What is a “nerf”? In video games, it’s defined as anything restricting any aspect of gameplay that performs so well that it makes the game unfair, or even unplayable. Valorant’s agent Neon was the game’s most frequent recipient of community feedback begging for ability nerfs, and in this recent patch 9.11, it seems players finally got what they wanted; however, as information about the update continues to release, players were also met with a nerf that wasn’t what they asked for.
Neon’s nerfs, launching on Tuesday, December 10th, include the following:
- Slide count is reduced to one per match
- Bullet accuracy while sliding is decreased
- Ultimate cost increased to eight
- Ultimate lasts ten seconds more than before
All of these nerfs address every aspect of Neon’s kit that made her such a powerful, dominating agent when it comes to offensive playing. Despite this, fans in the community still have mixed opinions on it; many argue that the nerfs are far too dramatic, and those who have been playing her so far have pretty much wasted their time committing to an agent who can no longer stand a chance in the competitive pool compared to other agents.
However, this isn’t even the most controversial of nerfs. The nerf that no one asked for is:
- Pings will no longer be visible in the real world.
Many players are frustrated with this change because it impacts a very established strategy used in gameplay all of the time: spraying through the smoke. As the patch releases, players will have to find ways to work around these controversial updates.
