Backlog report, updated 14 October 2026. Patch 12.11 was the quiet handoff: My VALORANT Card launched, several bugs were fixed, and Riot adjusted the PC Premier playoff schedule. Patch 13.00 was the actual reset. Act 4 added Summit to Competitive, brought Sunset back, and removed Fracture and Pearl from the queue. Cypher, Killjoy, Veto, Sage and Deadlock received Sentinel buffs; several Initiator signature cooldowns fell from 60 to 50 seconds. Riot also changed Ranked Rating calculations, tightened average team-rank matching on PC, tuned the Bandit and launched the 3v3 Retake mode.
The TGN read
This is one connected strategy move, not a random pile of buffs. Riot said Sentinel power should punish repeated low-information site hits; quicker Initiator signatures make late-round information more available. The test is whether teams now have more decisions, not simply more utility flying across the screen. Summit’s droppable walls should reward prepared teams faster than a five-minute “we’ll learn it in ranked” speech. My long-term watch is the RR change: a climb feels healthier only if the matches become more coherent too.
Which matters more to your stack: a stronger site anchor or better late-round information? Follow TGN and join the conversation on your preferred channel.