Riot confirms Tejo nerfs in Patch 10.09, more changes to abilities in near future

After months of rising complaints from professional players and solo queue players alike, Riot Games has finally confirmed that Tejo will getting some much-needed nerfs in Patch 10.09. In a new social media post, studio head Anna Donlon said that the developers know that his Guided Salvo are too strong and need to be brought more in line with other initiators. Additionally, she said that Riot has been looking at "ability overload," and how much utility has taken over the meta to the point that it has become a "top priority." As a result, the developers will be making some changes in the coming months, with bigger changes planned for after VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions.

Tejo takeover

Tejo's dominance over the current solo queue and competitive scene has been well documented and discussed among the community, including pros players and coaches. Francis "OXY" Hoang from Cloud9 said in a recent interview with THESPIKE.GG that he currently hates the meta because all it consists of is a Tejo or Breach playing post-plant off the site, throwing various forms of utility at the spike so that the other team cannot defuse it. Additionally, he believes that his utility recharges far too fast where it allows players to use it to clear site, cover spike, and close off angles.

Evil Geniuses' head coach Christine "Potter" Chi said that Tejo was "game-breaking," but she thinks that even if Tejo was nerfed and other agents were buffed or made stronger, players would find something else to complain about. Even still, it cannot be understated that Tejo is one of the most essential agents in the game because of how much value his current kit has for any team composition. During VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Stage 1, for example, Tejo had the highest agent pick rate across the tournament.

He also combines extremely well with Breach, who has become his best friend over the course of the last few months. He is often played with Tejo because they can combo their abilities together to take down groups of enemies or heavily damage them. This makes the shooting aspect of the game relatively simple, since the enemy team will have to push through various explosions and utility to take a contested area. Tejo has lessened the frequency in which players must take a challenging gunfight, which has drastically shifted playstyles and strategies around the world.

Utility complaints as a whole

Players in the professional scene and casual scene have both raised concerns over the prevalence of utility in VALORANT, and whether or not the system should change. Former pro player Tyson "TenZ" Ngo even mocked the original statement that Riot gave when VALORANT first released where Anna Donlon said the game was about "precise gunplay." TenZ then swapped over to gameplay of VALORANT, where multiple abilities were on screen, and it seemed incredibly hectic and confusing. Fnatic star Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov even suggested that initiator utility should not recharge back, so that they cannot spam abilities throughout the round.

Hopefully, the changes that Riot brings to the table can help bring some balance to the game, that satisfies the player base for solo queue and competitive play as a whole. If you want more updates on VALORANT or the competitive scene, stay locked in with THESPIKE.GG.