Riot Games answer why Valorant doesn’t support solo queues in ranked games. Developers suggest teamwork is essential in winning matches.
Valorant consistently dominates the competition even if it is still in closed beta. Developers continue to distribute beta testing invitations as Valorant’s continue to grow their server capacity.
However, as the official release gets closer, players are starting to question missing features and options. One particular question was addressed recently by Riot Games is why is there no pure solo queue option in Valorant ranked games.
This one’s a long one, but it’s also what you’ve been asking about: strafe shooting and peeker’s advantage, why no solo solo queue?, and more (always more!) Vanguard updates. Let’s get into it. https://t.co/engkfAMRnJ pic.twitter.com/TWgllk41lF
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) May 13, 2020
Focused on teamwork
In Valorant, players can join a queue as a team or as a solo player. This means players will be matched with others playing as solo or a team as well.
However, there is no option where players can join a queue by themselves, to create their own team and that the opposing team is also made up of solo players. This kind of matchmaking is usually regarded as more balanced than the others.
Multiple people queuing and 5-man queues typically perform better than a group of solo queue players which threatens the competitive equilibrium of a match.
Ian Felding, Valorant’s Product Manager addressed the issue in a blog post. He insisted that Valorant is a team-oriented game and will demand teamwork from players in order to achieve victory.
He also stated that solo matchmaking will only lead to testing someone’s skill and this is not the type of competitive standard Riot Games wants to establish for Valorant. Instead, they want players to be friendly in finding teammates, be able to build skills through teamwork as well as perform well against other teams.
Win as a team
Valorant’s competitive mode has just been added a few weeks ago. However, this time, the developers made it clear what determines a player’s rank.
Valorant is a team-oriented game. This is why the game allows to players rank up and down together as a team. Exemplary solo performances can help in ranking up. However, Fielding pointed out that performing well but losing, in the end, means ranks will also go down.
In addition, solo performances will also rank less as they play more. Decisive wins or losses have a bigger impact on a player’s rank.
New features on rank
Fielding ended the blog post by announcing new features coming to Valorant’s rank mode. The developer’s first objective after the game finishes beta testing it to make queuing easier during placement battles.
This goal is related to their decision to not have a solo queue matchmaking option. If players can only play as a team, it should also be easy to play with friends. Fielding also said they are planning to improve Valorant’s rank icons.
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