"People should be given a chance to tap out" - Valorant pro explains why patch 6.07's Queue Dodge penalty increase is a bad idea

Riot Games' Valorant just received an influential update, bringing surprise changes to the penalty system for AFK activities and Queue Dodges. The increase in queue cooldown for AFK behavior is a welcome tweak. However, many players, including NRG Esports' sixth man Alan "ethos" Ruan, expressed concerns regarding the unnecessary boost in punishment for Queue Dodging.

For some context, Valorant’s Patch 6.07 added the following updates to its intervention system for player participation:

1. An increase in Ranked Rating loss for repeated ranked queue dodging.
2. 1-day ranked restriction for players who take part in excessive AFK behavior frequently, sooner than previously introduced ranked restrictions

Queue dodging, although unfavorable for quick matchmaking, has become a lifeline for serious-minded players to avoid a disheartening loss on the ranked ladder. This is especially true as many players increasingly indulge in game-losing activities like insta-locking Agents, intentional throwing, sabotaging the outcome, and more.

ethos took note of the controversial change in the top-rated competitive shooter game and shared his opinion on Twitter.

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Valorant esports athlete ethos reacts to patch 6.07’s influence on the penalty for Queue Dodge

Intending to share his point of view, ethos expressed his disappointment with one of the recent player behavior updates added to Valorant’s intervention system. He said that players should be allowed to dodge the queue at the Agent Select screen with minimal punishment without having to force themselves to play a game they don’t want to.

“Why make it even more punishing to dodge in agent select? If anyone on the team wants to dodge I’d rather them do it at agent select than force themselves to play the game and no com because their Reyna was stolen.”

ethos also revealed why he would rather wait "5-10 minutes" for a new match with a better team composition than waste "40 minutes while tilting and losing" rank rating. He stressed the importance of bettering the overall quality of games, which may improve if Riot Games gives players some space regarding Queue Dodging.

“I’d much rather take the former, especially now when ranked has been at its all time worst. Less games might go through but at least the overall quality of games might improve if everyone’s happy enough to stay of their own volition and not to avoid some penalty.”

The talented athlete tapped into a major point of discussion in the ranked community: the necessity of voice communication in high-elo:

“Also no comming in Immortal+ should be punishable.”

ethos clarified that his intention isn’t to "bash" Riot Games but rather to share his opinions about the current state of Valorant’s competitive ladder.

He also listed some of the most influential activities that contributed to the degradation of the game's high-elo experience:

“stream snipers, crypto throwers, and the large majority of pro players last act playing only 10 mans definitely contributed a lot to the unhealthy state of higher elo games today. Not to mention every competitive game is going to have its fair share of just trolls/toxicity that grows proportionally to the overall size of the game.”

Lastly, he urged Riot Games to show more leniency regarding Queue Dodging in Valorant:

“I sympathize with Riot on the fact that there is no way to make the experience perfect or to police every single player's experience but I think at least giving players the option to opt-in and out of potentially miserable games with more leniency. If anything, don't deduct more RR but just increase the competitive cool-downs for dodges.”

Considering how Valorant’s Ranked experience is squirming with throwers, ethos shared a fair point.

However, there are a lot of factors that the developers need to consider while building a fair competitive experience for everyone.

Leniency with Queue Dodging may lead to an unprecedented increase in the activity, possibly leading to more harm than good for an online multiplayer experience like Valorant.

That said, the recent increase in forfeits for exiting from the Agent Select window may be superfluous for the current state, discouraging players from taking the only chance they have to avoid a "toxic" match.

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Valorant’s patch 6.07 went live on April 12, 2023, with multiple changes to the iconic Bind map, Agent tweaks, bug fixes, and more. The update will be queued once you launch the game.