Riot is making changes to Valorant deathmatch to fix spawns

Riot Games is making a significant change to Valorant deathmatch. The practice mode will no longer have 14 players tapping heads together, as the maximum player count for the mode is being reduced. 

Complaints about Valorant deathmatch have been plenty since the game’s release. The reservations grew with the number of players playing simultaneously to hone their aim in deathmatch. Dozens of players crammed in small maps is leading to bad player spawns, and Riot is now trying to find a fix. 

The developer recently addressed the spawn issue in patch 4.03, ensuring that player models won’t spawn too closely. It also noted that players would spawn at more significant gaps from active competitors for better fairness. However, players still hadn’t noticed any major change in quality after the patch. The developer has now decided to tackle the spawn issue by decreasing the deathmatch player count. 

We heard you on the rough Deathmatch experience post-Patch 4.03 (like spawning in direct line of sight).

So we're reducing the number of players in Deathmatch from 14 to 12, immediately. This should mitigate these issues—and we'll keep an eye on the situation.

— VALORANT (@VALORANT) February 18, 2022

Previously, deathmatch had 14 fourteen players per game. This heavy population led to enclosed spawns that marred the practice experience of serious players. Spawning players would get shot down immediately due to spawning in a direct line of sight. Riot’s recent tweaks targeted this issue but failed to have the desired impact. With a new update, Riot is hoping to resolve this problem once and for all. 

The developer has reduced the player count from 14 to 12. Fewer players may result in more logical spawns where two players wouldn’t be placed too closely. Most Valorant maps are small, so 14 players can crowd these locations. The 12-person deathmatch should effectively resolve the poor spawn issues. 

It remains to be seen how this change plays out in practice. So far, players are happy that they won’t die to poor spawns. The recent logical spawn update paired with reduced player count should finally improve the deathmatch experience for Valorant players. 

Is Valorant deathmatch good practice for aim?

Due to its flaws, serious Valorant players don’t rely on deathmatch much for their aim practice. However, Riot has made several tweaks to the game mode so that it may now better help in practicing aim. 

Deathmatch was purposed to help players warm up quickly before their ranked games, but it can’t provide great aim all on its own. If you’re looking to land those crisp headshots, you may want to build out a regular practice routine. A 10-minute deathmatch session is just one part of a good practice regimen.