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A higher than usual running accuracy has been a “necessary evil” in Valorant ever since its official launch in June.
The reason is that it allows players new to the tactical low-TTK shooter genre to adapt to the new gunplay mechanic that titles like Valorant and CS: GO bring.
Players, especially those coming from battle royale games, have a much harder time picking up tactical shooters. Valorant’s higher running accuracy aims to ease them into the game by making it a more rewarding experience.
So wherein lies the evil?
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The disadvantage of having a higher running accuracy is that it significantly lowers the skill cap, and Valorant’s very accessibility makes it a double-edged sword. Even streamer Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek talked about the low skill cap issue in the game in one of his streams and suggested that it will be one of the biggest reasons behind Valorant overshadowing CS: GO as an esport.
But is that really the case? As recent consensus from the Valorant community suggests, a higher running accuracy is hampering the game’s competitive integrity.
Valorant’s higher running accuracy might be ruining pro play
Cloud9’s professional Valorant player, Tyson “Tenz” Ngo, had very recently taken up the Phantom vs Vandal debate in one of his recent streams.
He stated that in his opinion, the former is far superior as it has a much higher running accuracy.
He said:
“(I was playing against a pro team) and I swear that I got running-Phantom’d so many times that I tried doing it myself. And it works really well. But it’s at a certain distance where it’s actually viable.”
In his eyes, the higher running accuracy in Valorant is an exploit that really should not be entertained in the higher levels of the game, and especially not on the professional level.
Tenz continued:
“I’m going to (use this) until Riot pulls their s**t together and make it so you shouldn’t be able to running spray consistently. I feel like you should be able to do running sprays every once in a while,”
A higher running accuracy makes it significantly easier for players to consistently pull off headshots while running with a gun. And for a low-TTK tactical shooter genre like Valorant, this significantly compromises competitive integrity.
Riot Games will try nerfing running accuracy in 2021
Valorant pros have been urging Riot to decrease the running accuracy in the game for some time.
Even 100 Thieves’ Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella took to Twitter and appealed to the developers’ festive spirit and wished for a nerf to running accuracy in upcoming updates.
Fortunately for him, Riot Santa will be granting his wish in the new year, and Valorant will be getting a much needed nerf to this mechanic.
Max Grossman, the Co-Lead Game Designer on Valorant, replied to nitr0 saying:
“In the spirit of Christmas, I’ll let you know. We are working on it. Unfortunately, it won’t be in the next patch, but it’s top of mind for the design team. Hoping to get y’all some changes in the new year.”
This is indeed excellent news from the Valorant developer. Even if the nerf doesn’t come with the first patch of the year, there is solace because it will soon be here.
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