Riot Games has launched Valorant’s 12.00 update, introducing a fresh pistol and numerous agent and map modifications to kick off 2026 with a bang.

A brand-new sidearm, the Bandit pistol, has entered the fray, priced at 600 credits. Sitting between the Ghost and Sheriff in cost, it boasts one-shot headshot potential, offering players a powerful but affordable option for light rounds.

Several agents have undergone notable changes:

• Breach sees improvements with a 20% increase in Flashpoint projectile speed and a wider Fault Line, making his crowd control more impactful.
• Harbor’s abilities have been buffed, extending the slow effects on Storm Surge and Reckoning from 0.6 seconds to 2 seconds, and removing line-of-sight requirements for his explosion effects, enhancing his area control capabilities.
• Sage’s healing orb targeting has been refined for better accuracy, allowing healing even when parts of allies are obscured.
• Tejo receives a mixed update: his Special Delivery concuss duration is reduced, but explosion damage is increased, while his Stealth Drone now reveals fully instead of snapshots, with a smaller pulse radius for improved tactical clarity.
• Vyse’s Steel Garden gets a slight boost in radius and width, addressing its recent underperformance and improving site control.

Breeze returns with the most extensive map rework Valorant has seen, featuring reduced angle complexity, tighter open spaces, and faster rotations for defenders. This overhaul aims to refresh strategies, making old setups less reliable. To assist players in adapting, Breeze RR losses in competitive will be halved for the first two weeks.

Additionally, Haven and Corrode have received targeted wall penetration adjustments to prevent exploitative spots where players could influence rounds by firing through walls with minimal exposure. For example, Haven’s mid window now includes a breakable element to stop early kills through walls, while Corrode’s key surfaces on A and B sites have had their materials tweaked to require more commitment to hold.

The map pool update sees Breeze added to competitive and deathmatch queues, with Sunset removed from both.

A new limited-time mode called “All Random One Site” debuts, featuring 5v5 matches where players receive a different random agent each round, free loadouts, abilities that recharge continuously, and ultimate orbs scattered across the map. The action focuses on a single bomb site that shifts each round, encouraging fast-paced and chaotic gameplay.

Several quality-of-life and security improvements have also been introduced:

• Replays are now available for custom Swiftplay and standard matches, with party leaders able to enable recording in lobby settings.
• Hidden MMR calculations have been adjusted to enhance match quality and consistency.
• EU accounts flagged for sharing, along with all Ascendant+ players, must now enable Riot Mobile Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to access competitive queues, bolstering account security.

The community experience sees a renewed focus with the rollout of the Riot Games Community Pact, which updates expectations for player behavior and reporting categories, alongside stricter and faster penalties for toxic voice and text chat offenses. Players banned for inappropriate Riot IDs will also face restrictions on changing their IDs until bans expire.

Finally, general agent fixes include resolving bugs where ability cooldown bars disappeared for observers and correcting throw animations when aiming straight down.

This comprehensive update establishes a fresh foundation for Valorant’s competitive and casual play, combining tactical shifts, enhanced security, and community-focused measures.Numerous agent abilities have received attention,

including adjustments to Clove's Meddle and Cypher's Cyber Cage.

The competitive landscape sees tweaks with the refreshed Premier stage,

welcoming teams to V26A1 commencing on January 14.

Maps like Haven and Bind have been polished,

addressing unintended wall penetration issues in specific areas.

A revamped home screen layout now integrates seamlessly

with the top navigation found across other client screens.

Queue selection receives a visual overhaul,

featuring new artwork and clearer descriptions for each mode.

Custom lobbies boast an updated interface,

relocating mode and map selection to a more intuitive left-hand panel.

The social experience is enhanced with a redesigned panel,

including a dedicated tab for streamlined friend request management.

Various agent-specific bugs have been resolved,

from Astra's minimap icons to Yoru's ascender animation loops.

Client stability improves with fixes to queue timers

and party leadership transitions during matchmaking.

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