Valorant’s latest update has definitely made some changes to the matchmaking. What they’ve done is changing the previous matchmaking values, allowing friends to play together easier than before. The queue disparity has been changed, and Riot Games has detailed the same in the 2.04 patch notes.
The most important change would be the altered Ranked matchmaking, which is now going to allow friends to play together at the mid-to-high range. The rank is no longer lowered with the start of a new act, which means that players don’t need to worry. According to the official statement:
- Your rank will no longer be lowered at the start of an Act
- If you were Radiant or Immortal rank you will keep your position on the leaderboard, but your Rank Rating(RR) will be reduced by 90% and all Radiant players will be bumped down to Immortal because you will need to again prove that you are the best of the best in the new Act.
- Achieving Radiant now requires both being in the top 500 players in your region, as well as having a minimum amount of RR (See below for details).
- You must finish your placement game to display on the Leaderboard again for the new Act
Another slight change is that player’s ranks won’t be discovered pre-game. Instead, they will appear at the end of the game. Below you can find the queue disparity and how exactly it works with update 2.04.
Multiple other quality-related changes have been introduced, such as a new tactical voice-over system with new lines. The bug fixes has recognized Riot Games’ dedication to the game. As usual, always on the rise and lookout to counter new difficulties and extinguish them asap. You can find all of the bug fixes below:
BUG FIXES
- Fixed jitteriness when using the ghost mode modifier in custom games—the character now moves more smoothly without constant movement corrections
- Fixed an issue where casting Brimstone’s Sky Smoke right after picking up an Ultimate orb would result in ability charges lost, and smokes not deployed
- Fixed a bug that caused the Custom game server dropdown to loop infinitely
Fixed parts of Reyna’s Soul Orb feedback triggering when assisting kills on non-players - Fixed Reyna’s Soul Orb timer not properly syncing with its actual duration
- Fixed issues where teleporting into narrow areas created by Sage’s wall with Omen’s Shrouded Step pushed him into a wall
- Fixed ult active indicators not working for Killjoy, Cypher, Brimstone, Sage, Breach, Jett, and Viper
