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Valorant’s 7.08 patch has made big some changes to the way smokes work. Astra, Brimstone, and Omen now have smokes that gain an audio and visual cue for 1.5 seconds before they fade. The intention is to signal to players that the smoke is about to disappear and they should act quickly. It’s a change clearly aimed at more casual players, and it’s likely to prove highly effective.
However, professional Valorant players aren’t liking the idea at all. By giving audio and visual cues to the smoke changes, Valorant’s pro players feel that it takes skill out of the game. From their perspective, it reduces the skill ceiling and makes null the innate game sense they built over matches.
Valorant Pro Player Smoke Changes Reactions
Indeed, Valorant’s new smoke changes have gone down like a lead balloon amongst key members of the pro scene. Giants pro player nukkye pointed out that it lowered the skill gap for players who didn’t play very often. He followed up with comments that Riot should make things significantly easier and take away the effort of practicing.
EvilGeniuses’ Screwface weighed in as well, saying that lowering the skill ceiling for players who used controllers wasn’t a good idea. There was a slightly more conciliatory tone as they mentioned it would be interesting to see the actual benefits in-game.
Dmitry Ilyushin from Team NAVI was another pro player who wasn’t a fan. He remarked that Riot should quickly undo the changes or there would be lots of hate coming their way. When it comes to Valorant’s new smoke changes, pro players were not impressed and even want it to be reversed.
Not every pro player was upset with Valorant’s new smoke changes though. G2 JoshRT, the head coach for the G2Valorant team, had a more optimistic view compared to other pro players. He mentioned that lowering the skill floor would make gameplay at lower ranks more enjoyable. Pros would still have to react and pay attention, but the penalties of a wrong call wouldn’t be as harsh.
Regular Valorant Players Weigh In On The Smoke Changes
Outside of the pro players, Valorant’s smoke changes mostly received great praise and approval. Many commented on X (formerly Twitter) that making the game easier was a good thing. These views clashed with those of the pro players, with many viewing the audio and visual cues as something that benefited everyone. Others sided with the pro players, feeling that the new changes to smokes took more skill out of the game.
Opinions are split over the smoke changes, with the contention concerning the amount of skill left in Valorant. If a game is continually dumbed down, will people enjoy watching players who honed their skills over several matches? On the other hand, if mechanics make gameplay easier for everyone, it’s more likely to draw new players and keep them playing.
Everyone enjoys watching esports when skilled opponents demonstrate their abilities that allow them to triumph. Lowering the bar makes their accomplishments feel less impressive and it’s easy to see where the pushback comes from. But Riot is also looking at ways to make it easier to play Valorant, which is great for attracting new players and bringing back old veterans. Your stance on the smoke changes depends on how much Valorant is part of your life.
