VALROANT Patch Notes 5.0: New Map Pearl, New Ascendant Rank Tier, Split Map Removed, Competitive Changes, & More

Nafiu Aziz
By Nafiu Aziz
7 Min Read
Image Credit: ValorLeaks/ValorantUpdated

VALORANT patch notes 5.0 has been revealed and turns out a lot of changes are coming with the upcoming Episode 5 Act 1 update in VALORANT.

Similar to every new Episode in VALORANT, Riot Games tends to push out curve balls. And keeping up with that tradition, they are bringing in a lot of meaningful changes to the already polished formula of VALORANT.

Episode 5 will feature a new map called Pearl with two bomb sites and way too many corners for players to check. Aside from the new map, a new rank tier Ascendant has been introduced that will place itself between Immortal and Diamond. Also, the Split map will be removed from the game until further notice.

And all the usual battlepass related cosmetic items and a brand new exclusive tier skin set Prelude to Chaos have also been revealed already. Players are eagerly waiting for this patch to drop soon as it will bring exciting additions to the game that will surely shake up the whole meta.

Read More: Best Sprays in VALORANT 2022

Esportsdriven has revealed the patch notes early.

VALORANT Full Patch Notes 5.0

Competitive Updates

New rank: Ascendant

  • Added an additional rank above Diamond, below Immortal, called “Ascendant.”
    • We believe our lower ranks have a few too many of you, especially Bronze and Silver. When we were looking at rank distribution, we realized that if we were to move some of you up and out of those lower ranks, it would overpopulate Platinum and Diamond. So by adding a new rank we can better distribute you across ranks, keep the prestige of high ranks, while helping better define the skill level of each rank.
  • Moved the rank MMR targets that determine rank down, due to the addition of the new Ascendant rank, for all ranks below Ascendant. Moved the ranked target for Immortal 1/2/3 and Radiant up.
    • These are the cut-offs that say “You should be X MMR to reach this rank”. MMR targets determine your RR gains and help push your rank to match your MMR.
  • This means players will go up in rank, if they are below Ascendant.
  • To align with our expectations of what it means to be in the highest ranks of VALORANT, Immortal+ players will find it harder to climb back to their previous episode rank. This means Immortal will also have a smaller leaderboard population in all regions.
ew Ascendant Rank Tier
Image via ValorLeaks
  • Due to the seasonal reset, you may not see a rank increase at the start of the Episode without putting in some work; but the reset will be “less harsh” compared to the last Episode reset. So because we are pushing the player base upwards to fill Ascendant, the reset will not hit you as hard.
  • Next time we reset ranks it will probably push you down more than this Episode’s reset. Please remember that the “less harsh” reset is unique to this Episode because of the introduction of Ascendant.
  • Grouping restrictions for Ascendant are 3 ranks above or below the Ascendant ranked player
    • This fits in with our Platinum+ rule set for grouping.
  • The highest placement allowed has increased to Ascendant 1 (previously Diamond 1)
  • Five stacking 25% RR penalty now starts at Immortal 1 (previously Diamond 3)
  • Solo/Duo/5-stack restriction now starts at Immortal 1 (previously Diamond 3)
    • Remember, Diamond 3 and above could previously only solo, duo, and 5-stack. This restriction now begins at Immortal 1.
    • By adding another rank we were able to push the Five Stack penalty and Solo/Duo restrictions into Immortal. This makes it more straight forward, Immortal is where the leaderboard starts and because of this we try to hold players more accountable for their standings.
  • Due to a naming clash with the new rank, we’ve renamed Sage’s tier 8 Agent Contract unlock—the new Sage title is “Dauntless”
    • Renaming this title was not something we chose lightly, but after talking about the title we felt like it was a chance to give the title more meaning to Sage and her personality/theme.

Bugs

Maps

  • Fixed a bug on Haven that was preventing players from using their spray on a wall in A Garden

Agents

  • Fixed a bug where Jett could equip a weapon during Tailwind
  • Fixed a bug where Agents revealed by Sova’s Recon Bolt or Fade’s Haunt would sometimes briefly appear in an incorrect location on the minimap
  • Fixed a bug where the scope visual effect would sometimes disappear when aiming with Chamber’s Tour De Force

Game Systems

  • Fixed a bug where using an Ultimate point orb or defusing the Spike at maximum range could cause channeling and progress bar animations to flicker
  • Fixed a bug where the use channeling progression bar does not update if the player disconnects and reconnects during the match
  • Fixed a bug where some weapon equips could play the wrong equip speed animation, which could visually misrepresent when you were able to fire. Some situations impacted by this bug were:
    • Cypher exiting Spycam
    • Capturing Ultimate point Orbs
    • Canceling and completing Spike plant

When will VALORANT patch 5.0 go live?

The VALORANT Episode 5 Act 1 battle pass is set to release on June 22, 2022.

Read More: This Floor is Lava Tactic Can Let Players Escape From Sova Recon Dart in VALORANT

Follow:
Nafiu Aziz is an avid gamer and a writer at GameRiv, covering Apex Legends, CS:GO, VALORANT, and plenty of other popular FPS titles in between. He scours the internet daily to get the latest scoop in esports.