The meta in VALORANT can fluctuate for several reasons: a new map or agent comes into the pool, professional players discover a new tactic, or, in this case, Riot releases a new balance patch.
The recent meta has been dominated by agents and weapons that excel at taking close-range engagements. The most popular pistols for the last few months have been the Shorty and Frenzy, both a great deal for the value they can provide in a pistol or save round.
However, Riot’s upcoming PBE patch, 6.11, is bringing some considerable nerfs to these weapons. The nerfs might be strong enough to entirely push the Shory and Frenzy out of the meta.
According to VALORANT Community Manager Jo-Ellen Aragon, who posted on Reddit alerting players of the upcoming PBE balance patch, the two pistols will receive significant nerfs when the patch rolls out on the PBE on Monday, May 29.
Shorty nerfs:
- Reserve ammo decreased from 10 to 6.
- Price raised from 150 credits to 300 credits.
- Damage at no fall-off reduced from 12 to 11.
- Damage at the first step of fall-off (7 meters) reduced from 8 to 6.
These potential nerfs to the Shorty are no joke. The weapon will be less powerful with each shot, its damage reduced across the board—including at its closest range. The Shorty will also now have less ammunition in general, something that this gun already struggled with.
But the biggest blow to the Shorty is definitely the doubled price. At just 150 credits, it wasn’t only a bargain in pistol rounds, but also a fantastic side weapon to equip even with full buys. Those who buy an Operator, for example, will often prefer having a Shorty holstered to the side in case they get surprised by an enemy in close range.
With this huge hike in price, that strategy will be much more costly now.
Frenzy nerfs:
- Minimum spread increased from 0.45 to 0.65.
- Spread curve adjusted – maximum spread is now reached in 5 bullets instead of 6.
- Recoil pitch curve adjusted – maximum recoil is now reached in 5 bullets instead of 6, with total recoil lowered to compensate.
The nerfs to the Frenzy are much less overwhelming and are mainly focused on limiting the weapon’s effectiveness at long and mid-range. The Frenzy is supposed to function as a short-range pistol option that is a bit more versatile than the Shorty, but as of late, players have been getting incredible long-range clutches with it as well.
In the Reddit post, Aragon also mentioned “Error Power,” and explained how this mechanic will also be adjusted in the PBE patch. This will directly affect the Shorty and Frenzy as well.
Error Power is basically how Riot rewards accuracy and good crosshair placement. In this PBE patch, the Error Power, or bias towards the center of a player’s crosshair, will be significantly reduced in any movement state besides walking or standing still.
This means that it will be even harder to hit your shots while running, blast-packing, dashing, etc., putting more emphasis on standing still to ensure accurate shot placement. This further hurts close-range weapons like the Shorty and Frenzy, which are often used in chaotic engagements where players are moving around at high speeds.
Though these nerfs look grim for the future of the Shorty/Frenzy meta, only time will tell how much they affect VALORANT.
