Posted in: Games, Riot Games, Valorant, Video Games | Tagged: Riot Games, Valorant

Riot Games' Next Valorant Update Will Target AFK Players

Riot Games looks to be cleaning house in Valorant in a few different ways as the next update is going to clear out AFK players. The team posted a new set of patch notes that will come with Patch 2.04, in which they will be going after a few different types of player offenses. The prime one being AFK players who basically leave the team down a member in the middle of a match. The patch is also going after chat-baed offensives as they have revamped the system and will be doing away with "comms bans for all". Well, at least, until someone comes up with a new way to make things unbearable in voice chat. You can read more about the AFK changes on the way as we wait to see when the patch will go into effect.

Valorant AFKs (Target Patch: 2.04)

Over the past several months, we've focused much of our efforts on a problem we know is painful to you: AFKs. Even one AFK'd player can turn the tide of a game, and it's discouraging to know that you'll have to carry twice as hard for a chance to win. We've spent some time working on several features we're confident will reduce AFKs (both in-game and pre-game) in Valorant.

We're implementing improved detection of AFK-type behavior

Our old system had a few loopholes, and it sucked to see some players slipping through the cracks. Those loopholes will be patched, and in the future, we'll broaden this detection to encompass other types of disruptive behavior and non-participatory play. (We can't go into too much detail on the specifics of this, but know that we have vastly improved our system, and we will continue to iterate on it as new types of exploits turn up in the game.)

We've completely revamped our penalty structure for AFK offenses.

Rather than apply generic penalties on an "as needed" basis, we'll track the behavior of your account over time. This means that your occasional "what the heck happened to my internet" moment likely won't be punished too harsh (if at all). On the other hand, if you're a player who consistently drops out of games…the hammer will come down on you, friend. These penalties are varied, and they scale based on several different factors. Penalties can include the following:

• Warnings
• XP denial for the games in which you were AFK'd (see ya later, AFK farmers!)
• Small deductions from your ranked rating for pre-game dodges
• Deductions from your ranked rating for in-game AFKing (Patch 2.03)
• Increased queue restrictions
• Barred entry from ranked games
• Valorant game bans (but only if you're really, really persistent)

Simply put, we've leveled up our detection and management of AFKs. And we're eager to bring these to your game.

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