Riot Games has released VALORANT patch 12.03, which includes buffs to the agent Gekko and the return of Pick'Ems for the Masters Santiago event. The update also introduces a limited-time 2v2 Skirmish mode emphasizing pure gunplay. Other changes cover audio improvements, competitive security, and various fixes.
VALORANT's patch 12.03 marks the start of preparations for the first international event of the season, Masters Santiago. The update focuses on enhancing the Initiator agent Gekko, who has been weaker than peers since patch 11.08. To address this, Riot Games unified the functionality of Gekko's abilities, increased flexibility in reclaiming Globules, and provided a slight overall power boost. Specific changes include extending the Globules reclaim timer from 15 to 20 seconds and making Mosh Pit reclaimable.
Additional agent tweaks involve new voice lines for Viper, featuring conversations with Omen and Vyse. On the general front, audio occlusion now reacts to map doorways being opened, closed, or destroyed. The Replays feature gains a setting to skip spectating dead players.
In competitive play, accounts flagged for sharing, along with all players ranked Ascendant and above in the APAC region, must enable Riot Mobile multi-factor authentication (MFA). Other accounts remain unaffected.
The Masters Santiago Pick'Ems allow players to make predictions starting February 19 via the client or web. For the Swiss Stage, users predict which four teams will advance and which will achieve a flawless 2-0 run for extra points. Participation earns the "Cachando Todo" title, with further rewards like the "¡Rico, Po! Buddy" for top 50% and 20% performers, and a Perfect Title for a flawless bracket. VCT player stats are now accessible on the Esports Hub Teams page.
A new limited-time mode, Skirmish 2v2, emphasizes mechanical skill with no abilities enabled. It features 2v2 matchmaking (solo or with a partner), first to 10 rounds, full weapon selection each round without economy, no agent selection, and random selection from Skirmish A, B, or C maps. For All Random One Site mode, weapons were added to some stages, niche options buffed, and a bug fixed that allowed Vyse to place infinite Razorvines during the Buy Phase.
Known issues include ESC key behavior in the Battlepass, non-functional scroll wheel for pass tiers, missing accessories store background, and incorrect labeling of Reaver Bandit as limited edition; most will be resolved in patch 12.04. PC users see updated layouts for event and battle passes, navigable by mouse or arrow keys.
