No gimmicks, just guts and glory. And kill streaks. And health packs. And a radar?
Valorant Act II is starting this week, and thanks to an information dump from developer Riot Games we’ve been able to pass on information such as the new Battlepass, as well as a new skinline called Glitchpop. But it seems like there will be three major pillars to the next wave of Valorant play, the third being a brand new gameplay mode. Deathmatch is coming to Valorant, and with it comes a new set of tweaks and conditions that Riot Games hopes will make this mode a sustainable and enjoyable way to play.
How Deathmatch Works in Valorant
First of all, it’s important to note that when Valorant Act II launches on August 5, 2020, we won’t be seeing Deathmatch right out of the gate. Deathmatch will be released the next day in a beta testing window, in order for Riot Games to monitor performance and stability for the game and its servers. Deathmatch will be permanently available once the team is satisfied with its condition.
As far as the basics, the mode is fully titled Free-for-all Deathmatch (FFA for short). Each game comprises ten players, with no abilities, infinite money, and a six-minute timer. Whoever gets 30 kills first is declared the winner, or whoever has the most kills at the end of six minutes. Beyond the basics is a set of static rules set by Riot Games to encourage aggression, as well as eliminate genre frustration points such as camping, spawn-kills, and pacing.
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Because of abilities turned off and infinite money, players can choose whatever gun the want, and swap freely. They also spawn with heavy armor, evening the playing field. It seems like the intent is as much about target practice as it is providing a fun new mode. Respawning has several important points as outlined below:
- Dynamic respawn – there are several designated spawn points and the game will put you in the best spots. Spawn points will not have enemies near line of sight, they will put players’ backs to the wall, and they “aren’t too far” from action.
- Respawns are on a three-second timer
- When you respawn, you’ll have eight seconds of invulnerability that is cancelled when you move or shoot. Designed to allow a window for weapon swapping.
Players will be able to drop out of a match at any time, but if they do they won’t earn XP for playing. When a player dies they’ll drop a health pack that will bring another player to full health, and it will despawn after ten seconds. Also, every five seconds the game will run a UAV radar sweep that reveals all enemy locations. These features together are meant to encourage fast, aggressive play and discourage tactics like camping.
Kill banners will be time-gated in FFA Deathmatch instead of the usual life-gating. What that means is once you score a kill, you have to get another within a set time window to maintain a streak.
Riot Games hasn’t provided more details on the length or restrictions of the beta window, but since it’s all only a few days away we’ll know soon.
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Are you excited to give the new Valorant Deathmatch mode a whirl? Is this the missing piece you needed to develop your Valorant fundies? Or are you unimpressed and plan to continue the “core” game modes? Fill us in on your opinions over on the Prima Games Facebook and Twitter channels!
Keyword: How Will Deathmatch Work in Valorant?