VALORANT Ranked Launch Changes Announced
Riot Games has announced the introduction of their competitive matchmaking queue with patch 1.02. Only minor adjustments have been introduced in comparison to the beta version of the format. Iconographic clarity of ranks, a renaming from the top rank from VALORANT to Radiant and a more forgiving competitive range to play with friends were the only features the updated version will bring. A definitive date has not been announced.
Senior Producer Ian “Brighteyz” Fielding once again reiterated the vision of playing within a team or with friends for VALORANT. “We really believe in VALORANT teamplay, playing and competing with your friends,” he stated in a news post, explaining the rationale behind the decisions they had taken. According to Fielding, it should now be easier to queue with friends of higher skill discrepancy, though within reason.
He also revealed that each ranked season, called “Acts”, will last 2 months, in which players will be able to track their progression in their Match History and “other locations in the client” with the help of statistics.
“On that note, it’s worth saying that this ranked system is a living work in progress, so don’t stop your comments. Expect us to continue to make improvements based on your feedback,” Fielding opened the reveal of the changes with, possibly anticipating the public reaction to these news.
Several influencers and pro players within the scene took to social media to vent their frustration with the decision to not have a separate ranked queue which would allow players to only queue up either as a duo or just by themselves.
Players had voiced their frustration of having to either play against full stacks or being forced to compete in full stacks for the ranked queue. It remains to be seen if players will adapt or the developers will cave, potentially meeting players in the middle.
GGRecon will keep you updated on any developments including the timeline for the introduction of ranked.
Image via Riot Games
