With the announcement of the new Act, presented in a video format, Riot Games has revealed that several agents will be changed in the upcoming updates. So far, we know about changes to Gekko and Phoenix, which we'll explain below.

Gekko Nerfs

The first agent to undergo changes is Gekko. Riot Games is planning to significantly nerf the American initiator, which comes as a surprise. Although Gekko is currently quite popular, with a pick rate of 5.5%, his win rate is only 50.4%. While this is not a bad figure, Riot Games has decided to reduce it, and here's why. In the next patch, all four of Gekko's abilities will be nerfed.

Dizzy

• Activation time after throw and formation is reduced from 1.5 to 1 second

• More reliable targeting

• Goop flash now also blinds the minimap of affected players

Wingman

• Increased ability cone angle

• New visual effect for landing

Thrash

• Ultimate orb cost increased from 7 to 8

Globule

• Existence time reduced from 20 to 15 seconds

• Cooldown increased from 1 to 1.5 seconds

Phoenix Buffs and New Mechanics

Blaze

The second agent undergoing significant changes is Phoenix, although these changes might be implemented later than those for Gekko. In the trailer for Act 3, a few interesting moments related to Phoenix were spotted. The first is the possible introduction of a new shield regeneration mechanic.

In this clip, you can see Phoenix standing near his Blaze ability, which heals him. However, in the video, it shows the skill also restoring his armor, which is unusual in the context of Valorant. From this, we can infer that Act 3 might introduce a shield regeneration mechanic, possibly for most agents, or maybe just for Phoenix.

Another feature of this ability is that now the fire wall can pass through textures. Currently, if you use Blaze near a box, the fire wall stops in front of it. But it has been revealed that in the future, this ability might pass through textures, greatly expanding the agent’s potential.

Curveball

The last Phoenix ability to be changed is his flash, Curveball. After the release of the new Act, it will become his signature ability. Remember, signature abilities are those that don't need to be purchased at the start of the round and are replenished after killing enemies. Now, Curveball will be available to Phoenix at the start of the round, and to restore the charge, he will need to kill two opponents. Previously, his signature ability was Hot Hand.

READ MORE: Act 3 of Episode 9 is Approaching – Riot Games Releases Official Trailer of the Big Update

The release of the new Act is scheduled for the end of November this year, but there is no exact date yet. We will continue to cover other interesting details from the upcoming Act 3 in Valorant.