VALORANT: How exactly did Viper get nerfed?

Viper's presence in the VALORANT meta took a hit with the latest Patch 8.08, leaving players clamoring for some adjustments from Riot Games to help the toxic agent regain her footing.

In the recent patch, almost every aspect of Viper's kit saw a nerf, with the exception of her ultimate ability. This left many players lamenting the state of the agent in the game. One significant change is that Viper can no longer retrieve her Poison Cloud orb during a round. Previously, she could relocate the orb at will throughout the round, but now she's limited to moving it only during buy rounds. This reduction in flexibility and cover options, coupled with the inability to reposition her Toxic Screen wall, has left Viper feeling somewhat constrained on the battlefield.

Placing Viper's orb has become a high-stakes affair, unlike other controllers who can preview their smokes before committing. Viper has to toss her orb blindly, relying heavily on lineups most of the time. Unfortunately, the orb can sometimes take an unexpected bounce, landing in unintended spots or causing you to miss your lineup altogether. These mishaps were more manageable when Viper could adjust her orb mid-round, offering more forgiveness for imperfect placements.

Viper's smoke plays have taken a hit since Patch 8.08, with her ability to deploy smokes multiple times per round now restricted to just one deployment. This limitation significantly reduces her flexibility in creating strategic smoke-based maneuvers.

Players now have to carefully select a single smoke position that remains effective throughout the round, rather than freely tossing it around as before. Fortunately, you can still reposition the smoke during the buy phase.

Additionally, Viper's Toxic Screen, her poison curtain, also suffers from reduced uptime, mirroring the changes to her smoke. The maximum uptime for both Toxic Screen (E) and Poison Cloud (Q) abilities has been shortened, requiring 30% fuel to activate compared to the previous 20%. Moreover, the cooldown for reactivating smokes after deployment has been reduced, providing a bit more agility in adjusting smoke placements.

In the latest Valorant patch 8.08, the post-plant meta is set to undergo some changes as Viper's ability to deal damage with her molotovs becomes limited to a single use.