"Cascading pick" to hit future Valorant acts as Riot looks to counter insta-locking

The Valorant community is excitedly waiting for the new Episode to drop on 11 January 2022. Episode 4 is all set to introduce Neon to the mix of playable Agents for the players. The new Act will also be heralding a new Battlepass featuring the Tier 50 Velocity Karambit among other rewards.

Riot has steadily dropped more and more information regarding upcoming content. Neon's Agent trailer revealed her lively colorful side and showcased her skills and abilities. Players were treated to a short video of the new Protocol bundle. The Episode 4 cinematic has also been dropped today.

Amidst the hype and excitement of the imminent release, the game's developers in a Twitch livestream discussed possible future changes that they are planning to implement in the first-person shooter, including Cascading pick.

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Valorant developers look to address the issue of insta-locking through introducing "Cascading pick"

"Cascading pick" is basically where players pick in succession or one after another. Riot already uses a similar feature in their other IP, League of Legends, where the first player gets a short duration of about fifteen seconds after which the next player picks.

This is also employed in Valve's DOTA 2. It looks like Riot will be adding the feature in a future act.

Insta-locking in the game is when a player instantly selects their Agent without any prior communication or strategizing. This effectively puts the other players in the team on the backfoot as they may have to adjust their choices to complement the insta-locked pick. Insta-locking Duelists are a bane for the game.

Thus the proposed change will be a much necessary addition to the game welcomed by many Valorant players. For the longest time, it seems the community has been annoyed with the issue and many have spoken up about it.

Since this is a team game, it is imperative for the players to communicate their strengths and Agents they are most comfortable with. Not all combinations work out and not all Agents shine on every map. A "Cascading Pick" will effectively address this issue and bring in some much needed respite.