Valorant's ranks system has received a few tweaks in Episode 5. Riot has slipped in an Ascendant rank to the order, https://gameboost.com/lol/solo-boost which helps spread players across lower tiers.
While the new Ascendant rank isn't an earth-shaking update, it does offer a little balance for players struggling to climb up the tiers.
1. Ascendant Rank
Ascendant is a new rank that was added in Valorant Patch 5.0, which will help bridge the gap between Diamond and Immortal. This new rank will be a great way for lower-level players to get out of the “ELO Hell” that has been a common problem in the game.
This new rank has a lot of mixed reviews on social media, but it’s one that should help players in the Bronze and Silver ranks gain their footing in the ranked system. The Ascendant Rank will sit comfortably between Diamond and Immortal, which should help players get matched with other players of similar skill level.
However, this new tier will also come with some changes to the game’s ranking system. Riot will be adjusting the MMR targets for all ranks below Ascendant, as well as moving up the MMR target for Immortal and Radiant. These changes are designed to make the RR gains for these ranks more difficult, while still trying to spread the rank density throughout the game.
Adding Ascendant will help to balance the ranked system, as it will remove the high MMR players from the leaderboards and allow skilled players to push their way up. Currently, the leaderboards in major regions are overcrowded with players that simply played more games. This could cause the ranking system to be flooded with players that are not actually the best, but if the Ascendant rank is successful in filtering out these players, it will reduce the overall number of players on the leaderboards.
Another change with Ascendant is that players in this tier will be subject to 5-stack grouping limits, meaning they can only queue for five-stack matches in Competitive mode. This is a big change from previous rankings and it’s something that will definitely affect the overall experience of playing the game.
The Ascendant Rank will also be accompanied by three new skin bundles as part of the Season Pass for Valorant Episode 5 Act 1. This new season pass will feature skins for Shorty, Vandal, Stinger, Operator, and Melee knife weapons.
It’s likely that this new tier will have a significant impact on the way the game’s ranking system works, so it’s important to keep up with all of the latest updates and changes as they occur. You can also check out our ranking guide for more information on how a rank is earned, what it means to be at a certain rank, and how to get to a higher rank in the game.
2. Five-stacks
The latest Valorant update introduces the much-demanded five-stacks system to competitive ranked play. The community has some concerns about how the system will work, but Riot Games is promising to monitor for exploits and make changes as necessary.
Players are able to group up as a 'five stack' of any rank for competitive Valorant, but there are some restrictions that apply. These include a reduced ranked rating gain or loss based on the disparity of rank within your party.
As a result, it will be much harder to climb up the ranks with your friends if you play in a 5-stack that isn't ranked within the normal party restriction range. The RR gain/loss will be a minimum of 50 percent, and increase up to 90 percent based on the skill disparity in your party.
Additionally, if any member of your team is Diamond Two or above, the group will face extended queue times while VALORANT tries to find another five-stack with a similar average MMR. This means that you'll need to wait longer for matches, but it also prevents high-ranked players from using smurf accounts to queue with low-ranked friends.
While this new system isn't as harsh as some have suggested, it's still an important change for players who want to play in a competitive Valorant queue. However, some may be worried about how the system will allow players to boost each other in a way that would be infeasible with four-stack queueing.
Fortunately, the team at Riot seems to have been listening to feedback from the Valorant community and has made this change as smooth as possible. According to Senior Competitive Designer Jon "EvrMoar" Walker, the team wants to make sure that 'five-stacking' is a positive experience for players, while also making sure that the system doesn't encourage higher-elo players to abuse it for a quick buck.
In addition, the team has also introduced a new feature that allows full parties to chat 'gg' to surrender a game without losing the match. This will result in a ten second countdown and cancel UI similar to what you'd see in pro games, and it's meant to make finding matches as a full party much faster.
3. Rank reset
As players progress in competitive matches, they earn Rank Rating points. These points are used to determine a player's competitive rank in Valorant. However, they can also be affected by many other factors, like the winnings and losses of a match.
When it comes to rank resets, Riot Games has a system in place that aims to keep things fair for both players and the game's system. When an Act ends, the top 10-2000 players (depending on region) reset, whereas everyone else stays exactly where they were.
During this reset, you will need to play five placement matches before you are able to re-rank yourself. These placement matches are known as calibration matches and are required for new accounts, but not for seasoned players.
While playing these calibration matches, you will be paired with opponents who are in a range of your current rank. This allows you to test out the new map and new ranked game modes while staying within your skill level.
But there's a catch: the higher your ranking, the harder it will be for you to gain the placement you need to reach that next tier. In order to help keep things fair, Riot Games introduced a new rank called "Ascendant," which lies between Diamond and Immortal.
The new rank aims to address some of the issues with the lower ranks that were becoming bloated with too many players in each. As you might imagine, this can be a problem for some players who are stuck in Silver or Bronze ranks.
For this reason, Riot Games has introduced a new Rank Reset system. According to Senior Competitive Designer Jon “EvrMoar” Walker, this will converge your rank closer to your MMR.
This means that you'll be rewarded more for a win or penalized less for a loss, based on your average MMR. You can check out your average MMR by comparing the number of Ranked Rating points you get after a win and the number of RR points you lose after a defeat.
In short, if you gain more RR than you lose in a match, it means the game thinks that you deserve a better rank than your current one. But if you lose more RR than you gain in a match, it means the game believes you deserve a lower rank than your current one.
4. MMR system
If you’re interested in climbing up the Valorant ranks, it’s important to understand how your MMR and RR work. It can help you make better decisions in matches and get to your desired rank much faster than you might expect.
In a competitive match, you can gain rank rating points (RR) by winning or losing. These RR can then help you climb up the ranks or drop them.
RRs are based on your Win/Loss ratio, which is how many wins you get compared to losses. This is a good way to gauge how your game is going, as it is an indication of how well you are playing.
However, if you lose more RR than you gain on a win, it means that the ranking system doesn’t think you deserve your current rank. This can happen if you have a bad team or you aren’t playing your best.
Another thing that can affect your RR is party size. Parties of 4 or 5 are favored to fight against similarly sized parties, as the extra players in a party add synergy and experience that the opponent doesn’t have.
A third factor that can influence your RR is your average combat score (ACS). This is a measure of your damage, assists, and effectiveness with your abilities in the match. It isn’t directly linked to your RR, but it can give you some insight into how the match is going.
If you perform well in a match, it can also increase your MMR. This is called a performance bonus. It is a great way to boost your RR in lower-ranked ranks, and it can be a great tool for improving your overall skill level.
It’s important to remember that this process doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of games to change your MMR, and it can take up to five placement matches before you reach Gold or Platinum.
Getting higher in Valorant ranks isn’t impossible, but it does take a lot of hard work and patience. You need to play your best in each and every game to get closer to that next rank.