Patch 12.03: Skirmish Goes 2v2, Gekko Adjusted, and Competitive Updates

A short yet substantial patch, focused on a new limited-time mode, targeted gameplay tweaks, and several updates tied to both the competitive ecosystem and esports

Riot unveiled its new patch with changes to Gekko.. Credit: VALORANT/Riot Games

Skirmish Enters the 2v2 Queue, and All Random One Site Reworks Its Loadouts

Launched on Wednesday, February 18, Patch 12.03 introduces Skirmish, a temporary matchmaking mode built around 2v2 play and designed to be as stripped-down as possible: compact maps, abilities disabled, and gunplay only. You can queue solo or with a partner; the first team to reach ten rounds wins, and each round offers full weapon access with no economy, which naturally encourages a faster pace and repeated mechanical engagements.

In parallel, Riot Games revisits the stages and loadouts in All Random One Site to provide players with slightly more agency despite the mode’s intentionally chaotic nature. Several weapon options have been strengthened or redistributed more coherently across stages, and a specific issue has been resolved: Vyse could place Razorvines infinitely during the buy phase, creating abusive setups before rounds even began.

Gekko Gains Flexibility

On the agent side, Gekko has received adjustments in response to feedback suggesting he has felt weaker since Patch 11.08, particularly in the value he can reliably extract from Reclaim. The Globules reclaim window has been extended to allow more time for retrieval, and Mosh Pit is now reclaimable as well, which improves long-round utility management and increases flexibility in how his kit can be cycled.

The patch also adds new voice lines for Viper, refines audio occlusion so it responds to the state of map doorways when they are opened, closed, or destroyed, and introduces a replay setting that lets viewers skip spectating dead players. Finally, in APAC, Riot Mobile multi-factor authentication becomes mandatory for Competitive access for accounts flagged for sharing and for all Ascendant+ players, while Masters Santiago Pick’Ems open from February 19 (PT), and VCT player statistics are now displayed in the Esports Hub.

All platforms

Agent updates

Added new voice lines for Viper, including conversation lines with Omen and Vyse

Gekko:

Since patch 11.08, we’ve heard the feedback that Gekko has felt substantially weaker in comparison to other Initiators with less of an opportunity to play around his Reclaim. These changes aim to unify the ruleset for how all of Gekko’s abilities work, give him more flexibility in reclaiming his Globules, and provide a slight power buff overall.
Globules
Reclaim timer increased 15s >> 20s
Mosh Pit
Is now reclaimable

General updates

Audio occlusion now responds to map doorways being opened, closed, or destroyed.
- When watching Replays, you now have a setting to skip spectating dead players.

Competitive updates

In APAC, accounts flagged for sharing and all Ascendant+ players must enable Riot Mobile multi-factor authentication (MFA) to access Competitive queue. Other modes remain unaffected.
You can check out this article for more information on why we're making this change, or get yourself set up with MFA now using this how-to guide.

Esports features

Masters Santiago Pick’Ems
- Pick'Ems return in style for Masters Santiago! Starting February 19 (PT), you can make your picks for the Swiss Stage in-client and on the web.
- For the Swiss Stage, you’ll be tasked with trying to predict who will advance from the 8-Team Swiss Groups. For extra bonus points, try to predict a team who will make it out flawlessly with a 2-0 record.
- Earn an exclusive title just for playing, but win additional prizes depending on how you fare against other players.
VCT Player Stats
- Player stats are now available on the Esports Hub Teams page. Take a look and see how you compare.

Modes updates

NEW LIMITED TIME MODE
- Skirmish: 2v2 — Skirmish comes to matchmaking as a 2v2 queue for a limited time. Compact maps, no abilities—gunplay only. Grab a partner and put your mechanics to the test.
  - Mode Details
    - 2v2 Matchmaking Queue
      - Solo queue or bring a partner
    - First to 10 rounds wins
  - Gameplay
    - Abilities disabled
    - Full weapon selection each round (no economy)
    - No agent select–hop in and go next fast
  - Available Maps
    - Skirmish A, Skirmish B, Skirmish C
    - Map randomly selected each match
ALL RANDOM ONE SITE
Loadouts
- We've taken a pass on Stages and Loadouts. All Random One Site is chaotic by design, but your loadout should still give you some agency. We've added weapons to a few stages and buffed some of the more niche options—hop in and see what's new.

Bug fixes

Modes
- All Random One Site
  - Fixed an issue where Vyse could continuously place infinite Razorvines during Buy phase.

Know issues

Battlepass
- Hitting ESC will cause the Battlepass elements to disappear/reappear instead of taking you back a page. This will be resolved in patch 12.04.
Store
- The background for the accessories store is currently missing. This will be resolved in patch 12.04.
- The Reaver Bandit is showing up incorrectly as a limited edition item. This is not limited edition and will be resolved in patch 12.04.

PC Only

Progression updates

Refreshed Event Pass & Battlepass
- Updated layout and button visuals. You can navigate through tiers using mouse or arrow keys.