Next Valorant act will make ranking up easier for stuck silvers

Fariha Bhatti Published 28/08/2021

Climbing the ladder in Valorant might become easier in upcoming acts, Riot Games has hinted.

The developer specifically noted that the Silver ranks are over-populated and is gearing up to change that in the coming Act. The new changes will make it easier for players to climb ranks and move to higher levels.

It’s no child’s play to hit Radiant rank in Valorant, but many players find it hard to get out of the lower ranks. As a result, the game’s iron and bronze ranks have become over-saturated, with tons of players struggling to get out. In a recent Ask Valorant, Riot Games has promised to fix its rank distribution in Act 2.

Players who were Diamond in the first few months of project A are now hanging in Gold lobbies. This massive change could be attributed to Valorant’s rising skill ceiling and significant MMR changes rolled out by the developers in patch updates. Many platinum MMR players were kicked into gold after ELO tweaks, leading to a drastic imbalance in ranked distribution.

About 38% of the Valorant players are currently stuck in silver ranks, making it the most crowded level. Only a few hundred people are in Radiant and Immortal ranks, proving that distribution certainly requires some work. Fortunately, it’s on the developer’s radar to balance the rank distribution soon. Silver will still be the most saturated rank after changes, but ranking up will be easier.

“Our target now is to adjust the distribution so as to reduce the amount of players in silver, and move everyone up to the ranks they belong. It should be a little easier to climb a few ranks in Episode 3 Act II,” Comms Associate Jeff Landa said.

In the coming Act, the developer aims to tweak the population in silver, gold, and platinum ranks by making it easier for players to rank up. While Riot Games hasn’t clarified how this goal would be achieved, it’ll probably include a boosted MMR reward upon winning. Silver ranks will see an exodus as players gain more ELO in lower ranks.

Previously, the developer made some changes to MMR distribution that required players to win significantly more matches than they lose to climb ranks. The developer once rolled out an update to balance the system that awarded players’ individual performance with bonus RR. The primary purpose was to boost “hardstuck” players who are likely able to stand with players ranked above him. Valorant Episode 3, Act 2 is set to launch in early September

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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