VALORANT takes the best of CS: GO and Overwatch to create a unique hybrid you won't find anywhere else.
With new mechanics, this exciting title is one that will have you coming back for more, with an obsession to become the best and be triumphant.
So you maybe asking yourself how VALORANT ranked works, and how can you compete at a rank that suits your skill level?
VALORANT ranks are determined by whether you win or lose matches. But that's not all, your individual performance is also taken into account, and determines how you progress up the ranking system too.
And in order to rank-up fast, you need to work well together with your team and out-strategize your opponent, you need to be able to out-aim your enemies and have enough game sense to be confident in your decision making.
It is also essential to study and memorize maps and find effective ways to use your agent's abilities to their fullest extent.
If you are an ex-CS:GO and ex- Overwatch player that migrated to VALORANT, welcome to the world of competition, where your skills in both games will be tested.
If you're just getting started in FPS with VALORANT, don't fret, you will be able to pick up the game in no time, starting with this article.
But before you start, you want to ensure you get the best, most reliable equipment. We broke down the best gaming keyboards and gaming mice for VALORANT, so you can go into game with sheer confidence.
Feel free to check it out!
Anyways, enough talk, let's dive in!
Valorant has a ranked system that is composed of different tiers, each ranging from I (1) > IV (4).
The tiers are as follows:
When players join the game's competitive mode, they must go through five placement matches before getting a starting rank.
Your KDA and the total rounds won decides how the placement will be conducted.
The ranking system works a little bit differently from what you would be used to, for example, if you've come from League of Legends (Riot's most popular game).
In League of Legends, the divisions go from IV (4) > I (1) (1 being the highest before you go into placement to rank up).
In VALORANT, division I (1) is the lowest with III (3) being the highest and allows you to rank up.
The top 500 players in each region will achieve Radiant rank; this is the game's highest rank.
Being in Radiant has significant advantages, like earning Radianite points.
Radiant points are Valorant's in-game currency which is used to acquire Agents and gun skins.
Valorant boasts Act Ranks that show off players' well-proven skills during and at the close of every season.
This is based on the results of players' best 9 games in an Act.
Act ranks need a total of 9 wins before you can see what your rank is.
Before patch 2.03, your Act rank would've been reflected by your top 9 wins.
Now, it will be affected by your highest triangle rank.
When you play a game in an Act, the Rank Act badge becomes filled with a new triangle signifying the previously completed rank.
As you climb up the ranks, the lower-ranked games are replaced by the new triangles representing higher-ranked games.
Also, the badges' borders transform based on the number of wins you acquire in that specific rank.
Some players' badges look more colorful at the close of an act, but at the Radiant, it is just a solid gold triangle.
In Episode One, you only get triangles for winning matches, while from Episode two, as you progress, you are awarded a triangle as per the rank at the end of a match, without considering the game's outcome.
When you start, you will play unranked games; this enables the gathered data about what kind of player you are.
Unranked games are exactly the same as ranked games (just without the rankings). Although from experience, the competition is more easy-going.
During this period, you will also learn and understand how the game works with other players before entering the competitive levels, which is sometimes difficult for new players.
The requirements before starting competitive levels are:
Winning games is an essential factor in gaining ranks in Valorant.
Though in the beginning, as you play your placement matches, your performance is the most significant factor that is considered.
You should note that your ranks will be hidden if you are inactive for 14 days, but they will return when you play once again.
Some key factors to note are:
As of now, when you complete a match, you will have no real indication of the point where you lie on the leaderboard.
There's no ladder to climb - you simply check your rank below your name and hope you've either gone up one, stayed the same, or optimistically not dipped down.
If you win multiple in a row with strong performances, expect to go up.
As you'd expect, if you start losing quite a few, you'll likely go down.
Quite simple really, your aim each game should be to dominate the opposing team.
In VALORANT, the grind to improve in Competitive mode can be a challenging and grueling process at times.
We did a more in-depth guide on ranking up fast and achieving Platinum in no time is a great read. It'll take you through the process step by step, ensuring a higher rate of success. Feel free to check it out!
Anyways, here are some quick strategies to help you climb the ranking ladder:
Having a clear understanding of the map structure is necessary as you approach the competitive levels.
It helps a lot in following up friendly callouts, improving game awareness, and having consistent wins at competitive levels.
VALORANT has done improved upon this aspect by allowing you to view the map by pressing 'CAPS LOCK' on your keyboard.
This will open up the map:
Here, you can see the names of the main areas of the map, and their respective callouts.
For some maps, their callouts may be different, for example, a place on the map that's elevated may be known as 'Heaven' regardless of the actual name.
There are also times where you need to be quiet for your teammate to clutch.
And other times, it's easier to just ping where the enemy is, which is more visually effective as pings on the map will show pings in real-time too.
Communication is key when it comes to taking sites and objectives.
If you don't have a mic, get a mic, it's 2021, and you can get microphones or headsets for cheap.
Otherwise, you will need to continually ping where you saw your enemies on the map.
Communication is essential too for any competitive game.
Good callouts are the difference between life and death, and winning the round, or losing the round.
Intel is valuable, not just in VALORANT, but in any team-based competitive sport or even real-life combat.
The more intel you have > the higher the chance you or your teammates have to out-maneuver the enemy.
The practice is how you will inevitably get better at the game, and start climbing the ranks.
There are 3 major aspects you need to learn and practice, these are stated below:
VALORANT has a decent practice range where it will test your reactions, flicks, accuracy, and spray patterns.
Aim is one major aspect that can be improved over time, and the best way to aim in my opinion is using Kovaaks 2.0, which is an aim trainer.
Above is Noted's Kovaaks aim routine, feel free to copy it and level up your aim.
If you're interested in how to best improve your aim, there is a whole aim thesis by Aimer7 (a very popular Kovaaks aim trainer and Top 500 Overwatch player) on how aiming works and how to improve.
The other aspect you need to practice is using your player's abilities.
This goes hand-in-hand with knowing the maps as certain abilities are best utilized in certain parts of the map.
For example, here are some strategies for guaranteeing a placement arrow using Sova:
Lastly, the game sense is simply knowing what to do, and when to do it.
As your skills grow, your game sense will expand, and your confidence will boost up.
You can't teach game sense without playing a ton of matches, it's an intrinsic feeling you get when certain situations arise.
And this only comes with putting hours upon hours in a game.
If you're looking to play VALORANT professionally, you need to play the game consistently, every day, and aim for 10,000 hours in the game.
For any skill, 10,000 hours a great goal to 'master' any skill.
Valorant is among the best competitive games at the moment.
With great similarities with CS: GO and Overwatch, your skill can translate into the game, cutting down the learning curves.
If you're new, it's not that hard to pick up neither, and if you follow the steps to ranking up fast, you will climb up the rankings.
By now, you should have a clear understanding of how the ranking system works, how to take advantage of placements, and how to improve your rankings.
Now go out there on the battlefield and dominate your enemies!
