“It’s in the works”: Riot promises new changes to tackle smurfing in Valorant

Valorant has had a smurfing problem ever since the shooter had its official launch last year.

Creating a new account in the game is relatively easy, and being eligible to play ranked matchmaking is not all that difficult. There is a ten-win threshold, and smurfs can queue up for rank with lower-level players after just winning ten of their regular games.

Compared to Riot’s other title, League of Legends, this threshold is much easier to achieve. LoL needs users to reach a minimum of level 30 to get into ranked matchmaking, requiring a good deal of grind that can either take days or weeks to reach.

This sort of system often puts off smurfs from creating an alternate account, as grinding their way to level 30 once again and unlocking their runes and champions along the way is not something they want to do.

Hence, Valorant players have been asking for a similar system to counter smurfs, and the developers might choose to do just that by the end of Episode 3 or the beginning of Episode 4.

---

Riot will look to strengthen Ranked requirements in future Valorant updates

In the Reddit post, Valorant producer Sara Dadafshar replied to community demands by stating:

“As we’ve evolved, our ranked entry requirement went from play ten games to win ten games, but with the addition of account level, this gives us a perfect opportunity to modify the entry requirement once more. It’s in the works, don’t worry.”

Smurfing at a tactical shooter like Valorant ruins the game’s experience not just for the opponents but teammates as well. With account leveling in place, the developers can look to introduce a more robust “entry requirement,” which, like in League of Legends, will not make it a fun experience to create alternate accounts in the game.