Valorant Episode 3 Release Date: Start Time, Patch Notes, Battle Pass, and More

Episode 3 of Valorant is nearly here, and a lot of players have been wondering about the exact start time and details for the new season. Valorant Episode 3  is called Reflection, and it will not only bring a ton of balance changes and weapon adjustments to the game, but also a brand-new agent in the form of KAY/O. KAY/O is an Initiator, perfect for pushing onto the site, so he’s sure to be popular with the playerbase once he is released. Here’s everything you need to know about Valorant Episode 3.

Valorant Episode 3 Start Time

Valorant Episode 3 will start on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. This is the same date that the current Battle Pass ends. Riot Games released the last major update for Episode 2 at roughly 2 PM PT/ 5 PM ET, so it’s safe to assume that Episode 3 will be released at the same time. Riot will give players a heads-up notification with the exact patch release time once the release date draws nearer, so we’ll update this article accordingly once we get an official start time.

Valorant KAY/O Agent Abilities and Kit

KAY/O is an Initiator. All of his abilities are designed to get the team onto the site. His main abilities focus on suppression and blinding, while his Ultimate ability allows for aggressive pushes.

• E — ZERO/POINT
  • Equip a suppression blade. Fire to throw. The blade sticks to the first surface it hits, winds up, and suppresses anyone in the radius of the explosion.
• Q — FLASH/DRIVE
  • Equip a flash grenade. Fire to throw. The flash grenade explodes after a short fuse, blinding anyone in the line of sight.
    • Right-clicking the flashbang throws a charged flash, causing it to only have to cook for 1 second, as opposed to left-click throwing a flash that cooks in 1.6 seconds.
• C — FRAG/MENT
  • Equip an explosive fragment. Fire to throw. The fragment sticks to the floor and explodes multiple times, dealing near lethal damage at the center with each explosion.
• X — NULL/CMD
  • Instantly Overload with polarized Radianite energy that empowers KAY/O and causes large energy pulses to emit from his location. Enemies hit with these pulses are suppressed for a short duration.
    • While Overloaded, KAY/O gains Combat Stim
    • If KAY/O is killed while overloaded, he is downed and enters a destabilized state, allowing allies to stabilize his core and revive him.

Valorant Episode 3 Act 1 Patch Notes

While there are currently no official patch notes for Valorant Episode 3, Riot Games has already detailed some of the changes that will be made to the game at the start of the new season. Outside of the release of KAY/O, Episode 3 will also feature several significant changes to the in-game economy. Here are some early patch notes for the Episode 3 update.

Agent Ability Changes

• ASTRA
  • Astral Stars price reduced from 200 to 150
  • Astra only begins the round with one free star
• BREACH
  • Aftershock cost increased from 100 to 200
  • Flashpoint cost increased from 200 to 250
  • Flashpoint now has 2 charges instead of 3
• BRIMSTONE
  • Incendiary cost increased from 200 to 250
• JETT
  • Cloudburst cost increased from 100 to 200
  • Updraft cost increased from 100 to 150
  • Blade Storm requires 7 Ultimate points instead of 6
  • Jett can no longer dash through Cypher’s Tripwire
• OMEN
  • Shrouded Step cost increased from 100 to 150
  • Paranoia cost decreased from 400 to 300
• PHOENIX
  • Curveball cost increased from 100 to 150
• REYNA
  • Leer cost increased from 200 to 250
• RAZE
  • Boombot cost increased from 200 to 400
  • Showstopper now costs 8 Ultimate points instead of 7
• SAGE
  • Slow Orb cost increased from 100 to 200
  • Resurrection now requires 8 Ultimate points instead of 7
• SKYE
  • Trailblazer cost decreased from 250 to 200
  • Guiding Light cost increased from 100 to 150
  • Guiding Light now has 2 charges instead of 3
  • Guiding Light flashes now recharge after 40 seconds
• SOVA
  • Owl Drone cost increased from 300 to 400
  • Shock Bolt cost increased from 100 to 150
  • Hunter’s Fury now requires 8 Ultimate points instead of 7
• VIPER
  • Snake Bite cost increased from 100 to 200
• YORU
  • Blindside cost increased from 200 to 250

Weapon Price Adjustments

• ARES
  • Decreased price from 1,600 to 1,500
• BUCKY
  • Decreased price from 900 to 850
• BULLDOG
  • Decreased price from 2,100 to 2,050
• FRENZY
  • Decreased price from 500 to 450
• GUARDIAN
  • Decreased price from 2,400 to2,250
• JUDGE
  • Increased price from 1,600 to1,850
• MARSHALL
  • Decreased price from 1,000 to 950
• OPERATOR
  • Decreased price from 5,000 to 4,700
• SHORTY
  • Decreased price from 200 to 150
• STINGER
  • Decreased price from 1,100 to 950

Valorant Episode 3 Act 1 Battle Pass

The Valorant Episode 3 Battle Pass will feature a ton of new skins, sprays, weapon buddies, and more. During Act 1 of Episode 3, players will be able to unlock items from three new collections: Jigsaw, Monarch, and K/TAC.

Jigsaw skins are bright and colorful, featuring Agent portraits covered with puzzle piece overlays. You can get this skin for the Ghost, Judge, and Guardian. The Monarch collection will be available for the Shorty, Frenzy, Bucky, and Marshall. It has a sleek black and gold design. Finally, the K/Tac collection will feature skins for the Sheriff, Bulldog, Operator, Vandal, and Knife. This skin collection gives weapons an angular black design with pink highlights.

To recap, here are all the weapon skin collections in the Valorant Episode 3 Act 1 Battle Pass.

• Jigsaw
  • Ghost, Judge, and Guardian
• Monarch
  • Shorty, Frenzy, Bucky, Marshall
• K/Tac
  • Sheriff, Bulldog, Operator, Vandal, Knife

Of course, this is only a small taste of what the new Battle Pass will have to offer. Once the new update goes live on June 22, you’ll be able to see every tier for yourself.

Valorant is available now on PC.