Is VALORANT adding rain shields?

VALORANT is in an era of evolution. The game is revamping Duelist Phoenix in preparation for Patch 9.10 and introducing a new Battle Pass. The community also noticed a significant meta-affecting change: VALORANT will introduce Regeneration Shields, a new type of armor. Here’s everything we know about VALORANT’s regeneration shields, when they’ll arrive, and what the player base thinks.

VALORANT has multiple levels of shields in the game: no shields, light shields and heavy shields. Each level of shield protects the player from a different level of damage. Light shields absorb up to 25 damage and cost 400 credits, heavy shields absorb up to 50 and cost 1,000 credits. Shields are crucial as they protect the player from various weapons – for example, players with light shields can die from an Outlaw headshot, while users with heavy shields cannot.

According to leaks, regeneration shields will be added to these options in the next VALORANT patch. We don’t have much information about how they work. It is possible for the shields to passively regenerate over time after purchase if the player does not suffer prolonged damage. So they would probably cost more than heavy shields over 1,000 credits in the shop.

VALORANT’s new regeneration shields will be available with Patch 9.10published on November 10, 2024. Patches are typically deployed in phased increments.

VALORANT patch release times in each time zone:

Related Article: VALORANT Episode 9 Full Patch Schedule

The VALORANT community is hesitant to embrace the Regeneration Shield change, and their overall reaction is mostly negative. Player complaints center on its similarity to other passive shield regeneration titles like Halo and Fortnite. A part of the community is also irritated that VALORANT is significantly disrupting the balance of the game by implementing this update. Professional FPS player @tenjiFPS quips “Let’s play Halo now or…“while another user writes @Loolo_WRLD”Massive L, that just doesn’t fit Valo.“Some players are even demanding that Riot withdraw its regeneration shield plan.

Only time will tell how regeneration shields impact the game and whether Riot Games will address the concerns of the player base.