VALORANT Patch 13.06: Warden, Agent Mastery and Full Update Guide

VALORANT Patch 13.06 is one of Riot Games biggest updates in years. Released on September 22, 2026, it introduces a third 2,900-credit rifle, replaces Average Combat Score with a broader performance system, adds progression for individual Agents and launches a new 2v2 limited-time mode.

The patch also redesigns the Home and Lobby experience, lets players enter the Practice Range while waiting in queue and expands the tools used to track competitive achievements.

This guide covers every important feature in VALORANT Patch 13.06 and explains how the update may affect regular matches, ranked play and the wider meta.

VALORANT Patch 13.06 at a Glance

The Warden Joins the VALORANT Rifle Category

The Warden is the biggest gameplay addition in Patch 13.06. It is a fully automatic rifle priced at 2,900 credits, placing it directly beside the Vandal and Phantom in the full-buy tier.

Warden Stats

The Warden can eliminate a fully armored opponent with one headshot or three body shots at any distance. Its damage does not fall off over range, making it a clear long-distance option. The tradeoff is a smaller 18-round magazine and a slower fire rate than players usually expect from a standard automatic rifle.

This creates a different rhythm from the Vandal and Phantom. The Warden rewards controlled bursts, accurate first shots and disciplined positioning. Missing several bullets at close range is more dangerous because the weapon offers less ammunition and fewer shots per second to correct the mistake.

How the Warden Could Affect the Meta

The Warden is unlikely to replace both established rifles immediately. Instead, it gives teams a more specialized choice for long angles and defensive positions.

Players may initially favor it on maps and sites where fights regularly happen at extended range. Operators who want rifle-level flexibility without committing to a sniper may also find value in the 2x scope. On the other hand, the weapon should be less forgiving during fast site hits, multi-target sprays and close-range retakes.

The most important early questions are:

• Can players consistently control the Warden under pressure?
• Are three-body-shot kills reliable enough to justify its lower fire rate?
• Which maps provide enough long-range fights for the scope to matter?
• Can professional teams build specific positions and set plays around it?

Because the Warden costs the same as the Vandal and Phantom, choosing it is a tactical decision rather than an economy shortcut. The first weeks of ranked play and professional practice should reveal whether it becomes a regular part of team arsenals or remains a situational pick.

Performance Score Replaces Average Combat Score

Average Combat Score, usually shortened to ACS, no longer determines MVP status or scoreboard position in VALORANT's main competitive modes. Patch 13.06 replaces it with Performance Score.

Performance Score is displayed on a scale from 0 to 500. Riot says it considers more than damage and kills to provide a broader view of a player's contribution. The system is active in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay and Premier.

The End of Game screen now explains which factors affected the score, where a player can improve and how close the performance was to a "Masterful" result.

Why This Change Matters

ACS often favored visible fragging output. Performance Score is designed to recognize a wider range of contributions, which may produce fairer evaluations for players whose value comes from utility, setup work or other round-winning actions.

However, Riot has not published the complete formula. Players will need time to understand how strongly different actions are weighted and whether the system evaluates every role consistently.

Performance Score now controls MVP awards and scoreboard order in supported modes. Riot did not state in the Patch 13.06 notes that it replaces Rank Rating or directly changes RR gains and losses.

Warm Up in the Practice Range While Queuing

Players can now enter the Practice Range after starting matchmaking. It is also possible to begin matchmaking from inside the Range.

This is a useful quality-of-life change for higher-ranked players and regions with longer queue times. Instead of waiting in the Lobby, players can practice aim and movement until a match is found.

There are several restrictions:

• The Range may not appear immediately when the expected queue is short.
• It can become available later if matchmaking takes longer than expected.
• Premier, Deathmatch and modes without Agent Select do not support the feature.
• Riot has acknowledged a console issue related to mode selection while using Range in Queue.

The feature does not change matchmaking itself, but it makes longer waits more productive and may help players enter the first round with warmer mechanics.

Agent Mastery Adds Per-Agent Progression

Agent Mastery introduces separate progression for every VALORANT Agent. Playing Clove advances Clove, playing Sova advances Sova, and the same rule applies across the roster.

Each Agent now has:

• Act Levels
• Lifetime Levels
• A Reward Track
• A customizable Agent ID

Players earn Mastery Points by completing matches in supported modes. Wins and strong individual performances provide bonus points.

Act Levels and Lifetime Levels

Every Agent has 10 main Act Levels. These reset at the beginning of a new Act. Reaching levels 4, 7 and 10 unlocks Portrait Accents that upgrade the Agent portrait and display current dedication to that character.

After reaching Act Level 10, players can continue through Overleveling for the rest of the Act.

Lifetime Levels do not reset. Each gained Act Level also adds one Lifetime Level, creating a permanent record of long-term investment in an Agent.

All players start the new system from zero. Previous playtime and Agent progress do not convert into Mastery Points or levels. Previously unlocked Agent Gear remains on the account.

Rewards and Kingdom Credits

Lifetime progression unlocks access to items on each Agent's Reward Track. The tracks contain rewards from the previous Agent Gear system as well as new items. Players still spend Kingdom Credits to claim the rewards they want.

Agent IDs provide another way to show mastery. Their components can be unlocked, customized and equipped through the relevant Agent's Reward Track.

The new system does not directly alter competitive balance, but it gives one-tricks and dedicated mains a visible progression path. It may also encourage players to spend more time on specific Agents instead of frequently switching roles.

Gauntlet: Glitched Brings Ability Drafting to VALORANT

Gauntlet: Glitched is a limited-time mode built around eight teams of two. Sixteen players enter, and each duo faces different opponents in short 2v2 battles.

Losing rounds reduces a team's health. Once that health reaches zero, the duo is eliminated and can leave immediately without waiting for the entire lobby to finish. Weapons change as the match moves through stages, while later losses deal more damage to team health.

The defining feature is the ability draft. Between rounds, players choose from randomized abilities belonging to different Agents. They can add new abilities, upgrade existing ones from Level 1 to Level 3 or use rerolls to search for a better combination.

At Level 2, abilities have a rare chance to become "glitched" and gain unusual effects. Riot's examples include manually detonating Raze's Boom Bot and creating an oversized version of Gekko's Wingman.

Matches take place across four arenas built from remixed sections of familiar VALORANT maps. Eliminated or victorious players can watch the remaining battles from the Winner's Circle.

Gauntlet: Glitched supports solo queue and premade duos. Retake leaves the limited-time mode rotation with this update.

The mode is separate from standard competitive VALORANT, so its exaggerated ability combinations will not influence the ranked meta. Its main value is experimentation, faster matches and the chance to use Agent abilities outside their normal kits.

New Accolades, Rank Legacy and Career Pages

Patch 13.06 expands the way VALORANT records personal achievements.

Accolades track standout performances such as MVP results and personal statistical bests. Each Accolade records a current-Act best and a lifetime best. Tracking begins with Patch 13.06, so historical matches do not count. Accolades can be earned only in Competitive and Premier.

Rank Legacy acts as a career trophy case. It shows how many times a player has reached each rank and highlights new personal peaks. A rank can increase its counter once during Acts I to III and once during Acts IV to VI. Demoting into a rank does not add another count.

The redesigned Career section now brings top Agents, match history and rank information onto one page. A new Competitive Hub contains the Act overview, Accolades and Rank Legacy.

Riot has also confirmed more competitive features for future patches. Map Rating is planned for Patch 13.08, while Competitive Flex and changes to the Radiant experience are targeted for Patch 14.00.

Home, Lobby and End of Game Redesign

Home and Lobby are now combined into a single hub. Players can select a mode, manage their party and start a queue while also viewing events, missions, the active map pool, leaderboards and limited-time features.

Global navigation has been redesigned to make major sections easier to find and reduce visual clutter. New indicators also identify recently earned items in the Collection.

The End of Game flow now groups performance, rewards, match details, Agent Mastery and competitive progress into one sequence. Players can let the summary advance automatically, inspect more detail, requeue or return to the Lobby.

These changes do not affect the result of a match, but they make Patch 13.06 feel larger than a normal content update. Riot is rebuilding the experience around playing, reviewing and tracking progress rather than only adding isolated features.

Anti-Boosting and Voice Moderation Updates

Riot reports that its recent boosting detection has banned about 1,600 accounts per day and more than 90,000 accounts since July 20. The system is intended to target boosting and smurf-related behavior through Vanguard.

Riot Voice Evaluation has also expanded to Spanish, Portuguese and Korean. The technology is used to detect abusive voice communications following player reports.

These changes do not remove smurfing or toxicity overnight, but they show that Patch 13.06 is also focused on the health of the competitive environment.

Bug Fixes and Console Changes

The patch fixes several Agent interaction issues, including:

• Ultimate voice lines being cut off when another ability was used immediately afterward.
• Controllable abilities from Tejo, Sova, Gekko, Cypher and Skye avoiding flashes in a specific timing window.
• Cypher's Trapwire appearing active after Cypher was eliminated or suppressed during reactivation.

Riot also confirmed that the displayed threshold for the Masterful Accolade is incorrect. This is a visual issue and does not prevent players from earning the Accolade. A fix is planned for the next patch.

On console, VALORANT is now available in Australia and New Zealand.

What Does Patch 13.06 Mean for the VALORANT Meta?

Patch 13.06 is a major systems update, but it is not a traditional Agent balance patch. There are no large buffs, nerfs or map reworks in the official notes.

The Warden is the feature most likely to affect actual round strategy. Its fixed 50 body damage, one-shot headshot potential and 2x scope create a new full-buy option for long-range fights. At the same time, the slow fire rate and 18-round magazine should prevent it from becoming an automatic replacement for the Vandal or Phantom.

Performance Score may change how players judge individual impact. Supportive actions should receive more visibility, although the system's real value will depend on how accurately it evaluates different roles.

Agent Mastery, Accolades and Rank Legacy focus on long-term engagement rather than match balance. Gauntlet: Glitched provides a separate experimental space, while the new client and Range in Queue reduce friction between matches.

The immediate competitive meta will therefore depend on one question: where does the Warden fit? The wider effect of the patch is more structural. VALORANT now offers clearer progression, broader performance feedback and more ways to use time outside a standard match.

Final Verdict

VALORANT Patch 13.06 is less about changing every Agent and more about changing the complete player experience.

The Warden adds the first new full-price rifle choice alongside the Vandal and Phantom. Performance Score attempts to measure impact beyond raw fragging. Agent Mastery gives dedicated players a permanent progression path, while Range in Queue solves one of the most common frustrations around long matchmaking waits.

Gauntlet: Glitched is the most playful part of the update, but the competitive and progression systems may have the longer-lasting impact.

For ranked players, the Warden and Performance Score deserve the most attention. For regular players, Agent Mastery and the redesigned client provide clearer goals between matches. Taken together, the changes make Patch 13.06 one of the most substantial VALORANT updates in recent years.

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