Valorant revamping rank system, adding leaderboards in Episode 2

Nina Forneloza Published 11/01/2021

Valorant’s ranked system is getting a complete revamp, and leaderboards are coming in Episode 2 which starts January 12.

Along with a new Agent, some balance changes, and weapon updates, Valorant developers have completely changed how the Rank Rating system will work in Episode 2. There will also be a highly requested leaderboard added to the game.

What is Valorant’s new ranking system?

Riot has dubbed the new ranking system “Rank Rating” or “RR”. Developers have made tracking progress easier with pure numbers. The leaderboard will also make it easier for higher-ranked players to determine where they sit on the playing field. No details about how the leaderboard will work have been revealed yet. Valorant has secretly had a leaderboard throughout most of its existence, but it has only been seen through occasional tweets on the Valorant Twitter account:

How do you stack up?

NA Ranked leaderboard is here. pic.twitter.com/vobLUh46GI
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) October 20, 2020

The changes have been long requested in the Valorant community, especially when it comes to playing support characters. The cries for change have been consistent throughout the two previous reworks of the system, and developers are hoping that this system will finally give players what they’ve been asking for.

Valorant developers said that their goal was to work show players they are listening by implementing the most consistent requests from the community. “An easier to understand and fairer rank system, more rewarding recognition for your accomplishments, and a way to show who is the best of the best,” developers Ian Fielding and Jon Walker said.

How does Valorant’s new Rank Rating work?

The RR in Valorant will take inspiration from League of Legends’ League Point system. Ranks from Iron to Diamond are split into three, but progression will be easier to track. Once players get to 100 RR points in a tier, they will rank up. If they lose 100 RR points, they will rank down.

After ranking up, players will have a 10 RR buffer in order to keep their tier until they either make up the points to stay in that tier, or get demoted. Players will also not dip below 80 RR after dropping a rank.

Balance in how the points are accrued has always been in the community conversation surrounding rank. Players are especially concerned about rank points when it comes to playing support characters. RR gain is based on several factors including the team’s performance, as well as the individual player’s performance. Riot has discussed the importance of team play when it comes to ranking up, but “exceptional performance at lower ranks” will lead to higher RR gains.

Exact values for RR gains and losses range from 10 RR to 50 RR gain for a win, 10 RR to 30 RR loss for a loss, and 20 RR gain for a draw from Iron to Diamond only. Immortal and Radiant draws will result in no RR gained or lost.

How will ranks change in Valorant in Episode 2?

Immortal has been condensed into one rank. There will no longer be a 1, 2 or 3. This is likely due to the fact that a leaderboard is being implemented. Leaderboards have added a great incentive for high-ELO players since they can now track where they sit in their region. The top 500 players in the Radiant Leaderboards will be able to see where they land, and Immortal Leaderboards will list the top 1% in each region.

For all other ranked players, they can see where they land regardless of their rank, but they will be the only ones that can see their personal rank.

Players need to play at least 50 ranked games in each Act to be placed on the leaderboard, and they must play at least one game per week in order to maintain their spot. Rank won’t decay, but their spot on the leaderboard will be hidden until they play again.

All of these changes will come with Episode 2, which launches on January 12, along with the new Agent Yoru, and new battle pass content. Act 1 will carry on until March 1, and Act 2 will come March 2.

Nina Forneloza

About Nina Forneloza

Nina Forneloza is a huge fan of gaming, but her favorite genres of games above all other are gacha games, first-person shooting games, and role-playing games. When she isn’t looking for a lucky pull in the latest gacha, you’re likely to find her in a competitive Valorant lobby or playing the latest big single-player RPG. Either way, you can be assured that she’ll be into it and ready to write about the experience.

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