How to quickly rank up in Valorant during the holidays

Fariha Bhatti Published 20/12/2021

December is the best time to grind Valorant ranked if you’re a busy gamer. Here are some tips to help you rank up quickly during the holidays.

The ranking system in Valorant is no joke. Escaping Silver and Gold ranks becomes a menace if you’re queuing solo due to smurfs and trolls. The role feature in Riot’s shooter makes it even more challenging to break through low ranks and enter the big leagues. However, playing smart and practicing hard can help you get the red rank badge.

How to rank up quickly in Valorant during the holidays?

Christmas means extra gaming time to enjoy all those games sitting in your library. However, if you’re a competitive shooter player, you know that holidays are the perfect time to boost your rank. Valorant requires dedication and consistency, which can easily be achieved during the winters holiday. Follow these steps to escape Silver ranks before the new year begins.

1- Create a warmup routine

It’s crucial to have a warmup routine and religiously follow it before hitting play. Try playing a few practice maps in KovaaK’s and entering Valorant’s practice range. Shoot both stationary and moving bots to hone your aim before starting a ranked game. You should have enough time to craft a new routine during the holidays. Use that free time and get into your best form.

2- Try to master at least one duelist

If you’re playing solo, it’s highly recommended to drop your main controller or Initiator agent and go with a fast-paced duelist. During the holidays, you’ll likely queue with tons of new players who want nothing to do with winning. Instead of relying on trolls to win you the game, pick a good duelist and get those kills. Phoenix is your best bet in ranked games as he is jack of all trades. The immortal duelist can heal himself and render enough damage to the enemies.

3- Buy a nice skin

Riot Games has added special effect skins that play satisfying sound elements upon landing headshots. These skins don’t necessarily have aiming features, but their feel and bullet audio might help you aim better. Dropping 30 bomb isn’t warranted, but an animated skin like Prime Vandal will surely give you the confidence boost plus sound animation that makes shooting a whole lot better.

4- Find a five-stack

You have higher chances of winning a Valorant game when you queue in a five-stack lobby. As mentioned earlier, the category feature in Valorant makes it challenging to rely on teammates to fulfill their roles appropriately. In a five-stack, you can play your preferred role and know your teammates have your back. Try to find four players within your ELO range to rank up during the holidays quickly.

5- Keep track of your ELO

Unlike other FPS, tracking performance is pretty convenient in Valorant. After every game:

Take a quick look at your career to track ELO.
If you’re gaining less ELO upon winning, try to win by a large margin.
If you’re losing too much rank rating (RR) on a loss, try to maintain a positive K/D ratio to delay your rank down.

Keeping an eye on ELO will help you rank up quicker during the holidays.

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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