Valorant players are upset over extended dodge penalties and UI update

Valorant players and professionals are upset over the changes recently brought by Riot with Patch 6.07.

Riot Games’ popular FPS shooter Valorant just received a significant update, Patch 6.07, which introduced surprising adjustments to the penalty system for AFK activities and Queue Dodges. The Agent UI was also tweaked by Patch 6.07, adding indicators to the KAY/O’s FRAG/MENT and the Killjoy’s Lockdown while eliminating them from several other abilities, including Reyna’s Leer, Chamber’s Trademark, and Skye’s Seekers. The adjustments, however, haven’t been warmly received by players of all skill levels, despite Riot’s best efforts to make them welcoming to the community.

Fans aren’t happy about the increased AFK penalties

When players enter a queue and prematurely quit it when it is their turn to choose an agent, this is referred to as queue dodging. To counter this, Riot has added a one-day Ranked limitation for players who frequently AFK during matches in addition to increasing the amount of Ranked Rating loss for persistent queue dodgers.

While many players and industry experts welcomed the change to the AFK conduct, some expressed concern about the needless increase in penalties for queue dodging. The latest increase in the penalty for evading, according to many players, maybe unnecessary given the situation and deter players from using the one option they have to avoid an unwanted match.

The gamers may not all agree that this will fix the issue, despite Riot having the data to support it. The popular North American player from NRG Esports, Alan “ethos” Ruan also voiced his concerns about the changes. The American player proposed that to increase overall game quality, players should be able to skip the queue with minimum punishment. This would prevent individuals from being forced to play games they don’t want to.

Boaster and vanity have a complaint about the new UI indicators

Valorant players typically rely on a variety of surface markers on the map or their HUD to precisely align their lineups. These indicators are reliable and unlikely to change, making them the ideal way to precisely line up any utility. The implemented changes, however, have led to an excessive amount of on-screen “clutter,” with the new indicators confusing players and making it difficult for them to effectively use their utility lineups, particularly for those employing KAY/O and Killjoy.

Many professional players, notably G2 coach Dani “Dani” Hashweh, Paper Rex’s Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto, Shopify Rebellion’s Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, and Fnatic’s in-game leader Jake “Boaster” Howlett, have voiced their displeasure with the new indicators. The new indications are taking up too much screen space, according to the fan base, thus they want the feature of turning them off or making them smaller. 

Header: Riot Games