Riot Games recently released patch notes for VALORANT patch 2.02. In the patch, they also mentioned their plans regarding the upcoming patch 2.03.
VALORANT patch 2.02 just dropped recently, and we got a lot of changes regarding MMR and the competitive scene in general. We saw an increase in MMR convergence, and Riot also disabled five-stack queueing starting from Diamond. In the patch notes Riot also revealed their plans for the upcoming 2.03 patch.
Riot’s plan for the upcoming patch 2.03 is given in detail below.
Read More: VALORANT patch 2.02: MMR to Rank Convergence increase, Performance Bonus, Diamond 3 Solo/Duo queue
Patch 2.03 Plans
Riot Games dedicated a portion of the patch notes to discussing their plan for the upcoming patch.
Rewards based on the end of Act leaderboard standings or highest rank achieved:
Previously ranked players had to win 9 games in a rank to secure that for the remainder of the season. But now Riot thinks this system needs to change.
“In the old system, nine games was the measure we used to test whether you earned your correct rank. The new system tests you at the rank it thinks you belong, and you converge with your MMR over a handful of matches.”
Now, whenever you reach a new rank, you will immediately be rewarded for reaching that rank. Your act rank will be decided by the highest rank in your act range badge. The patch note further adds,
“You still need to earn a total of nine wins to fill your Act Rank Badge, but you will be rewarded for the highest of those nine wins.“
Riot is also planning on rewarding players who are at the top of the leaderboard at the end of acts.
“Regarding leaderboards, we want to make sure to properly award you for their end of Act standings. We won’t say how we’re gonna reward you just yet, but we plan on rewarding you for the standing you have at the end of an Act. The plan is to still keep our reward cadence on an episode basis so you have a few chances to reach news each Act throughout an Episode.
That means those of you that climbed early, may have an Act rank of Immortal/Radiant, but if you’ve fallen or dropped off the leaderboard by end of the Act, you won’t get their specific leaderboard standing as a reward. We want to celebrate, next Act, that you were top 5, 10, etc. on the leaderboard.”
Riot Games is discussing the finer details, and we will learn more about the leaderboard rewards in the future.
Penalties for in-game AFKing:
Riot is also thinking of new ways to punish people who are AFK during VALORANT rank matches. This is their plan to punish AFK players going forward.
“The first step for us is penalizing ranked players who AFK in-game. Players who AFK in-game will lose additional RR, which can go above our maximum caps. This is the first step to help combat AFK players, we have more things in the works and hopefully can talk about them in later updates!”
Players who are AFK in ranked matches after patch 2.03 will receive a severe RR drop which can also go above the maximum cap. This will result in AFK players losing their rank faster.
