Riot confirms Neon changes as VALORANT’s ranked meta becomes “too flat”

VALORANT Patch 13.06 was the largest in the game’s history, so Riot decided to host a Reddit AMA on Monday where the community could express concerns and ask questions. The first thing that came out of the AMA was Neon’s current power state, as even after the nerfs, the agent still feels frustrating to play against for many people and keeps dominating the ranked queue.

Riot has confirmed that, even after the nerfs, the agent is still too strong by their internal metrics, and that both her win rate and player frustration are key factors. To change the situation, Riot has confirmed they plan to make pattern-level changes rather than nerfs; however, they still aren't ready to reveal what those changes are.

The game’s meta has been pretty much the same for several patches, and even 13.06 hasn’t really shaken it up. That’s why Riot has admitted that there are a few problems to address, as the ranked meta has become too flat. The team wants to create more diversity in how games are played, to reward more macro strategy and different tactical approaches.

That’s not all, as Riot admitted that they overswung on some of the nerfs, for example, Yoru’s. However, major changes to other agents could still come, as the team is considering reworks and larger balance changes rather than small buffs, since some agents can’t really find their dimension, like Miks. An agent cap is not planned to be added, and Riot wants to focus on quality over quantity when adding new agents.

The community shared concerns about the new Performance Score system, as someone thought it could somehow affect MMR or RR. Riot instantly clarified that Performance Score and ACS do not affect MMR and do not determine how much RR you gain or lose.

Riot confirmed that MMR is primarily based on team performance and individual performance in gunfights. Performance Score actually rewards kills as the most important factor; trades count for both players involved. The system considers the context of kills rather than treating them equally; for example, first bloods matter more than later kills.

Riot also addressed several other community concerns during the AMA. The developers said they are exploring ways to give players more control over map selection, although no specific system has been confirmed yet.

Agent Mastery could also receive further changes, with Riot considering ways to expand the system beyond its current rewards and potentially increase the 10,000 Kingdom Credit cap. Overall, the AMA suggests that Riot is already looking beyond Patch 13.06, with several systems and Agents under consideration for future changes.