VALORANT: Jett's Tailwind to be nerfed in patch 4.08
VALORANT developer Riot Games has finally revealed that the game's upcoming 4.08 patch will include a significant nerf to the agent Jett’s Tailwind ability.
This change has been on the horizon for some time, as Jett has been the most prevalent agent in VALORANT — appearing in virtually every game, be it in casual matchmaking or pro play — due to her "problematic" skillset.
In a blog post announcing the change, VALORANT agent designers Alexander Mistakidis and Jay Watford, as well as game designer Sal Garozzo, said the team has always loved how Jett’s abilities can break through defenses and make highlight plays using “impressive mechanical skills”.
However, they added that some of the agent's impacts on the game have "pushed beyond VALORANT’s core tactical cycle in worrisome ways".
Here’s the change that patch 4.08 will bring to Jett’s tailwind.
Tailwind (pre-4.08)
- Instantly propel Jett in the direction she is moving. If Jett is standing still, she will propel forward.
Tailwind (4.08)
- On pressing the ability key, after a short delay Jett activates a 12-second window where she is empowered to immediately dash on next button press.
- Her Tailwind charge is lost whether she Dash’s or the window expire, but can still be regained with two kills.
Here’s a video of the patch change in action:
“With this update, we want to bring Jett back into the core loop by asking her to call her shots and then engage with a window of dash power to make those trademark explosive plays,” said Mistakidis.
“This should create clear signals for other players to consider and understand that Jett made a deliberate call. Jett’s new dash will require an adjustment for players, but we feel this is the best solution to balance maintaining Jett’s identity while increasing game health.”
Mistakidis also explained that the agent’s ability to get out of situations that others can’t cause critical issues.
Whereas a poor push can prove costly for some players, Jett mains can always rely on her abilities as a crutch. As such, reducing her defensive Op power can make all the difference.
“Overall, we want Jett to have her power movements and to be able to dash, but we also want viable counterplayer and for Jett players to be more thoughtful when using her abilities,” added Mistakidis.
The developers added that assured players that they are "committed to making sure Jett can keep her unique place on the roster" while giving other agents breathing room and protecting the core tactical promise of VALORANT moving forward.
Feb has been trying to speedrun Super Mario 64 ever since he started playing video games at 11 years old. He has never succeeded, but has completed other video games in the time since. When not playing, he's usually playing music or building Gunpla.
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