Act 2 Is Almost Here — And It's Bringing a New Agent

Valorant Season 26 Act 2 drops on March 18, 2026, and it's one of the most anticipated updates of the year. A brand-new agent, a full competitive rank reset, a fresh Battle Pass, and Patch 13.00 are all hitting at once. But the real hype starts tomorrow — March 15 — when Riot reveals Agent 30 live at the Masters Santiago Grand Final.

Agent 30: What We Know So Far

Here's everything confirmed and strongly hinted about Valorant's 30th agent:

Origin: Croatian. Coordinates shown in the Masters Santiago cinematic trailer (45°48′ N, 15°57′ E) point directly to Zagreb, Croatia.
Reveal Date: March 15, 2026, during the New Agent Showmatch at VCT Masters Santiago — 2:00 PM CLST / 10:00 AM PT.
Role: Unconfirmed. Name and exact abilities are still under wraps.
Release: Expected to launch with Patch 13.00 on March 17-18.

Riot is doing a dedicated showmatch to debut the agent's gameplay — not just a trailer, but actual pros playing with the new agent live on stage. This is the same format they used for previous reveals and it gives the community a real look at how the agent performs in competitive settings before it hits ranked.

Full Rank Reset

Act 2 brings a complete competitive rank reset. Every player's rank will be wiped and you'll need to play placement matches to re-establish your rating.

What this means for you:

Your Act 1 rank badge is locked in — whatever you peaked at, that's your Act 1 triangle
Expect volatile matches in the first week as players calibrate
If you were hardstuck, this is your fresh start. If you climbed, you'll need to prove it again
Premier also resets — Stage V26A2 begins on March 18 with Haven as the first map

Act 2 Battle Pass

The new Battle Pass goes live on March 18 for 1,000 VP. Here's what's included:

New weapon skins across the premium tiers
Player cards and gun buddies
Approximately 160 free Radianite Points on the free track — essential for upgrading VFX and finishers on store skins
Free-tier player card and gun buddy for non-paying players

If you haven't finished the current Act 1 Battle Pass, you have until March 18. Any unearned tiers are gone once Act 2 starts.

Patch 13.00 Timeline

Patch 13.00 rolls out region by region:

NA / LATAM / Brazil: Tuesday, March 17 — servers go down for maintenance, update goes live
Europe: Wednesday, March 18, around 4:00 AM GMT
Act 2 officially begins: March 18 at 6:00 AM PT for NA servers

The patch drops 24 hours before Act 2 officially starts, so you'll be able to download and explore the update before ranked resets.

What to Do Before March 18

Finish your Act 1 Battle Pass — any progress lost after the switch is gone forever
Play your final ranked games — lock in your Act 1 peak rank for the badge
Watch the Masters Santiago Grand Final on March 15 — Agent 30's reveal showmatch is must-see
Save your VP — if you're buying the Act 2 Battle Pass, have 1,000 VP ready

The Bigger Picture

Season 2026 has already been massive for Valorant — the Bandit sidearm, Breeze rework, and MMR overhaul in Act 1 reshaped the game. Act 2 is doubling down with a new agent that could shift the meta entirely. The fact that Riot is revealing Agent 30 at the Masters Grand Final shows how much they're investing in tying competitive and casual content together.

Tune in tomorrow for the reveal. Act 2 is going to be big.