Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 is introducing some tweaks to the competitive queue to make ranked rating gains and losses feel more consistent.
The changes rolled out in Valorant patch 6.0, and should help reduce any wild fluctuations in RR when winning or losing.
A new Episode also means a soft ranked reset. Players will need to play five placement matches to reveal their rank, which will be lower than what they achieved at the end of Episode 5.
Here’s what you need to know about the new changes to RR gains.
Valorant Episode 6 Act 1 will make RR gains more consistent
The soft reset intentionally places players on the low end of their MMR — usually roughly three ranks below where they last ended — forcing them to earn back their rank and show that they still belong at their previous rank.
However, their rank should now converge to their MMR quicker, said Jonathan “EvrMoar” Walker, Senior Competitive Designer on Valorant, on Twitter.
Players will be rewarded more for a good game or penalized less for a loss when they perform well, he said. This change applies to the initial games played in the Episode, when your rank does not match your MMR yet.
For the rest of the Act, your RR gains and losses will also depend slightly more on wins and losses, and slightly less on the exact round differential of each match. You should now see fewer instances of gaining 12RR in one game, and then 20RR in the next.
In the past, round differentials could result in differences of up to 10RR, said EvrMoar, where each round was worth about 1 to 2RR.
Moving forward, players whose ranks are far away from their MMR will also see RR gains depend more on individual performance instead of round differential.
If a player’s rank is below their actual MMR, they will be rewarded more for a good game. If a player’s rank is above their MMR, they will not be harshly penalized if they perform well but still lose.
You can read the full patch notes here.
READ MORE: French CS:GO legend Happy is now head coach of a North American Valorant team
