downtime near the time of release, so it could be a while before you can jump into the game.

New Agent in Episode 9 Act 2

The latest episode will introduce a brand new Sentinel to Valorant named Vyse. The metallic mastermind uses liquid metal to trap and isolate enemies. Her Abilities include:

  • Arc Rose (E): An invisible blind that can be placed on surfaces and recollected after use.
  • Shear (Q): A hidden wall trap that is activated after an enemy passes through.
  • Razorvine (C): A throwable nest that becomes invisible after landing on the ground. It turns into a molly on being triggered, damaging all players who move through it.
  • Steel Garden (ULT): Jams the primary weapons of all enemies caught in its area of effect, forcing them to switch to their secondaries.

Episode 9 Act 2 Battle Pass

Like always, the latest Act will update the Valorant Battle Pass with a fresh set of cosmetics. You can expect new sprays, gun buddies, player cards, and weapons on both the premium and free tracks.

The premium Battle Pass will cost 1,000 Valorant Points, just like previous passes. You’ll be able to start grinding the Episode 9 Act 2 Battle Pass when it arrives in Valorant on August 28.

New skin bundle

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 comes with a new store bundle named Nocturnum. As the name suggests, the skins are dipped in dark fantasy elements and take inspiration from mystic rituals. From the custom animations to the sound effects, there’s a sense of eerieness baked into the bundle.

The Nocturnum bundle comes with skins for Phantom, Bulldog, Marshall, Classic, and Melee. The Melee is especially cool as it can transform from a scythe into a dagger.

Valorant Episode 9 Act 2 update patch notes

Here are the full patch notes for the upcoming Act:

All Platforms

General Updates

  • The Unlimited Abilities cheat will now add 100% fuel and remove any fuel consumption from Neon’s High Gear, Skye’s Regrowth, and Viper’s Toxic Screen and Poison Cloud

Agent Updates

  • Vyse goes live!
    • Vyse will be released to regions in a staggered rollout starting from 8/28 at 1 PM PT.

Player Behaviour Updates

  • We will be issuing a behavioral manual evaluation to players who have a pattern of engaging in comms abuse in order to create a healthier comms experience in VALORANT.

Bug Fixes

  • Skye
    • Seekers
      • Fixed an issue where Seekers would not consume Ultimate Points under certain conditions.
  • Neon
    • High Gear
      • Fixed an issue where Neon could slide into the barrier at the beginning of a round and get a free slide charge.
        • NOTE: This was fixed in 9.02, but we forgot to patch note it. Thanks Reddit user BhatsterYT!
  • KAY/O
    • Flash/Drive
      • Fixed an issue with Flash/Drive showing a second explosion if it is thrown behind a wall.

Gameplay Systems

  • Combat Report
    • Fixed an issue where spike icons would not show on the combat report when killed by spike explosion damage. 
  • Fixed a minimap issue where parts of the minimap were not covered by Nearsight abilities if the player leaves the area they were affected in (such as using the Bind teleporters).
  • Fixed an issue where the scoreboard would show a white box icon on a disconnected player if they disconnected from the game.

Maps

  • Abyss
    • Fixed several areas around Mid and A Site to prevent agent abilities from going through walls.
    • Updated the pre-round barriers around the edges of the map to be more visible.
    • Updated an area around B Main to prevent agents camping spots out of bounds.
  • Icebox
    • Fixed a geometry gap in A Main.
  • Lotus
    • Fixed a visual issue where agents were floating next to the rope when using the ascender line.
  • New Player Tutorial
    • Adjusted and fixed lighting around the New Player Experience Haven level.

Known Issues

Agents

  • Sova
    • Sova’s Hunter’s Fury does not always play the minimum blind effect on opponents when the damage lands. This will be fixed in patch 9.05.

PC

Gameplay Systems Updates

  • Adjusted tactical timeouts rules in Premier and Tournament Mode Custom Games
    • Teams now have 2 tactical timeouts that they can call at any time
      • Previously, teams could call 1 tactical timeout per half
    • If the game goes into OT, each team is given 1 additional tactical timeout.
  • Combat Report
    • Pressing M3 now will open up the additional details panel of the combat report (previously Tab+M3).

Bug Fixes

Premier

  • Fixed an issue where the schedule would sometimes scroll inconsistently when collapsing/expanding weeks.

Console

Agent Updates

  • Sova
    • Hunter’s Fury
      • There are now reduced spikes in rotational speed after firing each shot of Hunter’s Fury.
  • Astra
    • Cosmic Divide
      • Cosmic Divide’s wall placement now prioritizes player input, allowing you to better control the placement of the ability.

Map Updates

  • NEW MAP! “Split” enters Unrated & Swift Play queues.

Competitive Updates

  • We added the Season Dropdown to your Act Rank and Leaderboard pages so you can check out your previous Act Rank History.

Bug Fixes

General

  • Fixed an issue that could cause you to be unable to swap to your Primary or Secondary weapon on the Traditional Control preset.
  • Fixed an issue where the ability bar icons would be misaligned when unbound.  
  • Fixed an issue where incorrect text prompts could appear during a surrender vote.
  • Fixed an issue where D-Pad and Stick inputs could change toggleable settings. 

Competitive

  • Fixed an issue where sometimes ranked updates in Match History page do not display.
  • Fixed an issue where viewing players on the Leaderboard would display a missing player card
  • Fixed an issue where side elements in the Leaderboard page could not be navigated to after leaving a game.
  • Fixed an issue where an observer would see an empty summary screen after finishing a custom game.
  • Fixed an issue where the last match when viewing a friend’s career would be incorrect.

Gameplay Systems

  • Combat Report
    • Fixed an issue with Combat Reports flickering after respawning in Team Deathmatch.
    • Fixed an issue with Combat Reports overlapping with the Victory/Defeat ceremony if the player is dead at the final round.
    • Fixed a bug with Combat Reports not showing up after force closing the game and reconnecting to the match.

Known Issues

  • Vyse
    • Vyse’s damaging abilities display incorrectly in the Combat Report. 
  • Gameplay Systems
    • Surrender Voting
      • You can close the voting notification popup by pressing the Circle / B button. This will result in you not being able to participate in a vote, and you will eventually default to a ‘no’ vote after timing out. 
      • Button icons appear in the bottom right corner of the screen while the voting popup is active. These can block some other UI elements until voting ends.

While you wait for the new Episode of Valorant, take a look at the crosshairs used by the pros, and which are the best Agents to pick.

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