Operator fans will cry and haters will rejoice. The supposed new stats for the OP nerf have been revealed after a developer interview was published today on YouTube. The revealed statistics follow up patch notes 1.08, in which the developers said that they are going to implement a rework for Valorant’s premier sniper rifle.

Team Liquid’s Lucas “Mendo” Håkansson interviewed Nick Wu, a VALORANT Game Designer who focuses on Premium Content and Weapon balance. In the interview, Mendo managed to get some juicy details from Wu about the Operator’s upcoming stats.

The Op Nerf Hits Hard

The gun will have its price increased from 4500 to 5000, further cementing its spot as the most expensive gun in the game. The scoped movement speed will be decreased from 76% to 72% with the “adjusted dead zone” slashed from 30% movement speed to 15% movement speed (see *).

The fire rate has also been decreased from 0.75 to 0.6. On the other hand, the equip time has been increased from 0.3 to 0.5. So what does this all mean?

The player will move slower when scoped in and *the gun will become inaccurate sooner and will also take longer to become accurate again after the player stops moving. The shots are also slower but the gun is equipped a bit faster. These changes seem to force players to take their time when using the gun. That will likely translate to fewer kills happening in short succession.

Keep in mind that these are NOT patch notes, so the stats could change prior to the next patch coming out. Even if they don’t, guns are always getting nerfs and buffs based on meta so nothing is static. Even so, this will be a welcome sight for many people who have voiced their concern for the Operator.

What do you think of the OP nerf? Is there something you would have done differently? As usual, remember to follow us at Run it Back and join our Discord for all your latest news, extensive guides, and exclusive interviews in the world of Valorant.