VALORANT Patch Notes 11.05: Esports Engagement and Agent Updates the Focus

The VALORANT patch 11.05, arriving September 4–5, ahead of Valorant Champions Paris, has tweaks focused on agent, game clarity, esports engagement features, and behavior enforcement. Patch 11.05 is the build Champions will be played on, so Riot is keeping this patch light so that the pros can stay sharp. Here’s Hotspawn’s breakdown of the major changes and what they mean for your gameplay.

Valorant Patch 11.05 Notes – Key Highlights

• Agent Visual Updates: Harbor’s abilities, including Reckoning and Cove, receive visual clarity improvements.
• Esports Features: Pick ’Ems return with new Factions integration for Champions Paris.
• Player Behavior: Increased penalties for frequent AFK and remake abuse.
• Bug Fixes: Fixes across Astra, Chamber, Deadlock, Jett, Vyse, and more for ability and audio consistency.
• Console Updates: Leaderboards adjusted for Immortal+ rating thresholds; tutorial tips bug addressed.

Full 11.05 Patch Notes

Agent Visual Updates — Keeping Harbor Clear Under Pressure

The main agent-related update lands on Harbor, with visual effect adjustments aimed at improving clarity for players in chaotic rounds. Riot clarified that these are not sweeping gameplay changes, but tweaks meant to enhance readability during high-stakes plays. They teased bigger updates coming post-Champions, so expect more Harbor evolution soon.

Specifically:

• Reckoning: reduced visual clutter, a ground indicator that more clearly shows impact range, a yellow wisp placed closer to the affected Agent, and a shorter water splash for better visibility.
• Cove: improved visual clarity of shield health via animated water effects that better reflect durability.

Esports Features — Pick ’Ems & Factions Make a Triumphant Return

The big fan engagement feature of the patch is a full return of Pick ’Ems, timed to coincide with Champions Paris this year. Starting on September 4th, you will have access to the Group Stage in-client and on the web. Predict the advancing teams for points, earning extra points for correctly guessing the exact placement. You’ll be able to earn rewards for participating.

This year’s Pick ’Ems includes a twist: Factions, each led by a content creator. Players select one faction and earn points throughout Groups and Playoffs that contribute to their faction’s collective score. Rewards are aligned with factions, deepening the community dimension of the event.

Player Behavior — Tighter Penalties for AFK and Remake Abuse

Riot has increased penalties for players who repeatedly abuse remakes or game participation rules—specifically those who AFK or dodge queues often. This patch doesn’t sweep inmass bans, but does tighten enforcement so that form stays clean without unfairly penalizing legitimate players.

11.05 Bug Fixes & Improvements — Detect & Deafen, Audio, and Agent Polish

11.05 brings various quality-of-life fixes and technical improvements:

• General
  • Detection abilities like Prowler, Wingman, Dizzy are now more reliable with improved backend logic for vision checks.
  • Round transitions no longer suffer from lingering, unexpected audio cues.
• Agent fixes
  • Astra: fixed bullet tracers passing through Cosmic Divide (though the fix reintroduces a minor audio hitch).
  • Chamber: corrected Trademark icon color not updating.
  • Clove: Pick-Me-Up sound now heard by enemies.
  • Deadlock: multiple fixes—Sound Sensor and Trapwire placement issues, Annihilation spectator audio bug, and Yoru Fakeout Audio bug.
  • Gekko: fixed “Spike Down” VO playing when Wingman destroyed immediately post-spike plant.
  • Jett: Tailwind audio no longer persists after rounds.
  • Sova: corrected Owl Drone “being watched” feedback not triggering on spawn.
  • Vyse: fixed double Steel Garden audio on observer target swaps and Razorvine minimap circles stay.
  • Waylay: Fixed a bug where Waylay’s Saturate could affect enemies after they left the range of the area of effect.
  • Yoru: Gatecrash icon now updates correctly; invisibility properly resets position for Yoru and Reyna.
• PC-only
  • Fixed long names cut off in the  Awards tab.
• Console-only
  • Leaderboards now reflect Immortal+ rating thresholds
  • Disabled New Player Tips that were incorrectly short-lived—Riot is fixing this for future updates.

VALORANT Patch 11.05 Summary

Patch 11.05 focuses on polishing up the game’s competitive readiness. There are no sweeping agent reworks or map changes, but that makes sense for a patch launching just before Valorant Champions Paris. There has also been vast changes/improvements hinted at for the agent Harbor, which will be shared during Champs. Visual clarity improvements, fan engagement upgrades, and stronger behavior enforcement are Riot’s priority ahead of Champions, when the world’s eyes will be on Paris.