Valorant Agent Gear Rework Before Patch 13.06: What Changes + Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems

Patch 13.05 is live, and Riot used it to plant two clocks on the calendar: Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems open September 10, and the Agent Gear rework lands in Patch 13.06 on September 22. After that rework, each gear unlock tracks how much you actually play the associated agent. Kingdom Credits stay in the loop, and anything you already unlocked stays unlocked — but sitting on a stockpile of credits while ignoring agents you never queue will stop working the way it does today.

If you still want Agent Gear on characters outside your main pool, the window to finish those tracks under the current rules closes when 13.06 ships. At the same time, Pick’Ems for Champions Shanghai Group Stage go live in-client and on the web three days after this article’s verification date, with Groups kicking off September 24.

What Did Valorant Patch 13.05 Change?

Riot framed 13.05 as a light patch — mostly bug fixes — while calling out a “pretty beefy” 13.06 next. The player-facing headlines in 13.05 are systems and esports, not a huge agent balance rewrite:

• Esports: Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems return.
• Player behavior: Penalties for stream sniping tools and instalock tools start rolling out.
• Progression heads-up: Agent Gear rewrite scheduled for Patch 13.06 on September 22.
• Cosmetics QoL: Sound sprays attenuate so only nearby players hear them.
• PC Range: Bot count options of 10, 5, or 1 (default now 5).
• Bug fixes: A long agent list covering ultimates VO, Combat Report blinds, smoke/flash interactions, Chamber Headhunter hitching, Cypher Trapwire/Cyber Cage issues, and more.

That mix matters for planning. 13.05 does not rewrite how Agent Gear works today — it warns you that 13.06 will. You still grind and spend under the pre-rework rules until September 22.

When Does the Valorant Agent Gear Rework Happen in Patch 13.06?

September 22, 2026, with Patch 13.06. Riot’s wording in the 13.05 notes is direct: they will revamp the Agent Gear system and “the way you unlock items on that progression track.” After that patch, “each piece of gear will be tied directly to how much you play the associated Agent.”

Three guarantees sit next to that change:

• You keep gear you’ve already earned.
• You continue to use Kingdom Credits to unlock future gear.
• Riot explicitly tells players grinding gear on agents they don’t usually play to lock those unlocks in now.

What Riot has not published yet: match counts, XP curves, whether Deathmatch/Swiftplay/Unrated all count the same, or how far Kingdom Credits alone can carry you once the play gate exists. Treat September 22 as a hard systems flip for progression rules, not as a date when Riot already listed every number behind the new track.

Why Should You Grind Rarely Played Agents Before September 22?

Because Riot said so in the patch notes, almost verbatim: if you are grinding Agent Gear on agents you don’t usually play, “now’s your chance to lock in and get those unlocks.” After 13.06, credits alone will not describe the whole unlock path — playtime on that agent becomes part of the gate.

Practical read for collectors and completionists:

• Mains and frequent flex picks are fine. You will keep earning those tracks by playing the game you already play.
• Agents you only touch for contracts, night market curiosity, or cosmetics are the emergency list. Finish their remaining Agent Gear nodes while the current track still lets you.
• Kingdom Credits stockpiles still matter after the patch — Riot kept them as the unlock currency — but they stop being a full substitute for never queuing the agent.
• Do not wait for 13.06 patch notes to invent a “maybe it will be easy” plan for characters you hate playing. Riot already told you the design intent: gear progression follows agent play.

As of September 7, you have roughly two weeks of the current rules left. Map your incomplete tracks by agent, spend credits where you can finish a node today, and queue the agents that still have empty slots before the September 22 cutover.

How Do Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems Work in Valorant?

Pick’Ems are back for Champions Shanghai. From Riot’s 13.05 esports section:

• Access starts September 10.
• You can enter picks in-client and on the web.
• The opening board covers Group Stage predictions.
• You score points for advancing teams, with extra points for exact placement.
• Riot awards rewards just for participating.
• Get picks in before Groups kick off on September 24.

That gives a clean two-week Pick’Ems window after opening day before Groups start. You do not need to wait for the playoffs bracket to start interacting with the feature — Groups are the first prediction board Riot called out in 13.05.

If you care about the cosmetic or participation rewards Riot attaches to Pick’Ems, mark September 10 on the calendar and submit before September 24. Exact reward item names for this Champions cycle were not itemized in the 13.05 notes beyond “rewards just for participating,” so expect the client UI on September 10 to show the full prize list.

What Penalties Did Riot Add for Stream Sniping and Instalock Tools?

Riot has “started rolling out penalties” when it detects stream sniping tools and instalock tools. Players caught using those tools face temporary game bans that escalate to permanent bans with repeated usage.

That is not a soft “we’re watching” line. It is an active enforcement pass aimed at third-party software that ruins lobbies — stream sniping tools that abuse live information, and instalock tools that steal agent select before a fair pick. If any of that software is on your machine for VALORANT, remove it. Temporary bans first, permanent bans on repeats, per the 13.05 notes.

This sits in the same integrity bucket as other anti-cheat and anti-abuse work Riot has pushed through 2026. It does not change Agent Gear or Pick’Ems, but it is one of the three headline bullets Riot put in the 13.05 TLDR alongside those features.

What Else Shipped in Valorant Patch 13.05 Besides Agent Gear and Pick’Ems?

A few quality-of-life and cleanup items are easy to miss under the bigger headlines:

Sound sprays. Attenuation now limits spray audio to nearby players so teams can still hear callouts. Riot says this attenuation standard will apply to future audio sprays as well.

Range practice bots (PC). You can spawn 10, 5, or 1 bot. Default is now 5, adjustable in Range settings.

Agent bug fixes. Notable examples from the notes: enemy Ultimate voiceover continuing after the caster dies; Combat Report “Enemies Blinded” on abilities that do not blind; smokes blocking flashes after they should be gone (Astra, Brimstone, Clove, Miks, Omen timing fixes); Chamber Headhunter first-equip hitch; Cypher Trapwire debuff sticking and Cyber Cage blocking line-of-sight effects incorrectly; Deadlock GravNet VFX; Fade Seize danger indicator on Lotus; KAY/O NULL/cmd pulse hitch; Omen Dark Cover vision after dissipation; Sage Healing Orb tooltip missing; Waylay Saturate/Refract edge cases.

Store UI. Riot fixed a non-functional close button after purchasing VALORANT Points.

None of those replace the September 22 Agent Gear deadline or the September 10 Pick’Ems open — they just explain why 13.05 still felt like a “real” patch even without a balance bomb.

How Should You Plan the Next Three Weeks in Valorant?

Stack the calendar instead of treating each headline in isolation:

• Now through September 21: Finish Agent Gear on rarely played agents. Spend Kingdom Credits on nodes you can complete under current rules. Do not bank an unfinished rare-agent track hoping 13.06 will be “faster.”
• September 10 onward: Open Pick’Ems in-client or on the web, lock Group Stage predictions, and claim participation rewards when the UI offers them.
• September 22: Patch 13.06 flips Agent Gear. After this, play the agent whose gear you still want.
• September 24: Champions Shanghai Groups begin — Pick’Ems Group predictions need to be in before kickoff.

Competitive players who only care about their two-agent pool can mostly ignore the gear panic and focus on Pick’Ems plus whatever balance 13.06 actually ships. Collectors and completionists should treat the next two weeks as a limited-time progression window Riot already advertised.

Does the Agent Gear Rework Delete Unlocks or Kingdom Credits?

No on earned gear. Riot’s sentence is explicit: you keep what you’ve already earned. Kingdom Credits remain the currency for future unlocks. The change is the progression gate — after 13.06, gear pieces tie to how much you play the associated agent — not a wipe of inventory or currency.

That distinction stops a lot of bad rumor math. You are not racing a deletion timer on owned player cards, titles, sprays, or other gear already claimed. You are racing a rules change for unfinished tracks on agents you barely play.

Final Verdict

Patch 13.05 is a setup patch. It turns on enforcement against stream sniping and instalock tools, reopens Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems for September 10 with Groups on September 24, and puts a dated warning on Agent Gear: September 22, Patch 13.06, play-tied unlocks, keep what you earned, Kingdom Credits stay. If your Agent Gear checklist includes agents outside your normal queue, finish those nodes before 13.06. If you only play your mains, queue Pick’Ems on September 10 and wait for the fuller 13.06 notes Riot promised when it called the next patch “beefy.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Valorant Agent Gear Rework and Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems

When does the Valorant Agent Gear rework go live?

The Agent Gear rework ships with Patch 13.06 on September 22, 2026. Riot announced that date inside the Patch 13.05 notes on September 1. Until 13.06 lands, the current Agent Gear unlock rules still apply, which is why Riot told players to finish rarely played agent tracks now.

Will I lose Agent Gear I already unlocked in Valorant?

No. Riot states that you keep the gear you’ve already earned. The Patch 13.06 change reworks how future unlocks on the progression track work; it does not confiscate completed Agent Gear items.

Do Kingdom Credits still matter after the Valorant Agent Gear rework?

Yes. Riot says you will continue to use Kingdom Credits to unlock future gear after Patch 13.06. Credits remain part of the system. What changes is that each gear piece also ties to how much you play the associated agent, so credits alone are not the whole story after September 22.

Why does Riot say to grind rarely played agents before September 22?

Because after Patch 13.06, gear progression for an agent depends on playing that agent. If you normally never queue a character but still want their Agent Gear cosmetics, the current pre-13.06 window is the last time Riot flagged for finishing those unlocks without the new playtime gate. The 13.05 notes call this out directly.

When do Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems open in Valorant?

September 10, 2026. Riot says you will have access to the Group Stage Pick’Ems both in-client and on the web starting that day. Submit predictions before Groups kick off on September 24.

How do Champions Shanghai Pick’Ems scoring and rewards work?

You predict advancing teams in the Group Stage for points, and Riot awards extra points for correctly guessing exact placement. The 13.05 notes also say you earn rewards just for participating. Full cosmetic reward names for this Champions cycle should appear in the Pick’Ems UI when it opens September 10 — the patch notes confirm participation rewards without listing every item.

What happens if I use stream sniping or instalock tools in Valorant after Patch 13.05?

Riot has started rolling out penalties for detected use of stream sniping and instalock tools. Offenders face temporary game bans that escalate to permanent bans with repeated usage. Uninstall any third-party tools in that category; 13.05 frames this as active enforcement, not a future threat.

Is Patch 13.05 a big balance patch for Valorant?

No. Riot described 13.05 as a smaller patch focused mostly on bug fixes while prepping a larger 13.06. The major player-facing systems news in 13.05 is Pick’Ems, the behavior penalties, and the Agent Gear rework warning — not a full agent overhaul.

What else changed in Valorant Patch 13.05 besides Agent Gear and Pick’Ems?

Sound sprays now attenuate to nearby players, the PC Range practice mode lets you choose 10, 5, or 1 bots with a new default of 5, a VALORANT Points purchase close-button bug was fixed, and Riot shipped a long list of agent bug fixes spanning ultimates VO, smoke/flash interactions, Chamber, Cypher, Deadlock, Fade, KAY/O, Omen, Sage, and Waylay.

Has Riot published exact playtime requirements for Agent Gear in Patch 13.06?

Not as of September 7, 2026. The official 13.05 notes confirm the September 22 date, the keep-earned-gear rule, Kingdom Credits continuity, and the play-tied unlock design. Exact match counts, mode weighting, and progression speed are still unlisted — wait for the 13.06 notes for numbers, but do not wait on the rare-agent grind if you want those unlocks under current rules.