VALORANT Patch 7.07: Riot Games Reverts Competitive Update After Community Backlash
Riot Games recently rolled back a Competitive update in VALORANT Patch 7.07 due to negative feedback from the community. The update was aimed at addressing the issues of botting and rank-boosting in the game. However, the developers’ handling of the situation could have been better.
In Patch 7.06, Riot introduced stricter party restrictions for VALORANT’s Competitive mode. This meant that players in the Ascendant rank and above couldn’t queue with Gold players and lower ranks, even in five-stack scenarios. The change was brought about after the community reported an increase in cases of botting, smurfing, and rank-boosting.
Unfortunately, in the very next patch, Riot decided to revert the change based on community feedback.
The official patch notes stated, “Initially, the rank restriction was implemented to prevent illegitimate boosting to the highest ranks like Radiant. However, we realized that the flexibility of playing with a 5-stack was more important than the small number of people abusing this exploit.”
As someone who regularly plays VALORANT, I personally found this change to be promising and capable of addressing some of the game’s major issues. It made no sense for Ascendant players to queue with Gold and lower-ranked players in a Competitive setting.
Although I understand the importance of playing with friends, especially when there is a rank disparity, the rule wasn’t that restrictive. Ascendant, Immortal, and Radiant players could still queue with players up to the Platinum rank, which allows for some flexibility.
Ultimately, VALORANT is a competitive game, and the focus should be on climbing ranks rather than just playing with friends. Queuing with players with a significant rank difference creates imbalanced matchmaking, longer queue times, and hindered rank progression.
Furthermore, the previous system allowed smurfs and rank boosters to exploit the matchmaking, which is why Riot implemented the change in the first place.
Instead of completely reverting the change, Riot could have relaxed the rank difference threshold. For example, Ascendant and higher-ranked players could have the option to queue with Gold or Silver players.
It’s inconceivable that Radiant players are still allowed to queue with Iron players in five-stack parties. The Competitive mode in VALORANT should prioritize fairness and competitive integrity, rather than just friendship.
VALORANT offers other casual game modes, such as Unrated, Spike Rush, and Team Deathmatch, for players who want to play for fun or with friends. If the cutthroat nature of Competitive isn’t your preference, there are alternatives available.
While Riot’s decision to backtrack on the change may not resonate with everyone, they have acknowledged the issue of boosting and its impact on competitive integrity. The developers are actively working on a long-term solution to address these problems.
Boosting in VALORANT has already caused significant damage to the ranked experience. As someone who has encountered the negative consequences of this practice, I look forward to seeing what Riot has planned for the future.