What actually changes for your next round

A new rifle and a new scoreboard, not a balance patch. No agent ability is retuned in what we checked, the map rotation does not move, and the one weapon change is an addition — so every existing drill and buy habit carries over, and the Warden is the only new thing to learn.

Published 22 September 2026 · checked 23 September 2026

5 rows in this patch

The Warden, a new rifleWeapon drill
Before
Two rifles at 2900 credits: the Vandal and the Phantom.
After
A third — the Warden: automatic, 2x scope, 18 bullets, 50 body damage at all ranges, 200 to the head, 42 to the leg, 6.5 fire rate, 2.5 s reload, Medium wall penetration.
So A full buy now has a third answer, and its 2x is the most zoom on any rifle — the Guardian has 1.5x, the Vandal, Phantom and Bulldog 1.25x. The same 50 at every range means a long angle costs it nothing — the trade is its 18-round magazine.
Retest In the Range, put the Warden and the Vandal on the same far bot and count shots to kill on body. Then decide which angle each one is for before you spend 2900 on it.
Flashes on possessable abilitiesAbility behaviourTejo · Sova · Gekko · Cypher · Skye
Before
Exiting a possessable ability at the exact moment an enemy flash went off left the agent unflashed.
After
The agent is flashed.
So Leaving a possessed ability at the instant a flash goes off no longer dodges the flash. If you relied on that timing, you were relying on a bug.
Retest In a custom game, have a friend flash as you exit the possessable ability and confirm you are flashed — then drop the exit-to-dodge habit.
Cypher Trapwire after death or suppressionAbility behaviourCypher
Before
A trap reactivating at the moment Cypher was killed or suppressed could look active.
After
It no longer looks active.
So A wire you see after Cypher is down, or while he is suppressed, now tells the truth about itself.
Retest Nothing to drill — read the wire as it looks.
Performance Score replaces ACSNo gameplay impact
Before
Average Combat Score ranked the scoreboard and picked the MVP.
After
Performance Score, 0 to 500, does — in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay and Premier.
So The number at the end of a match now counts more than damage and kills. A game that felt good and scored low is worth reading on the End of Game screen, which says what moved it.
Retest Nothing to test in a round — read the End of Game breakdown once.
Agent MasteryNo gameplay impact
Before
Agent Gear rewards were unlocked the same way for every agent.
After
Each agent has its own Act levels, Lifetime levels, Reward Track and Agent ID; rewards already unlocked are kept.
So Nothing about a round changes. Progress now follows the agent you play.
Retest Nothing to test.

What did not move

Agent ability costs, charges or numbers
Damage, price or recoil of any weapon that existed before
Map geometry and the competitive rotation
Round economy and loss bonus

This is a record of what we checked on 23 September 2026, not a claim about the whole note. Nothing above needs retraining — keep the drill you already have.

Worth a custom game

Everything else defaults to “no retest indicated”. Ticking is for you; nothing is stored.

Already dated ahead

Patch 13.08announced in the 13.06 noteMap Rating, and changes to the Mode Select screen. Nothing to prepare for; it is here so a plan made today knows its shelf life.
Patch 14.00announced in the 13.06 noteCompetitive Flex and updates to the Radiant experience.

Official images

Game data and media via IGDB · igdb.com

Patch 13.06 · Act 5

Built from

valorant-api.com 29 agents · 116 abilities · 20 weapons · 13 maps
Riot patch 13.06 published 22 Sept 2026, checked 23 Sept 2026
Round economy two independent guides, both dated
Editorial ability jobs, buy reading and drill pairings — ours
Patch 13.06 every row above is Riot’s own note, checked 23 September 2026 — the consequence and the retest beside each one are ours