Valorant removes arrows, moves to Rank Rating points system in Episode 2

Riot are completely revamping Valorant’s rank system from the ground up in Episode 2. Arrows are gone, replaced by a Rank Rating system that works on points. Leaderboards are also on their way, as well as big changes to Immortal and Radiant.

Valorant’s ranked system is undergoing its third rework since launch in Episode 2, and this set of changes is the biggest one yet. No longer will players have to guess how close they are to ranking up ⁠⁠— Riot is doing away with the infamous arrows, and a solid points system is being implemented.

Entitled “Rank Rating,” the grind will be a lot easier to track with pure numbers, not just guesswork. Plus, high elo players will have something to play for with leaderboards finally arriving, while Riot is reworking the number of players in Immortal and Radiant.

The changes have been long requested in the Valorant community, with calls to action to fix the game’s competitive system being echoed from the Open Beta until now.

“Our goal with our rank update was to show players that we are…listening by delivering on…the most consistent asks from the community: An easier to understand and fairer rank system, more rewarding recognition for your accomplishments, and a way to show who is the best of the best,” developers Ian ‘Brighteyz’ Fielding and Jon ‘EvrMoar’ Walker said.

How does Rank Rating work in Valorant?

Valorant’s Rank Rating (RR) system is like League’s League Point (LP) system. Whole ranks from Iron to Diamond will still be split in three, however progression is a lot more clear. Once you get 100 RR points in a tier, you’ll rank up. Similarly, if you lose while on 0 RR, you’ll demote.

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After promoting a tier, players will be given a 10 RR buffer so they can’t instantly derank off a loss. Players also have the chance to bounce right back up after demoting ⁠— you will not go below 80 RR after dropping a rank.

RR gain is based off of your own performance, as well as the team’s performance. Riot has always stressed that Valorant is a team game and that’s most important when it comes to ranking up, but “exceptional performance at lower ranks” will lead to more RR gains as well.

Here’s the exact values for RR gains and losses:

• Minimum 10 RR gain on a win
• Maximum 50 RR gain on a win
• Minimum 10 RR loss on a loss
• Maximum 30 RR loss on a loss
• Maximum 20 RR gain on a draw
  • Iron to Diamond only. Immortal and Radiant is 0 RR.

Leaderboards added in Episode 2, Immortal condensed into one rank

If you’re at the top end of town in Immortal and Radiant, there will be a lot more to play for. Leaderboards have been added to track progress and make it easier to visualize the road to rank one outside of sporadic tweets from Riot.

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Radiant Leaderboards will be limited to the top 500 players in each region. Immortal Leaderboards will constitute the top 1% of players, and is unique per region. No matter what rank you are though, you’ll be able to see where you stack up on the leaderboards.

You need to play at least 50 ranked games in an Act to get placed on the leaderboard, and play at least one game a week to maintain your position. While you won’t decay, your leaderboard rank will be hidden until you play again.

On top of the changes to RR, Immortal is getting a big change at the top end. It’s getting condensed into one rank ⁠— so there’s no more Immortal 1, 2, or 3.

These changes are only the beginning for ranked, and Riot will be keeping an eye on community feedback to adapt the system as needed throughout Episode 2.

• Read More: Everything coming in Valorant Episode 2 Act 1

“Many of our changes are made directly based on what we’ve heard from you all. Please keep letting us know your thoughts around these changes and rank in general. Our promise is to keep listening and making changes for years to come,” the developers added.

The ranked changes will go live with Valorant Episode 2, which launches on January 12. New Agent Yoru will be joining the roster, more new battlepass content will be added to grind, and more.