Severe rank penalties are being introduced in Valorant patch 2.03 to tackle disruptive gameplay

Image by Sportskeeda author
Image by Sportskeeda author

Valorant patch 2.03 has arrived and brings a new penalty system to competitive matchmaking.

Players AFK-ing during matches has always been an issue in all competitive games. Valorant has recently started experiencing such issues in competitive gameplay. The number of players going AFK using bots or by themselves due to behavioral reasons, is increasing by the day. Riot has finally come up with an answer to the issue.

A similar detail was added in patch 2.02, with Riot introducing a system where more points were lost due to being AFK in matches. The number, however, was an illusion up until this patch.


Rank penalty in Valorant patch 2.03

With the introduction of patch 2.03, Riot incorporates a severe punishment for players with behavioral issues in Valorant. Concerns over AFK players have been increasing. The developers not implementing any action to tackle the problem, has demotivated players greatly.

In the last update of patch 2.02, Riot incorporated the same penalty system but with the numbers hidden. Nobody knew how many points were being cut off their daily rank points for being AFK.

According to the official patch notes, the amount of rank points being deducted due to griefing or going AFK is 8, irrespective of whether the match was won or lost.

According to Riot, a player is determined to be truly AFK only if they are dormant for six or more consecutive rounds. They also considered the possibility of personal issues.

However, sometimes, a person’s computer may malfunction, or due to ISP issues, they might lose connection. Keeping all that in mind, Riot does give the player a solid time-period of six rounds to make a return to the game. If the player fails to return, the penalty is incorporated.

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Considering the number of changes to the agents, weapons, and in-game quality of life, this update may look insignificant. But from a broader perspective, it truly is a huge upgrade for Valorant players with a competitive mentality.

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Edited by Nikhil Vinod
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