I booted into Valorant’s 12.05 patch expecting a quiet little tune-up, and Riot instead handed me a new Controller, a dodgeball-flavored mode, and a nerf hammer swinging like it’s got a personal grudge. As of March 2026, this is Season 2026 Act 2, and the headline is Miks, Agent 30, strutting onto the stage with pure sound energy and the kind of confidence that says he absolutely knows he’s the coolest guy in the lobby. No cap, the patch is a banger.
Miks: The Controller Who Thinks He’s a DJ
Miks was unveiled during the Valorant Masters Santiago final, and yes, his lore is soaked in music and vibes. He’s a Controller, but his whole deal is rallying the squad to move as one and set the tempo together. Riot literally called him the ultimate wingman for his team — well, aside from Wingman, obviously. Miks starts rolling out to all regions at 10:00 AM PST on March 18, so clear your schedule and warm up those comms.
His kit looks like a playlist I can get behind:
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Harmonize (Q) — a team-friendly utility piece with improved ally targeting, which is exactly the kind of quality-of-life love I want from a support-ish Controller.
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M-pulse (C) — part of the sonic arsenal, and frankly the name alone makes me want to spam it.
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Waveform (E) — equip a Map Targeter, then set locations and spawn smokes. On PC, FIRE sets locations and ALT-FIRE spawns smokes; on console, those inputs are flipped. I’ll be honest: I’m going to mess up the console version at least once, and my teammates will hear about it.
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Bassquake (X) — equip it, build up, and unleash Sonic Radiance forward, knocking back, Deafening, and Slowing players. That is a big, loud “get off my point” button, and I am here for it.
Miks feels like the poster child for Riot’s stated goal in 12.05: support coordinated teamplay and increase pick diversity. Individual gunplay still matters, but strategy is best cooked up as a team. That is a philosophy I can respect, even when my ranked teammates treat strategy like a rumor.
The Nerf Hammer: Yoru, Skye, and Clove
Riot is taking a little power away from Agents who are a bit too selfish and strong on their own, and the nerf hammer landed squarely on Yoru, Skye, and Clove. I’m not gonna lie — some of these changes hurt to read, especially if you main one of them. But the reasoning is pretty clear: Riot wants fewer one-Agent shows and more actual teamplay.
| Agent | Change | My Very Biased Take |
|---|---|---|
| Yoru | Gatecrash duration reduced to 15 seconds; Blindside only charges once per round | Yoru has been crowding out flash Initiators and sometimes even Sentinels, especially in high ranks and pro play. He had the strongest map-wide rotation ability, great forward space-taking, and one of the best general-use flashes. Riot wants him to make more meaningful tradeoffs. Fair enough, but my Yoru-main friend is already typing a manifesto. |
| Skye | Guiding Light is rechargeable again, with a 60-second cooldown between flashes | At 45 seconds, there was little downside to using it at round start for soft scouting. At 60 seconds, the tradeoff is sharper. I like this because it rewards intentional utility usage instead of “oops, I flashed the wall, give me another one.” |
| Clove | Ruse smoke lasts 6 seconds, down from 14; Meddle AOE down to 4 meters | Clove has been an ever-present ranked pick since launch and has a much higher winrate than other Agents. These changes target Clove’s outsized ability to help the team win even after death. I’ll miss the absurd smoke duration, but I also enjoy seeing other Controllers get a chance. |
Sage also got some love: Healing Orb now has improved ally targeting, and her crystal model got an update. It’s not a headline-grabbing buff, but it’s the kind of small QoL change that makes playing support feel less like wrestling with the UI.
Knockout: Dodgeball With Guns
The other big change in 12.05 is Knockout, a new limited-time mode that debuted during Valorant Masters in Santiago. Riot describes it as momentum-based, and after reading the details, I can confirm it sounds like dodgeball if dodgeball had orbs and abilities. I can already smell the chaos.
Here’s the rundown:
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Resurrection system: Eliminating an enemy brings back a fallen teammate. The resurrection delay scales with round length, from near-instant early on to several seconds later.
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Team territories: A center-line barrier divides the map. Capture orbs to shift the line toward the enemy, expanding your territory and compressing theirs. Orbs also heal you and grant ultimate charge.
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Crossing enemy territory: You get a debuff, the enemy gets a “Threat Detected” notification, and your minimap gets obfuscated. So much for my big-brain flank plans.
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Loadouts: No economy. Pick your loadout each round, and weapon offerings escalate through stages as the match progresses.
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Round structure: 5v5 on TDM maps, 3-minute rounds, overtime respawns and healing disabled with damage over time forcing a final fight. Eliminate all enemies to win the round, and the first team to 4 rounds wins the match.
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Agents and abilities: Standard agent select with TDM ability recharge rates. Earn your ultimate with kills or orb captures, but ultimate charge resets on death and at the start of each round.
Knockout sounds like the perfect mode for players who love constant action but still want abilities to matter. Also, All Random One Site and Skirmish: 2v2 are leaving the limited-time mode lineup. Thanks for the memories, chaos gremlins.
QoL, Maps, and Premier
Riot also shipped a pile of quality-of-life updates that make me feel seen. Assists now get the recognition they deserve: when your utility or damage contributes to a teammate’s kill, you’ll see an assist banner at the bottom of your screen, complete with an audio cue. The killfeed now shows the assisting player’s Agent icon and the ability or damage that set up the kill, and this info is visible to your team only. Status effect tags have been reorganized too, with buffs on the left and debuffs on the right, so I can tell what’s ruining my day in predictable places. Observers and spectators can now see Ability Map Targeters like Clove’s Ruse, Brim’s Sky Smoke, and Tejo’s Guided Salvo, and those targeters will show up in Replays.
On the map front, Lotus and Fracture are in the Competitive and Deathmatch queues, while Abyss and Corrode are out. Lotus got some changes: the attacker lobby wall is thicker to remove wall penetration off barrier drop, the jump up to Vines moved to help attackers get out of Lobby and avoid utility dump, the wall outside Tree room was reinforced, an extra room was added outside A-site stairs, and the A-site plant zone changed so you can no longer plant for breakable/link. I’m no map designer, but that sounds like fewer free wallbangs and more actual fights. Sign me up.
Premier Stage V26A2 starts March 18 and runs for six weeks instead of the usual seven. Teams with a Premier Score of at least 500 qualify for Playoffs on April 26, and Contender and Invite qualification is still based on placement. The awards hub will temporarily display that you haven’t unlocked any rewards, but that gets fixed in 12.06. Riot is also adjusting Ranked Rating thresholds for Immortal 2, 3, and Radiant to bring parity across regions, without touching the underlying MMR systems. Finally, the battlepass scroll wheel bug is fixed, which is a tiny change that will save me from at least one minor existential crisis per tier.
Overall, 12.05 feels like Riot looked at the meta and said, “Less solo carry, more squad synergy.” Miks is a fun new toy, Knockout is a chaotic playground, and the nerfs are aimed at the usual suspects. I’m going to hop into a game, try not to mess up Waveform’s inputs, and pray my teammates actually use Harmonize. Wish me luck — I’m gonna need it.