Valorant has released a new update that brings several changes. Among them is one that aims to protect you from smurfs – players who can quickly ruin your fun.
What is this change? Valorant is changing in the latest update how quickly new players receive their appropriate rank. This is aimed against so-called smurfs. A new detection system has been introduced for this purpose.
The system is supposed to match smurfs more quickly against “other players of similar skill level”. However, the specific accounts that fall under this category have not been specified. Presumably, this applies to all accounts from level 20 that enter ranked matches in Valorant.
What are smurfs? In gaming, players who play with a new account but are actually much better are referred to as “smurfs”. These include professionals like shroud, who recently returned to e-sports – even in Valorant.
In the video, we explain the term “smurf” in detail – as well as some other terms from gaming:
Why are smurfs so bad? Smurfs play at low ranks and prey on real beginners. In Valorant, a single good player can already cause an absolute imbalance in a match, regardless of which team they are on.
You win or lose much harder than would normally be the case. This usually makes it neither fun for the victims nor for the teammates of the smurfs.
Different games deal with smurfs differently. Overwatch, for example, officially allows smurfing, while you would be banned for smurfing in Fortnite. Valorant now apparently wants to ensure that such players at least do not annoy anyone.
Patch Notes for Valorant: Change aims to recognize smurfs more quickly
When will the change come? On the North American servers, the change has been active since July 11. It is currently being tested and adjusted there. When it will come to Europe is still open.
What else is in the patch? The update comes with several other changes as well. There are buffs for Phoenix and Yoru, and a tweak for KAY/O. Additionally, there are some bug fixes. You can find the complete patch notes on the official Valorant website.
What do you think of the change? Have you had a problem with smurfs, or did the second accounts of professionals and legends bother you less? Will you give Valorant another chance and maybe return?
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the game yet, you can play Valorant for free on PC. Find more great shooters in our list:
