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Valorant 1.11 Patch Notes Didn't Mention These Changes To Breach

Players are split on whether or not Valorant's new Breach changes are a nerf or a buff.

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Valorant's latest update is now live following a week-long delay, but the update 1.11 patch notes failed to mention a few key changes made to Breach, the flash-heavy Initiator-class agent. A player noticed and reported one of the changes on Reddit, concerned that it was a bug. Valorant developer u/rycoux responded, listing out the full range of adjustments and admitting that the changes "must have slipped through the cracks" when finalizing the patch notes.

According to the developer, Breach's Fault Line now charges 20% faster and both Fault Line and Rolling Thunder cast 8m away from him. This does not affect the maximum range of either ability, but it does leave a wide gap between Breach and the start of the ability, which you can see in this clip captured by Reddit user u/oDavideo or in our screenshot below. Previously, these abilities would cast immediately in front of you. Breach's full flash time has also been increased from 1.75 to 2, but this was mentioned in the patch notes.

The new 8m gap generated by Breach's Fault Line ability.
The new 8m gap generated by Breach's Fault Line ability.

When asked about the point of the changes, u/rycoux noted, "These are quality of life changes that help his teammates play around his utility a little easier." The official patch notes go into more detail on this when addressing additional flash tuning done to further distinguish Initiator-class agents.

"Initiators create concentrated windows of extremely high threat to help their teams break onto sites," write Riot. "To this end, we are slightly increasing the duration of debuffs from some Initiator abilities (mostly flashes). Our goal here is to increase the opportunity window that Initiator’s teammates have to capitalize on their utility and further differentiate Initiators from Duelists."

Some players are lamenting the changes, particularly the new casting gap, noting that it feels like a nerf. One Reddit user u/JerulEon writes, "I've missed my faultline and rolling thunder on enemies that were super close multiple times. This change absolutely blows."

However, the addition of this gap also means that Breach can more easily group with teammates, execute an ability like Fault Line or his ultimate Rolling Thunder, and push as a group without accidentally damaging friendlies, effectively making the new 8m gap a safety buffer if used correctly. But players remain torn.

You can read the rest of the update 1.11 patch notes in our story or on the game's official blog. Along with these changes, the new agent Skye is finally available to play and the new map Icebox has entered the Competitive rotation.

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