The biggest changes to Valorant esports in 2023

The 2023 season of the Valorant Champions tour is upon us and it is primed to be one of the best in the professional esports circuit. In line with that, Riot Games has made changes to Valorant that will be beneficial for the circuit. 

Valorant already has two years of international esports experience which is valuable for Riot since they want to make this game on the same level as League of Legends. That is a steep climb but Valorant has the tools to become the world’s most popular esports game.

This is why Valorant changes have been enacted because they are the key to making this game such a solid recommendation for any potential esports fan to watch. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most prominent changes in Valorant esports. 

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The new Valorant Partnership system

For the most part, Valorant’s esports circuit was mostly an open one where the best teams can participate in open qualifiers to make the move to normal regional leagues. This opened up opportunities for teams to make it further in the VCT than ever before.

Orgs are legally partnered with Riot Games

With their experience in League and the first few years of professional Valo, Riot has implemented a partnership system. This is when organisations are legally partnered with Riot itself which allows them to compete in the league while also providing their intellectual property to them.

There will be three leagues across the world with 10 teams in the first year for each league for a total of 30 total teams. There is an Americas league that combines both North and South America, a league for the EMEA region, and lastly an Asian league.

The changes to the second tier 

Since VCT’s top tier is limited to only 30 teams, there were changes made to the second tier of Valorant too. All three regional leagues will have a second-tier competition called the Ascension League which allows orgs to secure a spot for themselves in the VCT for the next two years. 

Riot plans to bump the number of teams in the international leagues from 10 to 14 by 2026. This is an interesting way to do it because it looks like they are saying orgs should prove themselves for the biggest stage. The winners of Ascension over the next two years will retain their spot for two years.

Many Ascencion teams will be competing in 2023 which include some big names: 

• G2 Esports
• TSM
• The Guard
• MITH
• Fokus
   

Valorant map changes are inbound

With the release of Patch 6.0, Valorant has undergone a big overhaul in terms of the maps. Some maps have overpowered spots that need to be fixed while others have some quality-of-life improvements like lighting, removing boxes, and many more. 

For most of 2022, both Bind and Breeze were vital pieces of the Valorant esports scene. They will be suspended for now in favour of the returning Split which was removed from the game in 2022. 

Split returns while Bind and Breeze exit

The change of putting Split back into the map pool is a huge change for Valorant. Split was always a solid map but there were too many bugs and exploits in the game that forced it out. Due to Split changes Valorant has made, the game’s arguably best map is back and better than ever.

Breeze and Bind were also one-sided maps as the latter favoured the more aggressive team. Even defenders had to go out of sites so they could pick up the pace since the map was too dull in terms of tactics and Bind changes Valorant can fix that. 

On the other hand, Breeze is too wide. This has led to some big Valorant Breeze changes in the future because it got stale as players kept using Chamber, Viper, and Jett on that map. Wide maps make aim duels tougher and players are incentivised to play with the best weapons like the Vandal or the Operator. These maps became important parts of punters looking to make wagers because they saw it as a vital factor for the many betting markets.

Lotus’ arrival

The new map, Lotus, has the same concept as Haven. This map has three spike sites which means there are more dimensions to look into. This is a good addition because it diversifies the map veto process because it makes for a more dynamic game to watch for fans and a more fun map to play. 

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Chamber’s massive nerfs

Throughout 2022, almost every top pro player and the team knew how to use Chamber. He was a solid character with impressive skills. His Headhunter was a quicker version of the Sheriff which resulted in more kills for Chamber. 

To add to that, his Rendezvous ability made him elusive as he can keep teleporting in and out of fights. Lastly, his Tour de Force ultimate ability was a stronger and quicker Operator which is huge since he can out-frag anyone with that weapon being used.

Chamber was picked 67% of the time at VCT Champions but now, it will most likely be lowered because more agents will be available including the potential of Phoenix and Reyna becoming top-tier agents again. 

The biggest Valorant weapon changes

Valorant has limited weapon changes but the nerf to Spectre was surprising considering that it was only used by unselfish controllers and teams on an eco-round. Its long-range power was dampened as the shots from 30m or away will have a lower damage with one bullet dealing only 20 HP damage. 

It will be interesting to see if Valorant still has the potential to change damage numbers because, in the past, they had to fix the Stinger, Ares, and Classic to balance the game. Since most of those weapons look more balanced, the game feels more fun to play. There are many ways to implement this change including Valorant price changes or fixing the damage values. 

Minor agent changes

There have been some minor Valorant agent changes across the board. The most well-known is probably Chamber but Sage also took a huge hit. Every time that she heals a teammate, it will reach 100 HP but when she heals herself, it will only reach a maximum of 30 HP healed. 

Before Champions, Skye’s Guiding Light flash was also changed which added a delay. This was a jarring change for some but with a few months under players’ belts, they have gotten used to it.

How the VCT 2023 schedule looks like

The 2023 VCT will kick off with a bang because of VCT Lock In Brazil. This is where all 30 partnered teams will play in São Paulo, Brazil from February 13, 2023, to March 4, 2023. It is a big deal to have this event because it is the kick-off for a historic season.

After that, online leagues will commence with both the Challengers, Ascension League, and Game Changers. There will be multiple VCT Masters this year but the only confirmed one this year is Masters Tokyo in Japan. 

Champions will be the final event of the year for the VCT just like what has happened in the first two years of the VCT circuit. 

All Valorant changes are for the best

Valorant is filled with some of the most exciting esports events. These changes that have been made for the 2023 VCT will be important in the long run because this is the first year of massive change for Valorant and it will leave a framework for the rest of Valorant’s lifespan as an esports game. 

Make sure you are aware of these changes so you can consume the VCT circuit in 2023 while you play your favourite slot games here because it is set to be one of the best esports years of all time.

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Words: Pocholo Magsino