Valorant, the most popular game from Riot Games, has become a leader in the multiplayer competitive shooting genre over the past four years. Its popularity even rivals legendary games like CSGO (CS2). Many people compare the two, and some have even studied sensitivity conversions between them. Whether you truly want to join this game or are engaging in debates between fans of different games, it’s all proof that Valorant is a success. However, today’s article is not about comparing Valorant to other games but about giving new players some advice on how to get a better experience in Valorant. If you’re interested, read on.
It is important to note that the content of this article does not violate Valorant’s rules; we strictly oppose any cheating that affects game balance.
Prepare Your Hardware
Players familiar with shooting games, especially competitive shooting games, should know the importance of hardware. Let’s first look at the official recommended Valorant configurations:
Valorant Recommended Configuration/60 FPS:
CPU: Intel Core i3-4150
GPU: GeForce GT 730
VRAM: 1GB
RAM: 4GB
OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
Valorant High Configuration/144+ FPS:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460
GPU: GTX 1050Ti
VRAM: 1GB
RAM: 4GB
OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
Just like League of Legends, Riot aims to make Valorant a game for everyone, so the system requirements are very low. However, if you want to gain an advantage in the game, the best way is to improve the game frame rate. Many people first think of upgrading their GPU. Indeed, the GPU is the most crucial factor affecting frame rates in this game, but there’s another often overlooked factor: the monitor.
Here, we must mention Valorant’s famous anti-cheat system, Vanguard. Its mechanism ensures that player coordinates are not provided until they enter each other’s line of sight. This means if you can display the opponent sooner on your screen, you gain an initiative—not through cheating but by increasing your monitor’s refresh rate to ensure every frame rendered by the GPU is not lost. This way, you can see the opponent the moment they appear. The comparison can be referenced in the image below.
Many times, our game frame rate is not low but is rather limited by the monitor’s capabilities. By increasing the refresh rate, you’ll notice a significant improvement.
Optimize Your Network
Next is the second critical factor: the network. When it comes to competitive shooting games, the most troublesome issues are lag, stuttering, and high ping. I can say clearly that even a giant like Riot Games cannot avoid these problems. Many players encounter issues starting from the Valorant download phase, with slow and unstable download speeds.
High ping and lag disrupt the fluidity of the game, particularly in a fast-paced game like Valorant, severely affecting the gaming experience. Network issues are often complex, and most players lack the knowledge and experience to adjust network settings, often causing more problems. Therefore, most players now prefer using a specialized Valorant game VPN to solve network issues.
Additionally, I do not recommend using other data-intensive programs while playing Valorant. You can think of your network as a water pipe, and the amount of water that can flow at any given time is limited. For a better gaming experience, temporarily stop other high-bandwidth activities.
Maintain a Good Mindset and Team Composition
Just like any other competitive game, a good mindset is the beginning of victory. Valorant has many variables, each potentially affecting the outcome. No player can control all these factors, so failure is normal. You can try reselecting agents, adjusting your crosshair, or changing your strategy and trying again.
Speaking of agent selection, you need teammates with good synergy and a reasonable team composition. If you’re playing with friends, you aim for perfect cooperation. The foundation of this is having a balanced team composition. The following two compositions have been validated through multiple seasons:
Fade, Chamber, Omen, Raze, and Breach
Viper, Chamber, Sova, Jett, and KAY/O
Conclusion
These are three tips for new Valorant players. While they may be common knowledge for veteran players, I hope they can help more players and bring even more people to experience the charm of Valorant, helping the game to grow faster and better. Join Valorant together!