On Monday October 5, the VALORANT development team released the latest video in their “Dev Diaries” series on YouTube. This episode touches on a few competitive changes the team will implement going forward in Act III. The goal for these changes are to increase the competitive integrity of ranked matches, and getting players to rank faster when they have earned it.
[Related: VALORANT Teases an Icy Cold New Map and New Agent?]
Starting in Act III, ranked matches will now feature a smaller range of ranks on the competitive ladder. Previously the ranked system allowed players within six ranks to queue up with one another. For example, a Gold 3 player could theoretically queue up with a Bronze 3 player. The new changes are aiming to tighten the range a bit, now the minimum a Gold 3 player can queue with is a Silver 3 player.
Courtesy of Riot Games
In addition, players now can manually select which server they wish to use. This change is hoping to reduce the amount of latency players could experience if they are in between two locations. While matchmaking won’t always give players the preferred game server, VALORANT wants to give competitors the opportunity to find the best ping for them.
Heading into the next chapter, Riot is planning on implementing even more player-focused changes in competitive online play. The most exciting future addition will be the inclusion of a brand-new leaderboard. Many top-level players have been clamoring for a leaderboard to serve as a goal once players reach Radiant. In both Overwatch and League of Legends, players often use their leaderboard ranks as a way to promote themselves to full-time teams. A leaderboard was one of the glaring omissions players saw from VALORANT’s competitive environment.
Courtesy of Riot Games
Also coming in Episode 2 will be a party-size restriction for players Immortal and higher. At the top ranks, queuing into a full team of Radiant players creates a massive disadvantage if the opposing team is composed of random members. This change should add some balance to the matches and potentially make queue times a bit quicker. When everything is added, expect plenty of pros and aspiring Radiant players to be grinding day and night to reach that top leaderboard spot.
Check out the entire Dev Diary video regarding competitive changes here!
Featured image courtesy of Riot Games
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