The wait is over. Riot Games has just deployed VALORANT Patch 13.06, and it is shaping up to be one of the most substantial updates in the game’s history. The patch officially introduces a brand-new primary rifle, a heavily requested quality-of-life feature for the matchmaking queue, a chaotic limited-time game mode, and a complete overhaul to how players track their performance.
Here is a full breakdown of the massive changes now live in VALORANT Patch 13.06.
The Warden: A New 2900 Credit Rifle
For the first time since launch, the primary rifle meta is getting a shakeup. The Warden has officially been added to the arsenal.
Priced at 2,900 credits—the exact same cost as the Phantom and Vandal—the Warden is designed as a precision, long-range alternative. It comes equipped with a 2x magnification scope and boasts incredibly high damage numbers: 50 damage to the body and a lethal 200 damage to the head at all ranges.
However, players will need to adjust to its strict limitations. The Warden features a very slow fire rate (6.5), a small magazine (18 bullets), and only medium wall penetration. Early community reactions are split on whether this will replace the Guardian or fall into obscurity, but it offers a fascinating new tactical option for long-range maps.
Quality of Life: The Practice Range in Queue
This is arguably the most requested feature by the VALORANT community. As of Patch 13.06, players can now enter The Range while actively waiting in the matchmaking queue.
Instead of staring at the lobby screen, you can now warm up your aim and practice your sprays while the game searches for a match. You can enter The Range from the lobby after starting a queue, or you can actually start the queue from inside The Range itself.
Note: Modes without an Agent Select phase (like Deathmatch or Premier) do not currently support queuing from The Range.
Competitive Overhaul: Performance Score & Accolades
Riot is completely restructuring how individual performance is measured and rewarded in VALORANT.
- Performance Score Replaces ACS: Average Combat Score (ACS) is officially gone. It has been replaced by the “Performance Score,” a 0-500 metric that evaluates your contribution to the match beyond just damage and kills.
- Accolades: The game now tracks standout performances (like highest kills or MVP awards) across your lifetime and the current Act.
- Rank Legacy: Your Competitive Hub will now act as a trophy case, displaying how many times you have achieved a specific rank throughout your career.
Agent Mastery System
Players can now show off their dedication to their main agents. The new Agent Mastery system introduces individual progression tracks for every agent in the game.
Playing matches with an agent earns you Mastery Points (MP), which progress both your “Act Level” and your permanent “Lifetime Level” for that character. Reaching specific milestones (Levels 4, 7, and 10) upgrades your Agent Portrait border. Furthermore, your Lifetime Level unlocks access to an agent-specific Reward Track, where you can spend Kingdom Credits to customize your new “Agent ID.”
New LTM: Gauntlet: Glitched
Patch 13.06 also launches an incredibly ambitious new Limited Time Mode called Gauntlet: Glitched.
In this mode, sixteen players (eight duos) face off in a 2v2 tournament bracket. The twist? You don’t pick a standard agent. Instead, players draft randomized abilities between rounds to create custom, hybrid agent kits. As you upgrade these abilities to Level 2, they have a chance to “glitch” and behave in overpowered or unpredictable ways (like manually detonating Raze’s Boom Bot or making Gekko’s Wingman massive).
Finally, for console players, Patch 13.06 officially expands VALORANT Console availability to Australia and New Zealand!
