VALORANT Patch 13.09 Launches Hush and Standardizes Buff Terms

VALORANT Patch 13.09 arrived on October 27, 2026, headlined by the release of Hush, a new Controller agent. The update also introduces major clarity changes to in-game terminology and applies targeted balance adjustments to agents including Clove and Warden.

Hush is a Controller from Guangdong province who uses telekinetic powers to disrupt and displace enemies. Her kit is built around pulling, flashing, and levitating opponents to control space. Her passive, Telekinesis, allows her to pick up weapons, the Spike, and interact with switches from an increased range. Her Displacement ability explodes on any surface, pulling players toward its center and concussing them if they collide; it resets every two kills. The Flow signature ability creates an anchor that propels Hush toward it after a brief delay. Her ultimate, Suspension, is an explosive orb that detonates to levitate all caught players into the air. Hush is the first new agent released since the Performance Score system launched. Riot Games said: "Hush is the headline." The developer noted that scoring for Hush may be inconsistent for the first few days as the system tunes utility use.

Patch 13.09 includes massive clarity updates to in-game tooltips and buff terminology. Key status effects now have official, standardized names to eliminate confusion across agent abilities.

Buff terminology and official terms clarified

Riot has formally defined three key terms. Haste now refers specifically to a movement speed boost, distinguishing it from other buffs. Combat Stim officially describes buffs that increase weapon handling, fire rate, and reload speed. Snapshot is the term for the still-image silhouette reveal debuff.

The Haste buff is now applied to several existing abilities, with visual updates to match. Brimstone’s Stim Beacon and Clove’s Pick-Me-Up now show an applied Haste buff, with Clove's previous timer bar removed to reduce clutter. The change also affects Miks’ Harmonize, Neon’s High Gear and Overdrive, and Waylay’s Convergent Paths, which has been renamed to Haste.

Key agent adjustments and bug fixes

Multiple agents received targeted changes. Clove was hit with two nerfs. Her Pick-me-up movement speed bonus was decreased from 15% to 10%. Also, killing Clove after she casts her Not Dead Yet ultimate now grants the killer an ultimate point and a signature refresh point.

The Warden rifle has been buffed to feel more controllable. Its pitch recoil has been smoothed for the first few bullets, and bullet spread has been reduced.

A series of critical bug fixes resolved persistent issues. Clove’s Ruse ability map is no longer visible from below. Tejo’s Special Delivery, which could persist into the next round and hit players after the transition, has been fixed. Gekko’s Mosh Pit will no longer damage destructible objects outside its area of effect. Sova’s Hunter’s Fury could incorrectly hit players standing behind him, an issue now resolved. Abilities from Cypher, Vyse, Viper, and Killjoy that could be visible through barriers during the Buy Phase have been corrected.

Additional updates include a redesign of the Ability Description Tooltip and the addition of passive descriptions for more agents. The First Blood Accolade is now harder to earn due to an increased threshold, though historic accolade counts remain unchanged. Map Rating now weights a player's Act Best Match more significantly to better highlight consistency. For PC players, hover text for trades on the scoreboard and a new "learn more" screen explaining Performance Score have been added. Korea-only players can now purchase Radianite Points directly in-game. The Game Changers Championship continues in São Paulo until November 1, with results available on the official tracker. Hush's Suspension ultimate will be tested in upcoming competitive matches as Riot continues tuning her kit.