Riot developers shine light on upcoming ranking changes

Olivia Richman Published 30/01/2021

The latest Ask Valorant blog discussed some much-needed changes that will be coming in just a few patches.

Last month, Riot informed fans that the shooting accuracy of running agents would see a decrease, especially with rifles. This was a much-needed change, as players that ran recklessly into the action were often rewarded with pretty good accuracy in a game that’s supposed to be about strategically guarding sites and holding corners.

Well, one month later and it seems Valorant fans are finally getting an answer to this frustrating phenomenon. According to senior designer Jon Walker and senior producer Ian Fielding, running accuracy with rifles will be addressed in Patch 2.02.

“Keep in mind, we’re making sure not to change too many systems at once to ensure that shooting doesn’t feel so dramatically different that you’ll have to relearn habits,” developers explained.

Valorant developers will continue to keep an eye on the changes and adjust as necessary.

Valorant Episode 2 ranking update

Valorant developers then addressed a pretty big ongoing problem in the game’s competitive scene. Top players started to notice that they could rank higher and faster by using alternate accounts, allowing them to avoid slow queues and climb up the ladder faster than usual. This started happening a lot after Patch 2.01 dropped.

To address this “weird pattern,” developers plan to make high MMR a bigger part of the leaderboard movement algorithm. High-ranked players will first get a reduced queue time, meaning they won’t feel the need to switch off of their main account. They can then use their MMR to earn rank ratings faster.

The next patch or two will also increase the effectiveness of convergence. Players that were Immortal+ in the previous season will still have a high MMR, allowing them to earn more ranked rating per win and lose less per loss compared to a player with a lower MMR. This change will also help players stuck in lower ranks to climb to their appropriate rank much faster if they sport a high MMR.

A Riot senior competitive designer explained this concept a bit more on Twitter after many players expressed confusion around the update. Basically, players with MMR above their rank will see 40+ for a high RR gain instead of the current 35.

“This means less games to climb up to the rank you belong in,” the developer said.

Basically you will get more RR or lose less, if your MMR is above your rank(reverse if it’s below). Right now we see 35-ish as the average “High RR Gain” – after the fix we will see 40+. This will just translate to having to play less games to get to the rank you belong in.
— EvrMoar (@RiotEvrMoar) January 28, 2021

Riot developers are also looking into another common complaint players have, which is starting a new competitive season at a much lower rank than was achieved in the previous season. This should be adjusted in the near future. More information on this update will come around Episode 2 Act II.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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