Reyna, the gloriously bright vampire agent in VALORANT, soon became a favorite pick for those aggressive self-sufficient fraggers. Recently, however, the community was thrown into a frenzy, talking about unexpected removal of Reyna from VALORANT. After patch 10.05 was released, this agent was taken away temporarily, making fans wonder whether she would come back.
Reyna’s Removal: What Really Happened
One of the most famed Duelists among VALORANT agents, Reyna was disabled after the release of Patch 10.05 because of a very serious bug regarding her Devour ability. The ability to heal and Overheal, whenever Reyna makes a kill, is what makes the agent so interesting. However, in this case, the function is erratically not updating the health of the agent. Players complained that even after Overheal, Reyna could still fall under damage that would have been insufficient to kill her.
Owing to this bug, Reyna has been taken out of every game mode which include competitive, unarguably, even custom matches. They have even wiped her presence from the Agents tab and her menus—her career history, apart from her cosmetics. But most players have seen just a placeholder instead of Reyna’s icon, an undefined red-haired agent which freaks them out.
Still, Riot authorized Reyna to continue being eligible for VCT while casting her out of the normal and ranked matches. They explained that the glitch wasn’t providing any edge at the competitive level, and banning her right before a tournament match would upset whole team plans. Instead, the teams have been advised to employ Reyna at their convenience, as no competitive rulings, such as pauses or round rollbacks, will be able to address issues resulting from the error.
Implications to Players and Their Gameplay
Reyna’s removal has changed gameplay significantly in all game modes as she is one of the most popular duelists. Indeed, disabling a key agent is most painfully felt by those who relied on her aggressive playstyle and self-healing abilities. Now, casual and competitive players must switch up their methods when playing without her and end up gravitating toward other duelists to substitute hyped gameplay performance. The immediate impact of such a quick change forces players to search for different ways to engage with the enemy, especially when Reyna could tip the game in their favor.
Community Reactions
The removal of Reyna had prompted general reactions from VALORANT players. Many were genuinely outraged, especially those using Reyna’s aggressive playstyle to win. Meanwhile, across social media, memes made their rounds as players jokingly celebrated a short break from the “sweaty” Reyna mains. On the other end, some argued that the change was very necessary for balance and fairness in the game.
Regardless of the divided opinions, most agree Riot Games has taken timely and proper measures in addressing the issue. However, many are placing heavy interest in any news regarding her return to the game.
The Empress Will Return
Reyna is, in fact, not completely removed from VALORANT. Yes, the kind of disruption this has caused in the gameplay experience for many is quite incredible. But it also indicates the kind of commitment that Riot Games has in keeping a fair and balanced competitive environment. Awaiting the return of Reyna, players can rest assured that the developers are busy looking into a fix. Tune in to the official VALORANT channels for updates; fear not, the Empress shall rise again on the battlefield soon.
