Valorant patch 1.02: Everything you need to know about the new ranked system

With patch 1.02, Valorant's ranked matchmaking is finally here, and it has arrived with a lot of new features and changes which were previously unavailable during the closed beta.

The ranked system itself, and the tiers, faced a lot of criticism from Valorant players when the beta was still live. This made Riot think of changing a few things in the competitive mode, which was one of the reasons it took so long for the mode to go live after the official release.

Keeping that in mind, here are some of the most important ranked changes in Valorant's new 1.02 patch update

1. New placement system and hidden matchmaking ratings

When it comes to being eligible to play ranked matches, Riot has kept it quite similar to what it was during the beta.

New players will first need to complete a minimum of 20 unranked games before they’re eligible to play ranked matches. Completing five ranked games, they will be put in one of the ranked tiers.

Post the update, the rank you get after those five games will not just depend on your wins (even though it is the most important factor), but also your in-game stats and performances. Even if you have lost all your games but played quite well in all of them, boasting a good KDA and a better Econ rating, then there are high chances that you will receive a high rank.

In terms of matchmaking, your performance in the 20 previous unrated games will determine the type of teammates and opponents you get. There is going to be a hidden MMR system in Valorant to help you get better teammates for your climb.

2. Tiers and placement rank skipping

Most of the tiers have more or less been kept the same by the developers; however, the highest rank in Valorant is now going to be called Radiant.

Each of the tiers of Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Immortal will have three levels each, which you will have to climb through.

Also, in your placements, the total number of wins you have, along with your in-game performance, will allow you to skip ranks as well. Personal stats like frags, win streaks, the number of times you were MVP etc are all instrumental in helping you get a better rank in Valorant.

However, “Winning games is the most important factor in gaining rank,” according to Riot, so keep your expectations up but not too high.

3. Acts instead of seasons

Unlike in Riot’s other IP, League of Legends (LOL), where ranked games spanned the entirety of the season, Valorant will be dividing its season in small acts.

Each act will last about 2 months, and you will be able to very accurately track your progress through them.

Valorant’s first act is called ‘Ignition’, and you will now be able to track your performances in previous games in great detail.

4. The tier promotion and demotion system

According to Riot, Valorant’s new ranked system will be a mixture of League of Legends and CS:GO.

Up until the update, if you wanted to climb up a tier, you needed to win a set number of games, failing which you could have gotten demoted, depending on the number of losses.

However, with the hidden MMR system added, your in-game performance will help you climb ranks faster and slow down your demotions, provided you have been playing well.

Riot is yet to implement the LP system, which is there in LOL, but once they do, it is very likely that the ranked promotion and demotion system will play out exactly like that in LOL.

5. Rank decay

Unlike in League of Legends, where your rank will start to decay over time, in Valorant, that will not be the case. However, your rank and ranked stats will be hidden if you’re inactive for 14 days.