VALORANT Patch 13.06: Warden Rifle, Gauntlet: Glitched, and Agent Mastery Overhaul Are Live

What Changed in Patch 13.06

VALORANT Patch 13.06 shipped on September 22, 2026, and it delivers the widest single-patch scope the game has seen since launch. Riot's patch lead Kenny "Karnifexlol" Cameron called it the biggest patch of the year — and possibly of the last few years — in the official notes.

In one update: a new automatic rifle, a 16-player 2v2 experimental mode, the full replacement of Agent Gear with Agent Mastery, Average Combat Score replaced by a new Performance Score, the long-requested option to warm up in the Practice Range while queuing, and a full rework of the home screen and navigation.

The Warden: A Third Option at 2,900 Credits

The Warden joins the Vandal and Phantom at the 2,900-credit price point, but it is built for a different kind of engagement. Where the Vandal rewards mechanical precision at all ranges and the Phantom fits aggressive mid-range play, the Warden trades magazine depth and raw fire rate for a 2x magnification scope and exceptional first-shot accuracy when aimed down sights.

Full Warden Stats

How It Differs From the Vandal and Phantom

The smaller 18-round magazine and lower fire rate mean the Warden does not simply replace either rifle. Riot describes it as filling a niche between full rifles and the Operator for teams that want long-range holding power without committing to a single-shot sniper budget.

According to Hotspawn's patch breakdown, the Warden will not be available at VALORANT Champions 2026 in Shanghai — a standard Riot policy to avoid shifting pro meta mid-championship. Its first competitive appearance is expected at the Game Changers Championship next month.

Gauntlet: Glitched — VALORANT's Most Ambitious Mode Yet

Gauntlet: Glitched is the game's new limited-time mode, temporarily replacing Retake in the rotation.

How It Works

Sixteen players enter as eight duos. Each round, two teams are paired in a 2v2 showdown. Losing a round costs your team health from a shared pool; reaching zero means elimination. Eliminated teams can immediately requeue without waiting for the match to finish. As the match progresses into later stages, both weapon loadouts and round loss costs escalate.

Ability Draft

Between rounds, each player drafts from randomized ability options that can come from any agent in the game. Abilities can be upgraded from Level 1 to Level 3, with the option to stack multiple abilities from the same pool or build a hybrid kit across multiple agents. Rerolls are available to target a preferred combination.

Glitch Upgrades

When an ability reaches Level 2, it has a rare chance to "glitch" and change behaviour in ways not seen anywhere else in VALORANT. Riot confirmed a handful of examples without revealing the full list:

• ▶Raze's Boom Bot can be detonated manually by the player
• ▶Gekko's Wingman grows to an oversized scale

Winner's Circle

Teams that win their 2v2 matchup advance to a Winner's Circle above the four arenas, where they can watch ongoing matches, practice aim on targets, or wait for the final result.

The four arenas remix familiar VALORANT map geometry into purpose-built 2v2 spaces. Riot describes them as identifiable but requiring fresh tactical approaches.

Agent Mastery: Agent Gear Gets a Full Replacement

Agent Gear — the previous long-term agent progression system — is gone. Agent Mastery replaces it entirely. Previously unlocked Agent Gear rewards remain in player inventories.

Two-Tier Progression

Both level types are powered by Mastery Points (MP), earned by playing matches in supported modes on a given agent. Wins and high-performance matches grant bonus MP. Every Act Level gained automatically adds one Lifetime Level.

Key Design Decision: Zero Carry-Over

All players begin at zero Act Level and zero Lifetime Level regardless of prior Agent Gear progress. Riot's stated reasoning: "We're excited about Agent Mastery as a new system that continues to evolve with you Act-by-Act, Agent-by-Agent. So we want everyone to start on a level playing field here and embark on that new journey together."

Agent IDs

A new customisation surface called Agent IDs lets players display mastery investment directly on their profile. Unlockable and equippable components — stances, backgrounds, portraits, icons, borders, and tracked stats — are tied to each agent's individual Reward Track and unlocked with Kingdom Credits.

Competitive Overhaul: Performance Score, Accolades, and Rank Legacy

Performance Score Replaces ACS

Average Combat Score (ACS) is no longer the default competitive metric. Performance Score runs on a 0–500 scale and measures team contributions beyond raw damage and kills. It determines MVP status and scoreboard rankings in Competitive, Unrated, Swiftplay, and Premier. A dedicated End of Game breakdown shows exactly what factors affected each player's score.

Practice Range While Queuing

Players can enter the Practice Range after starting matchmaking — or start matchmaking from inside the Range. If the expected queue is short, the Range option may be temporarily unavailable; it reactivates as wait time grows. Not available for Premier, Deathmatch, or modes without Agent Select.

Accolades

Per-player standout performance records are now tracked across two windows: the current Act and a lifetime total. Tracked stats include MVP count and personal-best performance marks. Accolade tracking begins with this patch; historical data does not carry over. Available in Competitive and Premier only.

Rank Legacy

A new Competitive Hub section shows how many times a player has reached each rank across their career. Each rank counter can increment once every three Acts. Demoting into a rank does not increment its counter. Friends can view the Competitive Hub Overview but not the dedicated Rank Legacy or Accolade sub-pages.

What's Still Coming

Riot confirmed additional competitive features scheduled for future patches:

Anti-Cheat Enforcement

Riot's anti-boosting detection has now banned more than 90,000 accounts since its rollout on July 20, 2026, at a rate of approximately 1,600 accounts per day. The system targets smurf and boosting account behaviour across ranked modes. Riot noted in the patch notes that enforcement will continue to scale.

Affected Content

Retake Mode

Gauntlet: Glitched replaces Retake in the current rotation for the duration of the limited-time mode. Retake's removal is temporary.

Competitive Meta at Champions 2026

The pro metagame at Champions Shanghai will not see Warden — Riot's standard mid-event content freeze policy applies. Teams competing through the remaining Champions bracket continue on the pre-13.06 weapon pool. The Warden and updated competitive tracking features are available in all standard ranked queues globally from patch day.

Console Expansion

VALORANT Console is now live in Australia and New Zealand as of Patch 13.06. It is not the first console region to receive the game, but it expands access to a market that had previously only been able to play on PC.

Community Reaction

The zero carry-over policy for Agent Mastery has been the most discussed aspect of 13.06. Players who had accumulated progression in the old Agent Gear system will not see that history reflected in Mastery levels — a deliberate reset that Riot has defended as ensuring a shared starting point.

The move from ACS to Performance Score represents the most significant competitive scoring change VALORANT has made. ACS has been criticised for failing to credit utility use, off-ball movement, and support play. How well Performance Score addresses that in practice will become clearer as ranked data accumulates over the next act.

Gauntlet: Glitched draws comparisons to Dota 2's Ability Draft mode and has generated sustained interest in the community since the initial reveal on September 14. The format creates combinations impossible in standard VALORANT, which both excites and raises balance questions the limited-time nature of the mode somewhat sidesteps.

Patch 13.06 Quick Reference

Full patch notes are published at the official VALORANT website. GosuGamers has additional context on the 13.06 feature preview published ahead of the patch.