Get ready, agents. Riot Games finally released more information on VALORANT‘s upcoming ranked competitive mode, including its in-depth matchmaking system, in a developer’s post today.
A player’s total performance will be considered when trying to detect smurfs and rank boosters, as well as finding an accurate ranking for every player who steps into ranked mode, according to Riot. It’s a feature that many people have been clamoring for in League of Legends and should help maintain balance from the Iron rank to VALORANT.
Riot also said that people can queue up into ranked games as solo players or as a five-man squad. If you are going to group up with your friends, however, every player must be within two ranks of each other. This ensures that there isn’t a huge skill difference between all 10 players in a match.
For solo players who are worried about running into a coordinated team of five, fear not. Riot will be taking pre-made parties into consideration and will automatically prioritize placing similar-sized groups against each other. No one likes playing a solo ranked match against a well-coordinated stack of teammates.
Rank inactivity will also be in effect when the competitive mode goes live. If you haven’t played a competitive match in two weeks, your account will be considered “inactive” and your rank will be hidden. You can only reveal your rank once you play one comeback match. Don’t worry, though—Riot said it won’t decay your ranking artificially in the background.
VALORANT’s competitive mode is set to release shortly after Patch 0.49.
