VALORANT Patch 11.00 sets sweeping Waylay buffs after low usage rates at all levels

In the wake of VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, fans have broken down the statistics behind the tournament and beyond—from standout individual performances to overarching agent trends. Among the data over this year, one agent in particular has stood out for all the wrong reasons.

Waylay, the newest addition to VALORANT’s agent roster, is struggling to make an impact across the board. Whether in ranked solo queue or the professional scene, she has consistently been left behind—and Riot has taken notice.

Issues with Waylay

Since her launch, players have found Waylay difficult to integrate into both standard team compositions. This challenge has been reflected in her dismal pick rates: she ranks in the bottom three across every skill tier in ranked play, and her presence at the pro level is even more concerning.

At Masters Toronto, Waylay was selected just twice across the entire tournament—an abysmal 1.32 percent pick rate. Her numbers weren’t much better in the earlier stages of VCT either. Across VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Americas Stage 1, VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Stage 1, and VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Pacific Stage 1, her pick rate hovered between five and six percent, placing her firmly among the least played agents in the game.

Incoming changes to Waylay

With her underwhelming performance clear across all levels of competition, Riot is making a concerted effort to address the situation. A series of buffs aimed at improving Waylay’s combat readiness and overall feel are headed to the game in Patch 11.00. According to the developers, the goal is to “sharpen her ability to take fights” and improve the “flow and gameplay feel” of her kit—particularly after using abilities like Lightspeed and Refract.

Key changes are coming to Refract, Waylay’s teleport ability. The time players can remain in the teleport state will be reduced, while the unequip time is being lowered by 0.2 seconds—allowing for quicker re-engagement after teleporting. Additionally, the return travel time back to the original activation point is being decreased from 0.1 seconds to just 0.05 seconds, making the ability feel snappier.

Lightspeed is also receiving an upgrade. The ability’s unequip delay is being shortened from 0.8 seconds to 0.6 seconds, giving Waylay more of a fighting chance when transitioning from movement to gunplay.

Another significant tweak is coming to her Saturate ability. The area-of-effect radius is being expanded by two meters, and the ability will now detonate more quickly. These changes are designed to give Waylay better opportunities to capitalize on disoriented enemies caught within its range—especially if she dashes in and readies her weapon in time for a follow-up duel.

Riot is hopeful that these adjustments will bring Waylay closer in line with the rest of the roster and help her carve out a role in competitive team compositions. With other agents receiving nerfs in Patch 11.00, this could be the opening she needs to gain relevance.

For a full breakdown of the upcoming changes, make sure to check out the official Patch Notes. And for more VALORANT coverage and updates from the competitive scene, stay locked to THESPIKE.GG.