Valorant Patch 13.00: Every Agent Overhaul and Bandit Pistol Change You Need to Know

Valorant's 13.00 patch is the game's most sweeping balance update in recent memory, delivering targeted buffs across the entire Sentinel and Initiator rosters, a complete rework of the Bandit pistol's recoil profile, a new map, and a new mode. Here is everything that changed.

Sentinels Get Across-the-Board Buffs

Riot's decision to lift the entire Sentinel class is the headline of 13.00. Cypher leads the list with a meaningful quality-of-life improvement: Trapwire's windup time drops from 0.9 seconds to 0.7 seconds, making the wire faster to arm and harder to dodge during a clutch setup. Killjoy receives arguably the largest single-agent upgrade in the patch. Her Turret's rate of fire jumps 50 percent, Nanoswarm's duration extends from four seconds to five, and Alarmbot now moves 50 percent faster — meaning enemies have a significantly shorter window to destroy it before it can tag them. Veto sees three separate changes to her kit. Interceptor's reclaim cooldown falls from 30 seconds to 20, Crosscut's usable area expands from 24 meters to 30, and the ability's arming time is cut in half, from 1.5 seconds to 0.75 seconds. Sage's Self Heal-Over-Time doubles, increasing from 50 to 100 health. Deadlock's GravNet cooldown tightens from 60 seconds to 50.

Initiator Cooldowns Compressed

The Initiator roster gets a simpler but equally meaningful pass: Sova, Fade, Skye, Breach, and KAY/O all see their signature ability cooldowns reduced from 60 seconds to 50. That single change meaningfully increases how often each of those agents can generate information or disrupt a defensive setup across the course of a full round. Gekko benefits from a separate adjustment: the cooldown after reclaiming any of his buddies drops from 20 seconds to 15, giving him more frequent access to his full kit in extended fights.

Bandit Pistol Rework

The Bandit's core feel has been adjusted through three interconnected stat changes. Recovery tightens from 0.45 to 0.40, tap efficiency rises from 3 to 4, and pitch recoil at maximum drops from 4 to 3. Together, the changes push the Bandit toward a tighter, more controlled tap-fire experience with a slightly reduced recoil peak — a meaningful shift for players who rely on it as an eco-round or pistol-round sidearm.

New Map and Mode

Patch 13.00 also introduces Summit, a new 5v5 map built around droppable walls that opens dynamic line-of-sight options mid-round. Summit and Sunset both enter the competitive queue rotation, replacing Fracture and Pearl. Alongside it, a new 3v3 mode called Retake launches with a pre-planted spike, offering a compact format for players looking for a faster gameplay loop. Patch 13.00 is a wide-angle balance pass rather than a surgical one, lifting an entire class of agents while tightening the Bandit's handling characteristics and introducing fresh map and mode content. Competitive players should expect the Sentinel meta to shift noticeably, with Killjoy and Veto likely seeing immediate upticks in pick rates.