Valorant by Riot Games is getting new map sets for Act 3. Act 3 opens cold, with a new map set in the arctic wilderness: Icebox.

Moving Icebox up from Episode 2 does come with a trade-off: Valorant is delaying the release of their newest Agent for two weeks (one patch cycle) after the start of Act III. Simply put, Valorant's last few patches haven’t been the most stable, and the devs know that players want Icebox. Delaying the release of a new Agent allows the devs to better handle any issues that might emerge when launching alongside Patch 1.10.

A new map that's ice cold, an update about our next Agent, upcoming competitive changes, and more.

Get the info on what's coming when Act III drops on October 13th and beyond: https://t.co/YXjzFF0x8f pic.twitter.com/CAAVueBUVJ

— VALORANT (@VALORANT) October 7, 2020

The Act III patch is a bit scary considering the high amount of content coming and potential instability. This delay gives the dev team some breathing room to make sure current Agents play nice with the new map (invisible Spy Cams, invincibility, teleporting in the wrong neighborhood, etc.) before introducing another variable.

Valorant ACT 3 Patch Notes:

MAP: ICEBOX (OCT. 13 UNRATED, OCT. 27 COMPETITIVE):

An abandoned Kingdom research facility in the arctic wilderness is the next location to flex your aim and abilities. Pierce the dense snow cover as an Attacker to plant the Spike. And, outplay as Defender using zip lines to reach new and dangerous heights. The two objective sites on Icebox favor frequent skirmishes, sharp aim, and adaptive play.

COMPETITIVE REFRESH (OCT. 13):

These Act III Competitive changes hope to make your Rank climb tighter as we work on the long term health of organized team play:

• Upgrade that Act Rank Badge with the next Competitive Act.
• Rank queue lowered from 6 tiers to 3 tiers, for tighter matchmaking.
• Select your preferred server and improve your ping.
• Immortal+ rank outcomes are decided 100% by wins and losses.

Valorant ACT 3 BATTLEPASS (OCT. 13):

The Battlepass returns with improvements for Act III—revamped weekly mission progress for faster unlocks and additional Epilogue tiers.

Collect heads, rake in the XP, then snap on Act III exclusives like the “Chilly McFreeze” Gun Buddy to match your arctic battles, the “Radianite Hazard” Player Card, and the Viper Spray that reminds you to wash your hands.

Purchase the Act III Premium Battlepass to unlock more tiers of VALORANT items like the Ruin Vandal, “Disco Ball” Gun Buddy, and the Surge Bucky (with variants!).

WEAPON SKIN: SINGULARITY (OCT. 13):

Singularity exists in a far future, vast in its journey from the beyond. Powerful, abstract, and mysterious. None know where it came from or how it came to be.

Harness its unstable force on the Phantom, Sheriff, Spectre, Ares, and Melee when you buy the Singularity bundle.

GUN BUDDY: WELCOME, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA:

More (low ping) challengers to the Radiant throne have arrived from the Middle East and North Africa.

Log in during October 28 to earn the Dallah Gun Buddy and celebrate their homecoming.

Valorant NEW AGENT: ??? (OCT. 27):

New Agent will be coming on October 27.

Valorant ACT III COMPETITIVE CHANGES:

VALORANT’s Act III Competitive matchmaking begins Oct. 13 and the video above is the best place to hear our plans for the new ranked experience—straight from Game Director Joe Ziegler and Systems Design Lead David Cole. You even get a peek at Episode 2!

TIGHTER RANK QUEUE:

To help with a more even matchmaking experience, Valorant will be limiting the Rank tiers so players can queue with from 6 tiers to 3 tiers. Experiences with your friends outside of your Rank circle are still important and the devs working to carve out more places for this.

PREFERRED SERVER:

You’ll now be able to select your preferred server. There is no guarantee that you’ll always get the server you want, due to Matchmaking reasons. But this feature will notably increase the chance to get your preferred game server and either stabilize or help improve your ping.

IMMORTAL-PLUS RANKS ARE 100% W/L:

For those of you who are near the peak or at the top in Immortal-plus ranks, whether or not you climb or fall will be decided entirely by a win or loss and the decisiveness of the final score.

Valorant ACT RANK BADGE:

Finally, Act III is another chance to collect wins at a higher rank and polish that Act Rank Badge into something you’d place in your trophy case.