How could Riot fix Valorant’s Deathmatch mode?

Playing the Deathmatch mode in multiplayer FPS games is supposed to be fun, as the entire goal of the mode is to shoot without worries. Deathmatch is also a great way to warm up and the best way to simulate in-game scenarios. 

How does Valorant Deathmatch work?

In Valorant, it’s a free for all mode where all participants use random agents that they own, but they can’t use abilities. This mode focuses mainly on the gunplay, with all players spawning with heavy shields and the option to equip any weapon they like. Killing an enemy fully reloads your weapon and drops a health kit on top of their body, which fully restores your health and shields. The objective of the mode is to get 40 kills or be at the top of the leaderboard once the timer ends. 14 players load up on a random map while being invulnerable for a short period or until they move.

Overall, the mode’s goal is to run around and click heads until you get 40 kills. However, this mode has a lot of drawbacks and gameplay that infuriates a lot of the players. Thankfully you can leave the match at any point without consequences, but that shouldn’t be the answer.

Valorant Deathmatch score

Arguably the first mistake Riot Games developers made when creating this mode was that they made it competitive. Having the match end when someone gets 40 kills, and the match report showing up in your match history is the main issue. Nobody wants to lose or be ridiculed for their performance, while some players just play for fun. Instead of them having fun, they face people that take Deathmatch seriously and camp corners just to get 40 kills. Removing the score would remove the incentive to sit in a corner the entire game, and adding AFK penalties like losing HP or shields should prevent it even more. 

Footsteps in Valorant Deathmatch

Another solution to making the Valorant Deathmatch mode more enjoyable would be removing footsteps. Sure, that would remove an important aspect of the real game, but it builds up on the previous point. Players that like to camp corners just wait for sound cues and start spraying the second you show up. Not only are they getting poor practice and developing bad habits, but it’s also very tilting for other players. You blast some music in the headphones ready to click some heads on Deathmatch to warm up for ranked but Instead, you get punished for trying to have fun by players who don’t like to practice shooting in a shooting game.

Valorant Deathmatch spawn locations

If playing against campers that use sound wasn’t bad enough, even worse things happen in a Valorant Deathmatch games. You can’t choose on which map the Deathmatch will be played, but if you use it long enough, you will eventually figure out the common spawn locations. And some players abuse this to get to the 40-kill mark. Apart from the campers abusing them, the spawn locations are a mess of their own as well. It’s not rare for players to spawn in the same spot three times in a row, or spawn behind the player that just killed them. This completely ruins the integrity of the game mode and can make playing it beyond unenjoyable. 

Header: Riot Games