Valorant Patch 12.09: Neon & Shotgun Changes

Valorant Patch 12.09 introduces significant rebalancing for Neon and shotguns, alongside system updates and a host of bug fixes. The patch follows a temporary disable of Neon due to a graphics exploit tied to her Fast Lane ability, which has now been resolved.

Neon Mobility and Resource Overhaul

Neon’s mobility has been reined in to reduce her evasiveness during combat. Jumping with High Gear active no longer provides any speed bonus while airborne; her air sprint speed now matches melee speed. Fuel regeneration has also been changed — fuel now only restores via kills while her ultimate is active, though passive regeneration remains. Visual effects have been improved to better communicate the direction and origin of her slide, giving opponents clearer counterplay opportunities.

Shotgun Accuracy Standardization

All shotguns are now less accurate while moving. The accuracy values for running, walking, crouch-walking, and jumping have been standardized across the Bucky, Judge, and Shorty. Crouching now provides a consistent 15% accuracy multiplier for all shotguns (up from 10% for the Bucky, down from 25% for the Judge and Shorty). Shotguns also suffer a much larger spread penalty when firing from ropes, especially while moving.

Per-weapon adjustments include:

• Bucky: Pellet damage reduced at 0–8m (head 40→34, body 20→17, legs 17→14). Minimum spread increased from 2.6 to 3.0.
• Judge: Minimum spread increased from 2.25 to 2.5 (PC only for now; console gets this in Patch 12.11).
• Shorty: Fire rate reduced from 3.33 to 3.0, and spread increased.

System and Performance Updates

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