High ranked players can no longer carry Golds in Valorant

Fariha Bhatti Published 19/09/2023

Riot Games has lifted the curtain on a new anti-carry rule that prevents skilled players from boosting noobs.

As harsh as it may sound, not everyone deserves the rank they’re repping in Valorant. Boosting is likely more common in Valorant than in any other FPS game. Skilled players often hit Radiant and then restart their journey on a new account, ultimately boosting their teammates. Those with valuable items in accounts usually stick with them but help their low ELO friends by boosting them in stacks. 

Riot Games earlier removed all rank restrictions as long as you’re in a five-stack. It came with strict RR limits, but not enough to prevent boosting lobbies. Many exploited this new rule, resulting in undeserving players in higher ELO. Now, Riot has revealed a new restriction that may reset the chaos. 

“There has been a wave of competitive rank boosting with bots and real players. In an effort to protect against this abuse, we have introduced restrictions,” Riot said in a new blog.

Ascendants can no longer queue with Golds in Valorant

Starting patch 7.06, Ascendants and higher-ranked players can no longer invite low ELO players to their lobby. Only those in ranks higher than Platinum can join their Ascendant+ friends. This means you need to be Platinum or Diamond to play with your Ascendant, Immortal, and Radiant friends.

Previously, Riot did put an RR penalty for queuing with low ELO friends, but players didn’t pay much heed to it. A small deduction in RR didn’t mean much when you’re spam queuing with Radiants throughout the day. Riot has now gated the higher ranks, where stakes are higher. 

Players under Diamond can still queue together in stacks without any rank restrictions. However, RR penalties will stay in place. Hopefully, the latest rule will prevent players from getting carried in high ELO Valorant lobbies.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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