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Riot Says Valorant’s Stinger Is “Over-Performing” & Will Nerf in Patch 6.02

Stinger will no longer go brrr.

Valorant Stinger is being nerfed for Patch 6.02 Image source: Riot Games

Valorant’s cheap SMG has once again begun to dominate the meta, but the Stinger’s strength isn’t long for either Alpha or Omega worlds. Riot Games has confirmed the weapon will be nerfed in Patch 6.02 following its performance tracking over the past few weeks. The development team has concluded it’s “over-performing” and has plans in place to reduce its impact.

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The news comes by way of a Tweet late on Friday afternoon:

The following changes will be made to the Stinger for Patch 6.02:

  • Cost increased 950 >>> 1100
  • Damage Fall-off Change: 27 damage per bullet (0 – 15m) 23 damage per bullet (15m+)
  • Previously: 27 damage per bullet (0 – 20m) 25 damage per bullet (20m+)

The changes will mean that force-buying the Stinger, which had become commonplace in professional and ranked play recently, will be less viable. The damage fall-off changes will also make the gun generally less powerful against more expensive weapons, such as the Spectre, Bulldog, Phantom, and Vandal.

Professional players were quick to share their enthusiasm; it appears most felt the Stinger was far too strong:

Only just the other day, G2’s ShahZam had spoken about the “busted” Stinger on his stream, explaining that he also felt the gun needed some sort of change.

Speaking of G2, you can read up on the incredible viewership of the team’s opening Challengers match versus FaZe here.

About the author

Alex Gibson

Alex was a Senior Editor at Twinfinite and worked on the site between January 2017 and March 2023. He covered the ins and outs of Valorant extensively, and frequently provided expert insight into the esports scene and wider video games industry. He was a self-proclaimed history & meteorological expert, and knew about games too. Playing Games Since: 1991, Favorite Genres: RPG, Action

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