VALORANT Patch 13.09 Notes: Hush and Clove Nerfs, Warden Buffed

With the conclusion of the VALORANT Champions 2026, Riot is introducing the next Agent to the roster. Alongside the new Agent, there are several balancing changes and changes to ability descriptions, but no major gameplay overhauls.

Here’s everything coming to VALORANT in Patch 13.09.

Quick summary

• Hush is a new Duelist.
• Clove’s Pick-me-up and Not Yet Dead are nerfed.
• Warden’s gets buffs to recoil.

Table of contents

• Everything included in VALORANT Patch 13.09
  • New Duelist, Hush
  • Clove nerf
  • Warden buff
  • New ability keywords
• FAQ

Everything included in VALORANT Patch 13.09

New Duelist, Hush

Turn the match into a playground. Image via Riot Jocuri

Hush is a new Duelist coming to VALORANT. She has a unique dash to enter sites, a flash, a displacement ability, and a passive that allows her to pick up weapons or Spike from a long range. You have extra control over most of her abilities, creating more ways to use them.

Here are all of Hush’s abilities:

• Telekinesis (passive): Hush can pick up weapons, the Spike, and interact with switches from an increased range.
• Displacement (E): Equip Displacement. Fire to throw. Alt fire to prepare it instead. Reactivate to direct towards crosshair. Explodes on impact or after a delay, pulling players to the center and concussing them if they hit a surface or another player. Resets every two kills.
• Flashbulb (Q): Equip Flashbulb. Fire to throw. Alt fire to prepare it instead. Reactivate to direct towards crosshair. Explodes on impact or after a delay, flashing all players looking at it.
• Flow (C): Instantly create an anchor. If Hush is in the air, briefly levitate in place. After a delay, propel towards it.
• Suspension (Ultimate): Instantly prepare Suspension. Fire to send it forward, steering with your crosshair. Reactivate or press fire again to detonate, levitating all players.

Clove nerf

A few changes were needed. Image via Riot Jocuri

In Patch 13.09, Clove is getting a series of nerfs to bring their effects in line with the rest of the roster. “Clove had a higher movement speed bonus value compared to similar movement speed bonus abilities and different kill rewards after casting Not Dead Yet,” Riot wrote.

• Pick-me-up: Bonus movement speed decreased from 15 percent to 10 percent.
• Not Dead Yet: Killing Clove after they cast Not Dead Yet will now grant an ultimate point and signature refresh point to the player who killed them.

Warden buff

It’s supposed to compete with Phantom and Vandal after all. Image via Riot Jocuri

Warden launched to mixed reception, as the gun is much more situational than you’d want from a new main rifle. To improve that, Riot is reducing recoil for the first few shots. “One thing we’d like to improve is the Warden’s base versatility and handling to better fit its current 2900 pricing,” Riot wrote.

• Pitch recoil smoothed out for the first few bullets
• Reduced spread on bullets follow-up shots
  • 2nd bullet error reduced from .25 to .2
  • 3rd bullet error reduced from .6 to .5

New ability keywords

There’s a new UI for abilities, too. Image via Riot Jocuri

In addition to updated ability descriptions, Riot introduced Haste and Snapshot as new buff terms. Haste is a movement speed buff, unlike Combat Stim, which increases fire rate. Snapshot is a still image silhouette reveal debuff, such as Cypher’s Neural Theft.

Because of these changes, expect to see the Haste buff appear when playing as or with the following Agents: Brimstone, Clove, Miks, Neon, and Waylay.

FAQ

Where is Hush in VALORANT from?

Hush is from Guangdong, China.

Is VALORANT buffing Sentinels or Initiators?

There are no changes to Sentinels or Initiators in Patch 13.09.

What does Snapshot mean in VALORANT?

Snapshot is an effect that reveals enemies’ silhouettes, such as Cypher’s Neural Theft.