Valorant dev reveals secret penalty for players who dodge games

Have you ever noticed an unusual cut on your Rank Rating (RR) after losing a game with a decent scoreline? Riot Games likely punished you for dodging a game.

Valorant players often complain about losing an “unfair” amount of RR despite doing everything to soften the blow of a game lost. For example, you’d lose a game after doing your personal best, and the game will still slash a high amount of RR. It’s not Riot being unfair. Instead, the developer is likely charging you for dodging a game on purpose.

In the latest episode of Rank Fact Friday, Valorant’s senior competitive designer EvrMoar has dropped a bomb behind random RR deductions, and jaws of game dodges are on the floor!

Dodging a game once in a blue moon has no meaningful penalty besides a mere three-minute queue ban, which is why many Valorant players skip a map they don’t like. Riot has its eyes on such players, and it’s been quietly punishing them.

“We also penalize -3 RR every time you dodge a game. This is not called out in the UI anywhere, so you have to be in the know to understand why your RR may have gone down,” he said.

What happens when you dodge a Valorant game?

According to EvrMoar, dodging a match doesn’t go unnoticed. Riot would cut out 3 RR from your next game, whether you lose or win, as a punishment to avoid a match. So, if you won 20 ELO in your next ranked, the game will only tally 18 RR into your MMR, deducting 3 for skipping a game.

Upon losing, you may notice an extra deduction that doesn’t necessarily justify your score line. It’s Riot penalizing you for dodging a map.

So, it’s clear that the developer isn’t letting anyone off the hook easily. All players, from AFK to dodgers, are under Riot’s microscope, and it has been quietly delivering justice. You may want to think twice before dodging a map you dislike. When ranking up becomes tough, 3 RR means the world!