There’s no middle ground when it comes to VALORANT players’ feelings toward the most recent Skye nerfs in Patch 8.01. Based on the initial reactions, it seems players are either thrilled or devastated.
Given how extreme the nerfs are, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that the responses to it are on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Guiding Light, Skye’s core info-seeking/flash bird ability, no longer recharges during a round, meaning she is capped at just two charges per round. VALORANT players can also no longer “fake flash” with Guiding Light as it automatically activates at the end of its duration.
This is the biggest in a series of nerfs that have hit Skye over the last two episodes. Both Guiding Light’s cast duration was reduced and Trailblazer’s concuss effect was nerfed during Episode Seven, though Trailblazer can now pass under certain Cypher Trapwires.
The reactions to Skye’s latest nerfs are mixed, but there doesn’t appear to be many, if any, who are on the fence.
One portion of the community is distraught to see one of the most viable solo initiators get nerfed to such a point. “Having no rechargeable utility on a initiator seems like an insane nerf,” wrote one user on the VALORANT competitive subreddit. “Wonder if this will kill double controller or just have Skye replaced.” Across Reddit, X, and different forums, many players wrote some version of “they killed Skye.”
But not everyone is sad about it; another portion of the VALORANT community is happy to see Skye lose some of her stature so that other initiators can step up. Gekko, in particular, has been considered an agent that can fill that void, given how well he can take space and his most recent buffs. He isn’t even necessarily being seen as a replacement as the expectation is for double-initiator comps to be more prevalent now given that the best solo initiator in Skye is no longer as viable.
