With the launch today of Valorant Patch 3.06, Riot Games has introduced two major changes to the game; one being a rebalancing for three of its Agents, and the other being changes to bullet penetration. The latter impacts five of the game’s maps, restricting the ability for bullets to penetrate a wide variety of obstacles.
Valorant Patch 3.06 – Map Changes for Bullet Penetration
The map updates introduced in Valorant Patch 3.06 affect five different maps; Ascent, Bind, Fracture, Icebox, and Haven. On all five maps, certain walls and crates which previously allowed for bullet penetration will no longer do so. This change does not affect all of the crates/walls on these maps, however, only specific ones. The reason for these changes is not due to bullet penetration being too powerful, but rather, to subtly adjust the planting options and offence/defence approaches on different maps.
For example, in Fracture, a single crate on Site B will no longer allow bullet penetration. This change is to give attackers a safer planting option on the site, according to Riot. In addition, the Tunnel to Canteen/Generator areas will no longer allow bullet penetration.
Like Fracture, a single crate stack in Site B of Icebox will no longer be penetratable. In Haven, much the same change has been implemented, with one stack of crates at Site C become bullet-resistant. Over on Ascent, the newly-bulletproof crates can be found at Site A. Finally, in Bind, a single stack of crates at Site A will no longer allow for bullet penetration. All told, these subtle changes should make it safer for attackers to plant in these sites, changing the currently predictable flow of matches on those maps. Notably, while some of these crates should provide safer spots to plant, some aim to provide safer places for defenders too.