VALORANT’s Deathmatch mode is exclusively built for practice before that first ranked match; there are no ranks to climb or rewards for winning. For a mode this casual, you’d expect players to take it easy, but unfortunately, that’s not it for some—and it’s annoying, to say the least.
In a Reddit post dated Oct. 29, a user named u/ILoveCatsJade wrote about the toxicity some players indulge in Deathmatch games, stressing how weird it’s to deal with angry, nonsense comments like “You’re all bad, holy shit” in what’s supposed to be a relaxed experience.
“You don’t achieve anything by winning a DEATHMATCH,” they said. “Sure you got the most kills but most people are warming up/practicing aim!! No one cares. Celebrate the little victory on your own, don’t be toxic lmao. It’s sad.”
The fact some players need a reminder to relax and not be toxic in casual modes shows how uptight the VALORANT player base has become. It doesn’t seem like a video game anymore, does it?
“When someone’s that upset that’s when I pull out the Odin,” another player commented, and besides the sad mentality, it also highlighted the player base’s unreasonable hate toward the high-cost machine gun that has existed forever. Interestingly, the Odin isn’t as powerful as most players might think; its recoil is hard to control and all you need is precise aim against it.
VALORANT players are a bit controlling of what they want in the game. They have an idea of what’s right, and they want to stick to that, instead of embracing new approaches or thinking creatively.
So if you use the Operator, the Judge, or the Odin instead of the usual Vandal or Phantom in Deathmatch, you’re automatically labeled “bad.” If you like practicing how to clear angles, stand and shoot, or crouch spray in Deathmatch, you’ll be called out for being a camper.
Many players also love celebrating their no-stakes Deathmatch win by declaring everyone in the lobby is bad. So you may often run into comments like “Gg ez,” “Noobs,” “Get better,” and things of that sort. I do, and I get why players are calling such annoying behavior out.
It’s important to learn the meaning of casual game modes; the goal is to have fun or practice your own game, not sweat it out for a win. Unfortunately, it isn’t just the Deathmatch mode nurturing such behavior; you’ll find negative players in Swiftplay, Unrated, Spike Rush, Team Deathmatch, and Escalation too.
Video games are no longer played for the fun of it, and that’s not how it’s supposed to be. VALORANT players need to take it easy for a change. Amid all the competition, sometimes, all we need is some positive attitude for that win streak to show up.
