Valorant’s competitive system is getting another overhaul in Ignition Act 3, with more strict party restrictions, changes to progression, and more. However, with the “tighter rank queue,” could the door be opening for in-client tournaments, like League of Legends’ Clash, in Valorant?
Valorant’s competitive experience is not only an important point for players, but Riot themselves. The tactical FPS was designed with competition in mind, from the way the game was optimized, to its basic mechanics.
Whether Valorant’s competitive queue has lived up to that expectation is a different story though. The experience has been widely criticized by players due to numerous factors: no solo-duo queue, no leaderboards, a confusing progression system, and more.
Riot are vowing to change some of these things in Act 3. They are reducing the squad rank disparity limit from six tiers to three. They are also aiming at adding a cap on party sizes at high ranks, a leaderboard, and a more clear progression system early in 2021.
With these changes though, friends won’t be able to queue up for ranked if their ranks are too far apart. This has opened the door for Riot to implement in-client tournaments like they did for League of Legends with Clash, and they’re entertaining the suggestion.
“We’ve heard from others that there is a desire for even more organized team play, but just not in the same queue,” design director Joe Ziegler told players while outlining the Act 3 competitive changes. “We hear you on these things, [but] they may take some time to implement.”
Clash in League of Legends was a replacement for the old ranked fives queue. Instead, teams of friends can take part in monthly tournaments, being seeded into a bracket based on their rank and playing against teams of a similar skill level. There’s also in-game prizes on the line.
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A similar system has been yearned for by Valorant players since the game’s release. Riot have indicated that such a feature could be closer than ever with the Act 3 changes. However, it’s still in development for the time being.
“We know there are many of you that like to queue competitive with friends of a wide skill range. We see this demand for this kind of team-based competition, and it’s on our roadmap,” competitive design lead David ‘Milkcow’ Cole said.
- Read more: New Valorant map Icebox revealed for Act 3
“We’re excited on our end to get this team-based feature up and rolling but it’ll be a bit before it’s out live — it’s a large feature,” he added on Reddit after the changes were announced on October 5.
Valorant players should definitely get excited at the prospect of League-style in-client tournaments. It’ll add a more structured competitive experience to Valorant, where you can queue with friends to try and take down other five-stacks in a competitive setting without jeopardizing your rank.
There will also likely be prizes on the line. While League of Legends has profile banners, icons, and skins on the line, maybe in Valorant special player cards, tags, and skins could be drafted up to celebrate those who win. The possibilities are endless, and only time will tell what Riot has in stock for players.