Valorant is undoubtedly one of the most popular multiplayer shooters among PC gamers in India, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s free-to-play, runs great on most PCs, offers fantastic gunplay, and its 5v5 format and tight maps is a welcome change from large-scale battlefields in battle royale shooters. The fact that Valorant has an Indian server with great pings is just the icing on the cake.
So there’s naturally a lot of anticipation when Riot Games announces new Acts – Valorant’s version of seasons. Episode 3 Act 1 introduced a new agent – KAY/O – who also happens to be the game’s first robot agent. So let’s take a look at what’s new in Episode 3 Act 2.
Episode 3 Act 2 start and end dates
Valorant’s Episode 3 Act 2 was initially scheduled to release in mid-August, but was delayed by Riot Games and eventually kicked off on September 8, 2021. This Act should run until the end of October, and we expect to see Act 3 by early November at the latest.
New Valorant Battle Pass
Each new Act brings a new Battle Pass and the same is true of Act 2. The Battle Pass here features 10 tiers plus an epilogue, with each tier broken up into multiple parts. Earning XP unlocks items in the Battle Pass, such as weapon skins, sprays, gun buddies and other cosmetics. Each tier includes one or two free item unlocks, but most of the unlocks – the good ones – will require you to pay for the premium Battle Pass. Paying for the Battle Pass also grants you 3% additional XP from matches.
The Battle Pass costs 1,000 Valorant Points, which is roughly INR 900, and there are even Indian payment modes, like Paytm, supported. Here are some of the unique items you can unlock in the Act 2 Battle Pass:
Premium:
- Artisan Foil (melee)
- Artisan Phantom
- Nitro Operator
- Nitro Vandal
- Varnish Sheriff
- Follow Me gun buddy
- Does Not Compute spray
- Reyna card – Unstoppable
Free:
- Artisan Ghost weapon skin
- Time’s Up gun buddy
- Artisan gun buddy
- Nice Try! spray
- Phoenix Card – Versus
New Valorant map – Fracture
While Valorant Episode 3 Act 2 doesn’t introduce a new agent, it adds a much-needed new map – Fracture. This is the seventh map in the game and one of its most unique. A scientific experiment gone wrong has led to this lab and the land around it being split into two, with a giant fissure separating two sides of the map – hence the name, Fracture.
The map has two planting sites and both sides of the map feature drastically different appearances. The mix of small rooms and tight corridors makes Fracture most conducive to close- and medium-range combat. There’s also a lengthy zipline that allows players to quickly transport themselves from one end of the map to the other, but it also leaves them vulnerable in the process.
After initially being introduced with a Fracture-only queue for players to try out, the Fracture map is now available in regular rotation in Valorant’s Unrated and Competitive modes.
Weapon bundles
The Valorant store frequently adds new premium skin collections, which includes skins for multiple weapons, including colour variants, unique animations and sounds, and signature finishers. And Act 2 has so far introduced three new collections. Bear in mind that weapons collections appear for a limited time only – which is what makes some skins so sought after – so the below bundles may well have been replaced by the time you read this, with newer ones being added.
Spectrum: This line of weapons is a collaboration between Valorant and musician Zedd, and features musical waveform visual effects and EDM-inspired sounds.
Valorant Go! Vol. 2: The Valorant Go! range of skins features aesthetics that are based on the game’s agents. In Vol. 2, the bundle includes items dedicated to Raze, Zoru, Viper, Sova and Phoenix.
RGX 11Z Pro: This set features five weapon skins, a spray, a player card and a gun buddy. The neon-inspired design includes four colour variants and unique animations, finishers and kill counters.
With a new map and a new Battle Pass, plus new weapon bundles being steadily introduced, Valorant Episode 3 Act 2 offers plenty for fans to keep coming back, and enough content to tide you over until Act 3.
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