We are happy to see that Riot is delivering on its promises. They said that in 2022 we'd get a lot more Agent changes, social features, and better communication with the player base, and it looks like this is exactly what the next Act will be all about.
So, Episode 4 will indeed be a true milestone for the game. We won't be getting a lot of fancy content this time, though; the goal of the Game Devs is to solve the unhealthy problems that are not only a pain for players, but also limit the design space.
The first Act is so far very similar to the previous ones, but the next one is going to be completely different. And what do we mean by that? We've got some sweet leak showing what Riot's plans are for Valorant in the coming months.
Episode 4 Act 2: No New Agents & Maps
That's right, the second Act of Episode 4 will not contain any new Agents or maps. Instead, you can expect lots of updates targeting existing Agents and maps, and that's what we're pretty happy about. It looks like we're going to get another Patch 3.0, where we got a bunch of changes and experienced a meta shake-up (that's when Skye was absolutely OP with her flash). It's no secret that power creep exists in Valorant, and some buffs, nerfs, and reworks are welcome to the game to keep things fresh.
Episode 4 Act 2: Yoru Rework
So, it can be said that Yoru will be our Episode 4 Act 2 as he is about to change drastically. Riot already planned his rework for Act 1, but the design team preferred to give themselves some time, and now we have official information that all his changes are planned for Act 2. Yoru's abilities are supposed to be more about mind games and gain some extra diversity.
He's the first Agent this year to get such a significant change, but honestly, we're expecting much more such changes in the upcoming months, especially since, as we mentioned, power creep is real.
- Learn more about the new Yoru Rework: Yoru Rework: All Changes & Release Date
Episode 4 Act 2: Community Battle Pass
The game will have its first-ever community Battle Pass, filled with cosmetics designed by the more artistic part of the Valorant community. We don't yet know its official cost, when it will come out, and how it will correlate with the "classic" Battle Pass, but we know that its content will be unique to each region, making it even more exciting. It will probably only contain sprays and stickers, which is kind of sad, especially that the community can really go crazy with these custom skins, just look here:
Episode 4 Act 2: More Anti-Toxic Changes & Better Communication
We have to admit - Riot did a fantastic job dealing with smurfs and AFK players last year. Sure, these problems still exist but on a significantly smaller scale, and you can really feel the difference. Game devs are more about making the game healthy, and game health is not only about balance but also about the atmosphere during the game. That said, you should expect more social features, Vanguard updates and features rewarding good player behavior in the upcoming Act.
According to Anna Donlon (Executive Producer for Valorant), Riot is also looking to improve communication between game designers and players.
Let's chat more. Every change to the game of improvement is for you, the ones playing it, and you can help us make those improvements happen. Frequent back and forth chats on potential changes with our devs, AMAs, anything else we can think up and show you along the way. We'll open up even more lines of communication, let you in a little more; you'll see our mess, and that's okay. (source)
Episode 4 Act 2: Release Date
If everything goes according to schedule, we will get Episode 4 Act 2 along with all the features we described Tuesday, March 1, as this is when the first Act of Episode 4 ends. We will probably also get a new skin line on the same day, as it usually happens with updates introducing new Acts to the game.