Valorant has finally released its 12.09 patch, and it brings some major changes to the game. Neon has finally received some major nerfs to her mobility. Although she will continue to remain strong, this definitely levels the playing field with the other characters. Alongside that, the update also brings big shotgun changes, which can definitely mess up your plays if you don’t double-check the numbers. Here are the full Valorant patch notes 12.09, so that you know the exact changes.
Valorant Patch Notes 12.09 Key Highlights
- Neon has been nerfed: A big change to Neon’s mobility, giving her a greater resource tradeoff on High Gear. Definitely check out our Valorant Neon guide to know how to play her best after the new changes.
- Shotgun changes: Less accurate while moving or standing, and higher accuracy when crouching.
- PC performance update: Added support for AMD Anti-Lag 2.
- Bug fixes: A huge number of bugs, on all devices, have been patched in this update.
Agent Updates in Valorant Patch Notes 12.09
This Valorant patch mainly focuses on Neon, who has finally been nerfed in the game. This was long overdue, and Riot has finally done it. So, how was she nerfed? Let’s find out:
Neon
- Jumping with High Gear active no longer provides any speed bonus while Neon is airborne. Instead, Neon’s air speed while sprinting will match melee speed.
- Fuel will only regenerate with a kill when Neon’s ultimate is active – Fuel will still regenerate passively.
- Improved VFX to more clearly communicate the direction and origin of her slide.
Competitive Updates in Valorant Update 12.09
Riot is testing MMR changes for modes other than Competitive, Unrated, and Swiftplay. They plan to provide more consistent matches with better results for players. Based on what they learn, Riot plans to improve Competitive, Unrated, and Swiftplay in the future.
Agents Bug Fixes in Valorant Patch 12.09
- Chamber:
- Fixed a bug where ADS-ing while firing Chamber’s Headhunter created an animation that covers too much of the screen.
- Jett:
- Fixed a visual bug where Jett’s Tailwind was not playing the intended first-person animations when left-handed setting is enabled.
- Fixed a bug where using Jett’s Drift caused performance drops.
- Miks:
- Updated tooltip description of Harmonize.
- Fixed bug where the preview cone for his ultimate would not show unless the ability was fully equipped.
- Sage:
- Fixed an issue where a full health Sage could use Healing Orb on herself while affected by Decay, because she is not actually losing any health. This would consume the ability needlessly, since her health returns to normal once Decay wears off.
- Tejo:
- Fixed issue where the Guided Salvo’s equip idle sound kept playing long after cast.
- Viper:
- Fixed a bug where Sova’s Recon Bolt and Chamber’s Trademark were not affected by nearsightedness in Viper’s Pit.
- Vyse:
- Fixed a bug where possessable drones (Sova’s Owl Drone, Skye’s Trailblazer, Tejo’s Stealth Drone) would trigger the arming audio of Vyse’s wall.
Player Behavior Updates in Valorant New Update 12.09
Riot Text Evaluation system has been improved to better detect and apply penalties for text comms abuse in the following languages: Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Chinese.
Weapon Updates in Valorant Patch 12.09
This Valorant patch passively changes how shotguns behave in the game. Bucky, Pellet, and Judge have all received some big changes, so definitely check them out below, as they will affect the Valorant weapon tier list.
All Shotguns
- All shotguns are now less accurate when moving
- Run, walk, crouch-walk, and jump accuracy has been standardized across all shotguns
- Crouching now provides a 15% accuracy multiplier for shotguns, matching rifles
- Bucky: crouch accuracy modifier increased from 10 >>> 15%
- Judge/Shorty: crouch accuracy modifier decreased from 25 >>> 15%
- Shotguns are now much less accurate while using ropes
- Your shotgun spread will increase significantly when you’re on a rope, especially if you’re moving:
- Standing still: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.075 >>> 0.75)
- Walking: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.09 >>> 1.5)
- Running: Accuracy reduced (spread increased from 0.1 >>> 3.0)
Bucky
- Bucky pellet damage in the 0-8m range decreased
- Head 40 >>> 34
- Body 20 >>> 17
- Legs 17 >>> 14
- Minimum spread increased from 2.6 >>> 3.0
- Walking spread increased from 0.075 >>> 1
- Running spread increased from .1 >>> 2
- Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
- Jump spread increased from 1.25 >>> 4
Judge
- Minimum spread increased from 2.25 >>> 2.5 (This will only apply to PC for now- this spread change will apply to console in Patch 12.11)
- Walking spread increased from .075 >>> 1
- Running spread increased from 0.75 >>> 2
- Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
- Jump spread increased from 2.25 >>> 4
Shorty
- Fire rate decreased from 3.33 >>> 3.0
- Walking spread increased from .075 >>> 1
- Running spread increased from 0.1 >>> 2
- Crouch-walk spread increased from .05 >>> .5
- Jump spread increased from 1.25 >>> 4
PC Only Updates
The Valorant 12.09 patch also brings some PC only changes, optimizing performance and fixing some bugs. Here is a closer look at the changes:
Performance Updates
Added support for AMD Anti-Lag 2, which reduces input latency in certain GPU-bound scenarios. In order to use AMD Anti-Lag 2, you need compatible hardware, with updated drivers from March 9th, 2026 or later.
Bug Fixes
- Agent Neon:
- Fixed an exploit with her Fast Lane where using specific NVIDIA graphics settings impacted competitive integrity. Neon has returned to the game.
- Progression:
- Fixed issue where dailies shown while hovering over the icon did not match the dailies in the End of Game screen.
Console Only Updates
The update also has console-specific changes, but it is mostly about minor bugs. Here is a quick overview of all of it:
Bug Fixes
- Agents
- Phoenix
- Updated tooltip description of Curveball
Known Issues
- Modes
- Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Timer is stuck at 00.50 sec in Overtime phase
- Skirmish 2v2: Ascension and Skirmish 1v1: Ascension – Agent abilities do not show up on the Combat Report in the following round after affecting enemies
So, that’s everything to know about the Valorant patch notes 12.09. Do you like or dislike the new changes? Let us know in the comments below.
