VALORANT Players Have Discovered Huge Problems With Shooting And Accuracy
There's another wave of controversy wreaking havoc in VALORANT, with players reporting questionable issues with shooting and accuracy stemming back to the game's Patch 0.50 from May 2020. Riot Games pitched the patch as a much-needed overhaul that would change shooting mechanics for the better with the likes of more efficient firing for rifles.
The biggest issues came pre-patch with VALORANT's "walking accuracy" state that occurred when players transitioned between running and walking. Here, you could shoot with the same accuracy as if you were standing still. The patch removed "walking accuracy" and introduced something to make up for it by increasing deadzone accuracy to 30% movement speed. The size of the deadzone was also increased, meaning it was still supposed to be relatively easy to pull off an accurate shot while transitioning form a run to a stop.
VALORANT shooting accuracy: What's the problem?
Posting on YouTube, Cloud9's Skyler "Relyks" Weaver explained how there are some serious issues dating back to May. While testing running accuracy, Weaver claimed the deadzone tweaks have boosted aim accuracy. Relyks combined it with counter-strafing and discovered he could keep full accuracy while running. Added to this, he said his accuracy was better than when at a full stop.
Discussing the issue, Relyks explained how you can "strafe back and forth while spraying and, as long as you’re strafing in a confined area while keeping yourself at 30 percent or less of the max movement speed, you can retain relative accuracy". The results were achieved using the Vandal assault rifle, however, he guessed that the fully automatic Phantom rifle would be even better due to lower bullet spread, high accuracy, and rate of fire.
VALORANT shooting accuracy: Is it intentional?
The VALORANT shooting accuracy issue could become a handy get out of jail free card if you're stuck in the open and need to dash for cover. Instead of standing still and trying to defend yourself with what you thought would be maximum accuracy, strafing while shooting should lead to better accuracy. The deadzone thresholds haven't been touched in months, so it's crazy to think this has gone unnoticed for so long.
Relyks isn't sure whether this is actually an intended mechanic to assist newcomers in the first-person shooter. If this is the case, there's a criticism that it's lowered the game's skill ceiling. As the accuracy issue becomes more common knowledge, it will be interesting to see if developers address it and tackle these complaints in the next patch. For the time being, why not try out the Phantom for yourselves and see if your accuracy improved while strafing?
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Images via Riot Games
