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It’s making me dizzy.
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You know it, I know it, but somehow Riot Games doesn’t. Whether you’ve been on the receiving end of a fully stunned one-tap or have been gleefully laughing as you somehow got away with one yourself, apparently everyone apart from the development team is in agreement that the Valorant stun isn’t as strong as it should be. The ability needs a buff across all the Agents who wield it, and pronto.
The underwhelming power of the stun has been an issue ever since Valorant launched back in 2020. To my knowledge, unlike the various flashes and near-sights in the game, the stun has never actually received any attention, even despite the fact that its unreliable nature has more or less always been a meme. But when shit like this happens during LOCK//IN, the first Tier 1 VCT tournament of 2023, it’s a reminder all over again the issue exists across every elo of the game:
Now, don’t get me wrong, that was a brilliant clutch from NRG’s s0m and a hugely exciting moment from the series. But that sort of stunned kill is just happening way too often; it should be a once-in-a-blue-moon, totally random frag to get excited over, not something to roll our eyes at. But it definitely is an eye-roll moment most of the time, especially when it comes off the back of some sort of major utility investment like a Breach ultimate.
So what exactly needs to be done, then? Well, to be clear, it isn’t the duration of the stun that’s the issue. As you can see in the examples showcased in this article, the stun itself lasts plenty long enough. It’s the accuracy that needs adjusting. Where now it feels as though random full-stun kills are occurring four times out of ten, it’s something that should probably be as infrequent as once.
The strange part about the lack of attention Riot Games has given the stun is that complaints about its weakness can be found all across the internet. From Reddit to YouTube to the lamenting of pro players on Twitter, nobody seems to be in any doubt that stuns need buffing. Let’s hope something is done about it soon, and that when the buff comes it’s a result of Riot Games taking early action rather than some awkward tournament stun-clutch that lights a fire up the team’s ass!
For more on Valorant, you can check out the various changes that were made in the game’s most recent Patch 6.03. If you’re watching LOCK//IN then remember that we have an excellent viewers guide that has everything you need to know about the tournament.
