Phoenix’s ultimate is the headline change in VALORANT Patch 13.02. Run It Back now takes seven ultimate points to charge instead of six, so his signature free-life play arrives a round or two later than before. The update also expands the Retake limited-time mode with new maps, delays a planned mode, and clears out a wide list of agent bugs.
Quick answer: After Patch 13.02, Phoenix’s ultimate requires 7 ultimate points (up from 6). Nothing else about Curveball, Blaze, or Hot Hands changed.
Phoenix ultimate point change (6 to 7)
Run It Back is the only Phoenix ability touched in this patch. Riot describes the tweak as a small adjustment meant to bring how often Phoenix casts his ultimate closer to the rest of the roster, while leaving the overall kit alone. In practice, one extra orb pushes the ult back on your timeline, so it is far less likely to be up for an early-round entry.
That single number matters more than it looks. Phoenix’s identity leans on charging a site knowing a free rewind is waiting, and delaying that safety net makes ult economy an actual decision. Expect Phoenix players to be more deliberate about picking up orbs and to lean harder on Curveball flashes and Hot Hands mollies between ults.
Retake mode gains three maps
The Retake limited-time mode grows its rotation. Split, Corrode, and Lotus join the map pool, adding more post-plant setups to the fast 3v3 format where one team defends an already-planted Spike and the other coordinates the retake.
One mode did not make it in. All Random One Site: Replication was pulled from this update and will not release with 13.02. Riot says it is still targeting a future release and will share timing later.
Patch 13.02 bug fixes (all platforms)
The bulk of the patch is cleanup work across agents and one map. These fixes apply on every platform.
| Agent / Map | Fix |
|---|---|
| Omen | Shrouded Step’s obstructed placement indicator no longer goes missing. |
| KAY/O | NULL/cmd’s visual and death audio effects now play when the downed timer expires; death animation no longer plays incorrectly after a revive. |
| Cypher | Cyber Cage shows correct visual effects; rare disconnect while casting Neural Theft resolved. |
| Gekko | Correct voiceover now plays when Wingman plants the Spike; Wingman no longer dies while planting or defusing under very low frame rates. |
| Miks | M Pulse ability icon and tooltip no longer appear in the wrong place or go missing on certain screens. |
| Reyna | Dismiss icon no longer stays grayed out after eliminating an enemy. |
| Chamber | Rendezvous no longer fails to teleport him back to his anchor. |
| Waylay | Lightspeed and Refract can no longer clip her into the walls of B Tube on Icebox. |
| Jett | Tailwind and Updraft no longer suffer an unintended delay after Cloudburst. |
| Raze | Boom Bot no longer travels briefly through solid geometry while locking onto airborne enemies. |
| Deadlock | Annihilation no longer incorrectly captures Omen during From the Shadows for 900100 unintended damage. |
| Vyse | Razorvine can no longer become indestructible when deployed as Vyse is suppressed. |
| Summit | Agent utility is no longer crushed by the door when it is already closed. |
PC and console-only fixes
A few fixes are limited to specific platforms. On PC, the Packets Received and Packets Sent rate graphs no longer show incorrect values when the game runs at extremely high framerates.
- Chamber: Tour de Force no longer misses haptic feedback when equipped and fired (console).
- Yoru: Fakeout now includes its aim assistance functionality again (console).
- Waylay: Using Lightspeed and immediately equipping the Spike or a Flex item no longer grants unintended dash speed and distance (console).
- Gameplay Systems: In modes with no abilities, choosing Agent Info from the Settings menu no longer closes the menu instead of showing the info (console).
When Patch 13.02 rolls out by region
The update follows VALORANT’s usual staged rollout. The Americas shards go first, with APAC next and EMEA last. Europe’s rollout lands on Wednesday, July 29, at around 4:00 AM BST.
| Stage | Region | Estimated window (UTC) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Americas (NA, LATAM, Brazil) | 14:00-18:00 |
| 2 | APAC (Asia Pacific, Korea) | 21:00-23:00 |
| 3 | EMEA (Europe) | 02:00-05:00 (July 29) |
You will know the changes are live once the client updates and Run It Back reads seven orbs on Phoenix’s ultimate meter. With the extra point in place, plan your first-life aggression around when that ult actually comes online rather than assuming it will be ready by the early gun rounds.
