Few days ago, a Riot dev had claimed that they were giving the finishing touches to an upcoming ranked mode for VALORANT and that it’ll likely be released in the next patch. Accordingly, the devs have finally updated players on a few details of the upcoming patch.
The patch 1.02 is set to finally bring the much-anticipated competitive mode to the game, with further improvements than the ranked mode which was previously seen in the closed beta of the game.
The icons for the spectrum of ranks in VALORANT have also been revamped for the sake of better distinction between each rank. The name of the highest rank attainable in the game has also been changed.
Previously, the highest rank in VALORANT was called… well, VALORANT. Since the name was causing confusion among the players, many had raised demands to alter the name to something else. A Riot dev had also informed fans earlier that they were thinking to change the name soon, and they finally did. Players of the highest calibre will now attain the Radiant rank instead of VALORANT.
“Additionally, although we still really like having our top rank be something unique to our game and aligned with our IP, we’ve decided to remove VALORANT as the name of our top rank to help reduce potential confusion of the game vs the rank,” Riot mentioned in their official blog. “The new name for our top rank will represent Agents infused with powers, known as Radiant.”
It’s important to remember that all the achievements players had previously obtained in the competitive game mode during the closed beta will be reset, and everyone will have to grind back to where they belonged.
The upcoming update is also set to ease queuing with friends during the placement matches. Players will now be able to matchmake with their friends during their placements even with a significant skill gap. As Riot states in the post, “For example, if you’re an elite player, and your friend is still learning the ropes, our Competitive Matchmaking will still prevent you from being able to queue in order to protect the competitive integrity and experience for the other players in that match.”
This change is certain to be welcome by newbies and veterans alike, since it will enable newer players to be able to queue with their experienced friends during placements without any hassle, providing them with the opportunity to learn complex mechanics of VALORANT from players who have been playing the game for a while.
