Valorant Patch 13.06 Adds the Warden Rifle, Agent Mastery and Gauntlet: Glitched

Valorant’s Patch 13.06 went live September 22, and Riot Games’ own headline promise was that the update goes big. According to the official patch notes, it delivers a new weapon, a new progression system and a new mode.

The Warden. A new automatic rifle priced at 2,900 credits, the same tier as the Vandal and Phantom. The notes list 18 bullets per magazine, 50 damage per bullet (200 to the head), medium wall penetration and a 2x scope, with 36 rounds of reserve ammo. Independent write-ups describe it as dealing flat damage at every range, but we are relying on the official numbers above.

Agent Mastery. This progression system replaces Agent Gear. Players earn Act Levels, which reset each Act, and permanent Lifetime Levels. The notes say “Each Agent has 10 main Act levels to progress through each Act,” with Portrait Accents unlocking at levels 4, 7 and 10. Lifetime progression unlocks cosmetic rewards through Kingdom Credits.

Gauntlet: Glitched. A limited-time 2v2 tournament mode with eight duos competing across custom arenas. Players draft abilities, receive random upgrades and encounter “glitches” that change how abilities function.

Quality-of-life changes.

• Practice Range in queue: “You can now enter the Range while you’re in queue! Warm up your aim while you wait for your next match.” It is not available in Premier, Deathmatch or modes without Agent Select.
• Performance Score: replaces Average Combat Score with a 0-500 measure meant to capture contributions beyond kills and damage.
• Console: Valorant Console launched in Australia and New Zealand with the patch.

Where the season stands. Act 5 began August 18 with patch 13.04. Patch 13.05, on September 1, added Champs Pick’Ems, penalties for stream sniping and instalock tools, and previewed the Agent Gear changes that 13.06 delivered, per the official updates page. A third-party tracker estimates Act 5 ends around October 13, but that date is unofficial.

What we have not confirmed. The official notes we reviewed did not spell out map-pool changes in detail, and some outlets report that Abyss returned to Competitive and Deathmatch. We have not verified that with Riot, so check the full notes before adjusting your map plans.

Bottom line. The Warden and Agent Mastery are the changes most players will feel. Expect the meta and the lobby experience to shift over the coming weeks.