Quick answer: VALORANT Patch 13.09 went live on October 27 and adds Hush, Riot’s new telekinetic Duelist. Riot’s patch notes do not say how to unlock her. Under Riot’s standard system, new Agents get a free 28 day Agent Recruitment Event, or you can buy them right away with VP. The patch also nerfs Clove’s Pick-me-up from 15% to 10% bonus speed, buffs the Warden’s follow up accuracy, and adds two new status terms, Haste and Snapshot.
We covered Hush’s reveal earlier. This guide covers what matters now that she is playable.
How to unlock Hush
The 13.09 notes only say “New Agent Hush is now in game.” They give no event dates or XP target. Riot’s progression FAQ explains how new Agents normally work:
- Free route: an Agent Recruitment Event starts automatically the day a new Agent releases and runs for 28 days. Match XP, Dailies and Weeklies count.
- Paid route: you can spend VP to buy the Agent right away.
- If you miss it: the Agent moves to the Agent Store, where Kingdom Credits, VP or Agent Unlock Tokens work. Riot’s 7.0 notes say Kingdom Credits and tokens cannot be used during the event.
If Hush follows that pattern, the free window closes around November 24. Check the Agents tab in your client for the real meter, since Riot has not published Hush’s numbers.
Hush’s abilities, and how to use them
- Telekinesis (passive): picks up weapons and the Spike (on attack) and uses switches from longer range. Grab a dropped Spike or a teammate’s rifle without stepping into the open.
- Displacement: throw it or hold it ready, then reactivate to send it toward your crosshair. It pulls players to the center and concusses anyone who hits a wall or another player, so aim it at stacked defenders in tight corners. It resets every two kills.
- Flashbulb: same controls, flashes everyone looking at it. Redirect it in midair to bend it around a corner.
- Flow: drops an anchor and, after a delay, pulls Hush back to it (if airborne, she hangs in place first). Drop it before a peek and it becomes your exit.
- Suspension (ultimate): steer it with your crosshair, then fire again or reactivate to detonate and lift everyone it catches.
Worth testing in the Range: Riot says Displacement, Flashbulb and Suspension affect “all players.” The notes do not say whether that includes teammates, so call your utility until you know.
Haste, Snapshot and the new tooltips
Haste is now the official name for a movement speed buff. It is separate from Combat Stim, which boosts fire rate, equip, reload and recovery speed. Brimstone’s Stim Beacon, Clove’s Pick-me-up, Miks’ Harmonize and Neon’s High Gear and Overdrive now show a Haste buff, and Waylay’s Convergent Paths has been renamed to Haste. Snapshot is the name for the still image silhouette reveal from Cypher’s Neural Theft and Spycam.
Every ability description was also rewritten, and passives such as Neon’s Battery are now shown in game.
Clove and Warden changes
- Clove Pick-me-up: bonus movement speed drops from 15% to 10%, in line with similar abilities.
- Clove Not Dead Yet: killing Clove after the revive now gives the killer an ultimate point and a signature refresh point.
- Warden (2,900 credits): smoother pitch recoil on the first few bullets, second bullet error cut from 0.25 to 0.2 and third from 0.6 to 0.5.
Competitive notes
Riot warns that Performance Score on Hush “may be a bit bumpy in the first few days” while it tunes how her utility is scored. Your Act Best Match now counts more toward Map Rating, the system added in 13.08, and the First Blood accolade is harder to earn.
Our take
Learn Hush in unrated first. Her scores are unstable for now and Act Best Match weighs more in Map Rating, so a rough first night in ranked costs more than before. The Clove change matters more than it looks: with a 10% speed bonus and a reward for killing her after a revive, Not Dead Yet is no longer a free second life.
Source: VALORANT Patch Notes 13.09, Riot Games, October 27, 2026; Progression Update Explainer + FAQ and VALORANT Patch Notes 7.0, Riot Games.
