There is always drama happening in the Valorant community. This time, it's an app that is in the centre of it.
Many pro players and also casuals aren't happy with the Valorant recon app. They say it has been impacting the gaming experience in a negative way, and has specially affected streamers.
Players are also afraid the features available in this app can be exploited on Valorant Premier. According to some of them, it would damage the competitive integrity of the games.
But are pro players justified in their anger, and does the recon app have that much impact on the game? Let's find out.
What is the Valorant recon app
The Valorant recon app is a phone app. It allows you to instalock one specific agent, while players haven't even entered the lobby. This means you don't need to be close to your PC to accept a match or select an agent.
However, some players have been heavily criticizing it. According to some, the app allows users to see the name of players that are playing with streamer mode on. It also lets players know which side they will start on, while they are on agent select.
Because of this, many were saying the Valorant recon app promoted stream sniping and gave players an unfair advantage. Players also didn't think it was fair for some people to be able to instalock their favourite agent, without even entering the lobby.
Is the Valorant recon app hurting competitive integrity?
Turns out that some of the claims made against the Valorant recon app are simply not true.
The Valorant recon app doesn't allow you to see the name of players with streamer mode on. Therefore, the claim that this app is promoting stream sniping, or at least making it easier to do, is not true.
However, it does indeed provide a way to instalock agents in Valorant, before entering the lobby. But as mentioned by the creator of Valorant recon, people with faster PCs and internet connections already have that advantage.
Furthermore, you can set up a macro on your keyboard that allows you to do the same. So, it doesn't have that huge impact on the game.
One thing the app does indeed need to address is the side selection problem. Players knowing which side they are going to start on gives them a slight edge.
It's true you still need to play both sides of the map. However, if you know you will start on defence, you can just play with a defensive comp, and open a big lead. This is especially problematic in low ranks.
Fortunately, Julian Dunskus, the Valorant recon app developer, has said he will remove the feature from the app. At first, he didn't think it would have a negative impact on the game. However, with so many players complaining about it, he noticed that it's not the case, and will remove it.