Valorant Episode 6 Act 1: Release date, changes and more

Valorant Episode 6 Act 1: Release date, changes and more

Valorant (Image via Riot Games)

As the end of Valorant’s Episode 5 Act 3 approaches, players are excited for the start of the next act. The upcoming Episode 6 Act 1 is set to bring new maps to the rotation, updates and new features to the game, a reset of competitive ranks, and changes to the Agent meta. While it is not yet clear when the Episode 6 Act 1 will launch, it is expected to begin on January 10 PT.

Prior to the official launch, there will be server maintenance conducted by Riot Games. The Episode 6 Act 1 marks the beginning of Valorant’s content timeline for 2023, and the developers have many plans for the year, including major changes to the competitive system and the addition of new Agents, maps, and game modes.

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Riot Games announced in December 2022 that two maps, Breeze and Bind, will temporarily leave Valorant’s current map rotation and be replaced by Split, which has been absent for six months. However, this leaves a gap in the rotation pool.

In July 2022, the developers announced their plan to maintain a seven-map rotation in Valorant, and they removed Split to meet this goal. Therefore, fans are anticipating the launch of a new map in Episode 6 Act 1 to fill the gap in the rotation. It is not yet confirmed whether this new map will be released.

Also Read: Riot Games launch teaser for Valorant Act 4 Episode 1

What are fans expecting from Episode 6 Act 1

Valorant
Valorant New Map Jam (Image Credits: Kanga-Valorant)

Riot Games has been dropping hints about a new map in Valorant’s lore, which is rumored to be inspired by an Indian city and feature destructible stone doors. Codenamed “Jam,” the map is also expected to promote a new mechanic. Although its official name is unknown, it has been referred to as the “City of Flowers” in VALORANT Protocol by characters such as Harbor and Astra. However, it is likely that the actual name will be a single word, like other Valorant maps.

Valorant‘s developers will reset every player’s rank and MMR at the beginning of the new Episode. Players will need to play five matches at the start of Episode 6 Act 1 to determine their ranks. In general, an Episode’s rank reset leads to players receiving a lower rank than they achieved in the previous Act and Episode.

They will then need to work to climb through a lower rank to reach their highest point on the ladder. It is possible that the highly anticipated Premier game mode will also be introduced globally with the new Act, which could significantly impact the ranked system and the competitive scene.

The team announced that they will launch a follow-up version of the Smurf Detection system in 2023, which was added to Valorant on a global scale in September 2022. This new version is reportedly able to detect smurf accounts more efficiently. It is unconfirmed, but this addition is likely to happen in Episode 6 Act 1. Overall, the new act is set to bring quite a number of changes to the game.

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