Riot finally bit the bullet and nerfed Jett for Patch 4.08. Read on to find out how things might play out for everyone’s favorite Korean Duelist.
Jett arguably owns some of the nastiest highlights in all of VALORANT. A primary reason these plays are so satisfying to watch is the inherent risk that Jett players continuously subject themselves to every round. However, these aggressive Jett plays seem reckless to the untrained eye since Jett players can easily Dash away to safety anytime.
For Patch 4.08, Riot has finally decided to nerf Jett’s Dash for the better. Here are the changes:
The Long and Short of Jett’s Nerf
Let’s get right into the meat and potatoes – Jett can no longer freely dash out on a whim. Tailwind now requires careful planning before committing.
Riot Games on Jett’s Tailwind changes for Patch 4.08:
- After a short delay, Jett activates a 12-second window where she is empowered to immediately dash on the next button press after pressing the ability key.
- Her Tailwind charge is lost whether she dashes or the window expires but can still be regained with two kills.
- Subtle gusts of wind on Jett’s legs indicate an active Tailwind ability.
With these changes, Jett players have to plan out executes with their teammates to efficiently utilize Tailwind’s 12-second window.
The changes also allow the other Agents in the roster to plan out and better prepare their abilities against a Jett. They could not do this previously, as Jett has access to her Dash ability whenever she wants to. The added visual cue is a nice touch and should alert players of an incoming Jett Dash.
Why Nerf Jett Now?
Ask any VALORANT player, and they will tell you what has been wrong with Jett for the longest time now – her dash ability (Tailwind) is downright broken.
Tailwind empowers Jett players to take risks with minimal repercussions. Whiffed an Operator shot towards Ascent’s Mid-Link? Dash out to safety towards A-Tree.
Riot saw this as an unfair advantage against every other Agent in VALORANT, as it goes against the VALORANT Tactical Cycle, where Agent abilities always often require players to commit to the ability in one way or another. (Raze’s Satchels, for example, have a short countdown timer)
Riot also did not like how powerful Jett was with an Operator relative to every other Agent on the roster. Jett’s dash cancels out the Operator’s movement speed debuff, allowing her to take outrageously unorthodox angles with almost no risk – something no other Agent can replicate.
Overall, Jett’s Tailwind ability allowed her to disregard the need to Plan, Execute, and Intel that Riot Games strictly adheres to when balancing gameplay for VALORANT. Tailwind can instantly erase positioning mistakes with a tap of a button, bypassing The Tactical Cycle altogether.
Run Like The Wind
With these changes, Riot aims to bring Jett players back to earth, forcing them to carefully think about how they play out the round instead of relying on the magic mistake-eraser, the old Jett Tailwind.
Overall, the upcoming Patch 4.08 should bring a healthy change that will help spread and even out the balance of power among VALORANT Agents. Read about Riot Games’ complete breakdown here: VALORANT Jett Changes for Patch 4.08.
We are excited about the upcoming changes. We have no doubts that this nerf is just a minor setback, and it will only be a matter of time before cracked Jett mains are back on the highlight-reel.
