Riot Games rekindled their fan's love for first-person shooters with the arrival of Valorant in June 2020.
A welcomed change from Riot's usual gameplay, they applied elements of their successful MOBA, League of Legends, into a fresh new template of a shooter game. The success of their previous games followed through to Valorant, as in 2023 it is the most popular first-person shooter with around 1.6 million daily users.
The first-person shooter incorporates a similar ranking system to past games but focuses heavily on the teamwork needed to excel. Valorant's ranked mode is the place to be when feeling confident in your Breach or Reyna plays.
So, let's learn everything about it.
What is ranked matchmaking and how does it work?
Valorant competitive game mode is unlocked when the player reaches level 20. Riot did this to ensure that players are able to experience all the different agents and their playstyles.
Once this level has been reached, players compete in 5 ranked games to decide their placement. Players are then placed in a rank. The Diamond rank is the maximum rank players can obtain after their placement games.
Being placed in a lower rank does not mean that you will stay there. Developing skills and winning ranked games allows the user to climb to the more prestigious ranks such as Diamond, Ascendant, or even Radiant.
Valorant ranks are earned by playing ranked games. Winning a ranked game will earn the player between 10-50 RR, whilst drawing will only bring in a maximum of 20 RR.
The amount of RR a player wins in a specific game is impacted by many factors. Their individual performance, the rank disparity too teammates and opponents, and their MMR are the most important ones.
What Valorant ranks are there?
Valorant ranks are divided into 8 levels. They go in order from Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Ascendant, Immortal, and Radiant. Seems simple right? Maybe not so much, as these are also divided into three subsections.
In total, there are really 25 ranks, as Radiant has no divisions. As daunting as it sounds to climb such a large number of ranks, Riot recently made it easier to climb and improve rank distribution. However, with each rank you climb, the competition gets fierce.
How can I see my progress in ranks?
Match history will provide players with all their match outcomes and rankings. Riot also included a progress bar which highlights the distance between players and their next ranked hurdle.
If teammates pull through and you get a promotion, you will automatically be placed at 10RR on your new rank. The grind begins once a new Act comes out, and players begin to better themselves to the next rank.
Riot fans have taken to Valorant well and with many daily players, the future of Valorant is looking Radiant.