Riot Games confirm various Operator nerfs are coming

Almost since VALORANT’s release in June and the start of the tactical shooter’s competitive esports scene, the Operator’s power has been criticized. A portion of the players questioned its place in the meta, and whether it is truly balanced when compared to other available weapons. Riot Games addressed the issue in one of their Ask VALORANT blog series, labelling the sniper rifle isn’t “too OP” in its current state.

Finally, in a recent interview with VALORANT Game Designer, Nicholas Wu Smith, conducted by Team Liquid’s content creator, Lucas “Mendo" Håkansson, we got to see what the studio has in mind for the Operator. Nicholas revealed they are acting upon the players’ feedback and comments, changing several aspects of the weapon as a response. This includes raising its price, reducing the ADS movement speed, reducing damage to the legs, increasing equipment time, among other changes.

We have seen a mixed opinion from competitive VALORANT players on how to counter-play the Operator in open play. The simplified approach Oscar Cañellas "m1xwell" Colocho shared before is to flush them out of their vantage points through smokes, Sova’s shock dart, Raze’s grenade, or other useful utility. However, others disagreed that one weapon should warrant using a significant amount of your utility purely to change the Operator welding opposition player’s position on the map.

Although it took some time to see these changes make their way to VALORANT, it is relieving to finally see them coming reportedly in patch 1.09. What do you think of the inevitable Operator changes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!