There are some big changes coming to Valorant's ranking system
Valorant’s competitive mode has been a source of frustration for amateur and pro players alike due to the first-person shooter’s controversial ranking system.
Valorant game director Joe Ziegler addressed the negative feedback developers have been receiving about the ranking system. Ziegler revealed that the development team is “analyzing the ranking system top to bottom” to look for ways to improve competitive play.
Hey everyone, on the design side we are currently analyzing the ranking system top to bottom. We’re looking into changes that will improve many aspects of competitive, but have not committed to any solutions yet. Thanks to everyone for their feedback!
— Ziegler (@RiotZiegler) August 13, 2020
So far, Valorant developers have not come to a solution when it comes to improving the rank system.
Still, Valorant players are relieved to know that a change may soon be on the way.
Valorant developers bring changes to ranked
At the beginning of August, Valorant’s Act II brought some changes to competitive mode, as had been promised. Senior producer Ian “Brighteyz” Fielding reported the changes in an official blog at the end of July.
“After an Act, all that matters for your Act Rank are your 9 best ranked wins of the act, and how many wins you’ve gotten in the act. So if you peak at Diamond but drop down to Gold, your act rank will only remember the good times. Take another run at Immortal, push those lower rank games out!” Brighteyz explained.
Valorant wanted players’ rankings to be a close reflection of their individual ratings. To accomplish this, Riot introduced “Act Ranks,” which track a player’s “proven skill,” as well as their highest-ranked win and the number of competitive wins they have in that Act. At the end of an Act, the Act Rank will be preserved as a badge on an individual’s player card.
The smaller triangles appear in a player’s Act Rank as they get match wins. Wins at a higher rank will replace the lowest win to display a player’s best competitive accomplishments.
“For example, more wins at Radiant will push out your earliest wins at Bronze (very aspirational!),” Brighteyz said.
Riot yet to address real problem with Valorant ranking system
While this was an interesting implementation to the ranking system, many players had issues with other aspects of the system. Earlier this week, pro player Brandon “Aceau” Winn said he was frustrated that people who played in a five-stack to get to a higher rank would then start to struggle if they played solo queue. The inflated ranks made it harder for solo players to climb on their own.
“The ranks are so inflated because of five-stacking. It’s so stupid. These players shouldn’t be here. I can’t stand it. I want to play this game and have a good time but it’s hard with the shitty rank system,” Aceau ranted on stream, saying he was not motivated to keep playing.
A lot of Valorant players have noted that the game should adopt a similar ranked system to League of Legends. Riot’s other major competitive title that has a queue for solo or duo play and another separate queue and rank for larger groups. This could potentially help games to be better balanced and might avoid teammates “boosting” players to ranks they cannot compete in once they’re playing without their usual stack.
Riot Games is currently on a week-long break. But fans are hoping that some updates on ranked changes will come upon their return.
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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