Since her launch in the early days of VALORANT, Viper has been quite a famous agent. In the last few years, she has had one of the game’s highest pick rates during various tournaments. About a year ago, though, Viper received a significant nerf, making her less overpowered than at the start of 2023. However, post the current Patch 8.05, certain accounts on Twitter and Reddit have noticed a slight nerf to Viper. In this article, let’s look at the nerfs and if they are true, how much can it impact Viper’s pick rate?
Which Abilities Are Affected by The Silent Viper Nerf in VALORANT Patch 8.05?
Playing ranked sometimes feels like sitting in a perpetual Viper ultimate (Image Credits: Riot Games)
Last year, Viper was known to be powerful enough to anchor a site and act as a pseudo-sentinel in the game. This was particularly because her toxic wall and orb lasted for longer than 20 seconds. During patch 7.05, Viper received the following nerfs:
- Reduced regeneration per second by 5% >> 3.3%
- Increased time to regenerate to max fuel once empty 20s >> 30s
Due to this, her pick rate in the various VCT Leagues and the VCT Champions dipped. Now, a Reddit user has pointed out a silent nerf in Patch 8.05. Now, Viper’s wall, if activated, will only last 13 seconds instead of the previous 15 seconds. The same is true for her toxic orb, which also lasts just 13 seconds instead of 15.
The other nerf occurs when both abilities are activated together. Until patch 8.04, if Viper’s wall and orb were activated together, they would last a total of 10 seconds. Following patch 8.05, the number has now gone down to 8 seconds. VALORANT has yet to make a public statement on the ‘silent nerf’ on Viper.
The nerf on each ability is for a total of 2 seconds. Due to this, the nerf might affect Viper’s pick rate. As the nerf is for 2 seconds, it won’t matter as much in the lower ranks, but with the release of Clove, we might see a significant drop in the higher leagues.
Read also:Riot could give an update on VALORANT Mobile and console this yearHow to unlock Clove in VALORANT
This article was originally published here
