VALORANT Patch 1.09 buffs Viper—again

Riot is showing Viper some love for the fourth time since VALORANT’s official launch.

The underperforming agent has struggled to elbow her way into the meta despite numerous buffs. Patch 1.09 hopes to change that, improving her Snake Bite and Viper’s Pit, according to a preview from the Korean VALORANT channel. Riot has since released the full patch notes.

Viper’s Toxic Fuel at the start of a round will be bumped up to 100, from 50, according to an initial translation by Liquipedia. The armor debuff from Snake Bite will now linger for two seconds after players leave the acid. And the agent will have double movement speed while casting her ultimate, and re-equip her weapon faster after cast.

These buffs will make Viper less vulnerable when using her ultimate, which currently takes a fairly long time to cast. And the Snake Bite buff should further help Viper’s zoning potential.

It’s unclear if these changes will be enough to earn the toxic agent some playing time in the pro scene. But it should help her be a more viable control pick in VALORANT’s Competitive mode.

Brimstone also received a minor buff, increasing Stim Beacon’s rate of fire bonus from 10 to 15 percent.