5 Expert Tips to Avoid Penalties in Valorant – A Complete Guide
If you’re a fan of Valorant, you know how important it is to avoid penalties while playing the game.
What exactly are penalties in Valorant, and why do players want to bypass them? In this article, we will explore the consequences of penalties in Valorant and the various ways players can try to bypass them.
From avoiding toxic behavior to communicating effectively with your team, we will discuss the risks and benefits of bypassing penalties in Valorant.
Discover how you can improve your gameplay and avoid penalties in this popular first-person shooter game.
Contents
Key Takeaways:
What is Valorant?
Valorant is a First-Person Shooter (FPS) game created by video game developer Riot Games. Riot Games launched Valorant in June 2020 with similar mechanics to important online first-person-shooter games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). Valorant combines precise aiming, map knowledge, agent abilities, and team play to deliver a unique experience. The game is free-to-play and garnered a large following shortly after launch, demonstrated by a record of 1.7 million peak concurrent viewers within its first two months on Twitch. Due to Valorant’s extensive features, players, both new and experienced, must be aware that there are many rules that can result in criminal and negative behavior. There are global and local penalties that Riot applies in response to such behavior, such as chat restrictions, voice restrictions, low priority matchmaking, queue time restrictions for unrated and competitive play, account deletion, forfeiting RP, and possibly being banned.
What is a Penalty in Valorant?
A penalty in Valorant is defined as a punishment levied by Riot Games against a player for committing offensive activities such as intentionally team-killing, rage-quitting, or cheating. When a penalty is given, the player will see a pop-up message indicating the penalty that has been applied.
Most penalties are temporary, signified by a block to the player’s account at which they must wait out the set penalty duration. In some of the most severe cases, the victim, after filling out a report, can take the case to Riot’s Player Support or have a referee address it. This is especially true in the event of a player being harassed.
Why Do Players Want to Bypass Penalties in Valorant?
Players want to bypass penalties in Valorant because penalties reduce the enjoyment, freedom, and competition of the player experience. Penalties restrict the usage of an individual’s player account and hinder play time. Furthermore, penalties can also restrict competition as these same penalties against any team or player of that team may hinder the given team’s competitive playtime.
Despite this, Valorant First Strike prizewinner Palex also outlined that the game’s reputation and future prospect should encourage them to improve as individual performance and maintain fair play. The best players keep getting better until it is clear to everyone that they are one of the elite. This is motivation to stay honest and within bounds as a player, and therefore as a best practice, players should accept the penalties they receive rather than searching for ways to bypass them.
What Are the Consequences of Penalties in Valorant?
The consequences of penalties in Valorant are queuet ban and queue restrictions. The penalties one experiences are a function of the percentage of queue restrictions one has; the higher the percentage, themore restrictive the queues become and the lower the penalty percentage, the less the restrictions one has.
One penalty percentage may be overlaying the other penalty percentage to create a kind of dual layer of both restrictions and limitations. Ultimately, the restrictions remain the same. Penalties for Valorant queue restrictions
How Can Players Bypass Penalties in Valorant?
- To bypass penalties in Valorant, the player needs to first attempt to solve the cause of the penalty.
- Excessive swearing in chat, not participating in the game, and AFKing are behaviours that result in the Penalty System for Gameplay Disruption.
- Riot presents examples that include things such as asking players to report someone in all-chat, or constantly bringing up how the game will end in a loss to the player base to be inclined that the game is over before the conclusion is reached. Recorded violations can be appealed after they happen when the match has ended. The Penalty System team will review and update you regarding your penalty’s status by the next-day approximately.
- Long term suspensions require contacting the Riot Player Support and stating that they want to reach out.
- After receiving a penalty, players should continue to queue immediately into a match following the end of each one, as time spent in queue does not reduce the overall penalty time served. Terminate the game you are playing before AFK to draw quicker conclusions.
- Make sure to choose a valid reason to terminate the game. The most popular selection for the gamers is the Throwing option.
Avoiding Toxic Behavior
To bypass penalties in Valorant, the most important aspect centers around the player’s behavior according to the Gamepedia by Fandom section on penalties in Valorant. Riot Games categorizes behavior into two categories – Verbal and Non-Verbal behavior. Non-verbal behavior refers to inappropriate actions during the game such as rudeness, AFK’ing, feeding/trolling, racism and discrimination, cyberbullying etc while verbal behavior generally manifests as bad language and hostilities used with other players, both teammates and opponents. Maintaining friendly behavior and watching one’s language is important to avoid penalties.
One common penalty which is easy to avoid is for afk-play or leaving the game which carries both bans and Competitive mode penalties. Leaving penalties begin with three points, followed by five points, and then ten points which come with diminishing bans of one hour, two hours, and six hours. This can be easily prevented and is not too difficult to deal with, especially if something unexpected happens such as power outages. Try to maintain good friendly behavior during the game and avoid using toxic language or behaviors which not only result in penalties but also prevent good teamwork and game performance.
Communicating with the Team
You can sometimes bypass the Valorant penalty before it occurs by informing your team of situations which may prevent your play. When you know you must leave a match early, inform your team early and tell them the estimated amount of time so they can figure out their strategy. If you are unable to talk, use Valorant’s Voice to Text Chat System.
The best communication and use of the “I need assistance” chat is during moments of direct gameplay such as during a pistol round when it is planned for agents to play a certain site together or when a single agent goes for an important middle control. It should not be used for communicating irrelevant feelings or unplanned gameplay moments. Clear communication of your intentions decreases the possibility of the team making wrong decisions and leading to unnecessary deaths. Avoid standing vulnerable in common positions.
Communicate directly with your team to take cover when you know a penalty is coming and you are able to display your vulnerability. After you commit an intentional friendly fire incident, communicate with your team as soon as possible that it was intentional by saying sorry and where and how you should be punished. Avoid bad behavior to be reported.
Using Smurfs or Alternate Accounts
Paying for or creating an alternate account represents a middle ground between performance-based penalties and REFUSED tactics to bypass penalties. An alternate account can help reduce a heavily penalized account by putting the main, penalized account in a productive time-out by being prohibited from ranked or competitive gameplay. Many developers consider smurfing and alternate accounts to be a form of gaming the system, especially when done for unethical reasons. Riot has created additional stipulations as mentioned in All Current and Future Problems may have to be Brought to You by the Letters PBE when it comes to Valorant smurfing.
Appealing to Riot Support
If you believe you received a penalty in Valorant by mistake after you have reviewed all the possible explanations, Riot suggests you should contact their Player Support. Go to the official Riot Games Support page and submit a ticket. Make sure to provide all the details as to the date and time of the incident when you started receiving the penalty. This date may be after the actual time of the cheating, depending on your recall. Riot typically processes all customer tickets within 48 hours, but it may be a bit longer as they improve team processes and tools for helping players. With an official method of reporting cheating, they must also have the systems in place to rectify inaccuracies once gamers raise flags.
Are There Any Risks in Bypassing Penalties in Valorant?
There are risks when individuals bypass penalties in Valorant, with consequences ranging from a lost high-speed internet connection to permanent suspension of the game account that was used to bypass a penalty. Critically, when individuals illegally bypass penalties in Valorant, they are degrading the quality of the online experience for the community. Riot Games has invested substantial amounts to develop anti-cheating systems such as Vanguard to maintain the integrity of the game.
Bypassing penalties is most likely against the terms of service of the Valorant game, potentially constituting an offense under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act according to private technology attorney Brian D. Wassom. However, in an April 2017 memo, the assistant attorney general of New Jersey clarified that gamers who bypass codes and locks specifically in CDs or DVDs are not breaking the law and companies that require players to purchase unlocked versions of games may face charges of violating the Consumer Fraud Act. The risks described by entities such as the Department of Justice is that, while players themselves will not face charges, private companies can legally take some level of punitive legal action to penalize players engaging in [email protected]
As of March 2021, private companies such as RIOT GAMES INC. have not legally penalized individuals using VPN services. The greatest potential risk of using a VPN service to bypass a ban is the loss of a high-speed internet connection, either temporarily or permanently. Loss of internet speeds when using a VPN is a common experience, typically ranging from 20% to 50%, but can be more or less depending on the service provider used and the distances between the servers and the user. consequentially degrading the user’s overall computer experience. VPNs can also put users at risk of virus scams or malware and make users legally susceptible to negative ramifications under certain conditions. As of March 2021, FPS Tracker has not seen or heard of a case where this has happened because of a VPN. Internet protocols and data encryption make this possibility quite rare.
In terms of permanency, if an individual frequently bypasses penalties, they run the risk of having their game account permanently suspended. This should be avoided at all costs, as having an account banned makes any future eSports ventures more difficult.
Getting Banned
In Valorant, users can receive a penalty in the form of bans or queue lockouts. Two types of bans are given, Competitive queue bans and green ban messages. The former occurs fuel to penalty points, and the latter because of alignment error. When a user is inputted into a match, a post-game report will be sent. If enough players filed reports against a user to give him penalty points, they get banned. If you receive a ban, the amount of time it stops is displayed in the left corner of the ban message.
Ruining the Game Experience for Others
Ruining the game experience for others can result in a Penalty in Valorant, though this would normally be under the `environmental sabotage` category which Riot has just announced it is finally cracking down on. According to a post made on Two gg on November 17, 2021, the company confirmed its commitment to cracking down on AFKs and `environmental sabotage`, noting that it had begun issuing steeper penalties against players found guilty of such actions.
Categories of ruining the game experience might include things like the creation of `toxic environments`, team kills, serial inting, hacking, smurfing, serial AFKs, or any other clearly negative behavior that more neutrally falls outside of but contributes to a general penalty in Valorant. Riot’s new policy with stiffer penalties for such behavior is designed to improve the overall online gaming experience in Valorant.
How Can Players Avoid Getting Penalties in Valorant?
Players can avoid getting penalties in Valorant by ensuring they have put together a squad of good players. If matchmade players frequently report you for harassment, intentional throwing, voice/text abuse shit talking, toxic gameplay, going AFK, or cheating then Riot’s automated penalty system will take notice of this and you will suffer escalating penalties which will include bans for up to 14 days.
Players can avoid getting penalties by following these steps:
Finding Good Players: Find player partners on forums if you lack players for your squad.
CSR Identification: Self-CSRing is a way to see how toxic the community thinks your teammates are; suggesting opposition by the CSR IDs of your team.
Team and Self-CSRing: You can evaluate if you or your other team members impact the CSR based on how toxic you guys are.
Following the Game’s Rules and Guidelines
One of the most basic methods of avoiding a penalty in Valorant is following the game’s rules and guidelines. The guidelines of the game are outlined in the Valorant Code of Conduct and may be just a few pages but should be followed to the letter.
Throughout all text, by following the rules put in place and not ruining the gaming experience for others, you are less likely to induce penalties. In contrast, a penalty in Valorant may be expanded or added if you are caught not following these rules. So, adjust your gaming strategy to guarantee your performance and respect for other gamers and the community at large.
Improving Skills and Communication
Find reliable training resources that suit your playstyle and schedule. Instruments such as ProGuides are gaining appeal and diverse content is available on YouTube including Aim Lab, Watch Games TV for analyzing strategies, or even professional sens for crosshair map training. Keep in touch with your squad in order to have effective strategies for attacking and defending.
Taking Breaks and Managing Emotions
By far the most important aspect of ensuring smooth communication with teammates during Valorant games is to manage one’s own emotions during playtime. This is where the added difficulty of controlling behavior lies. Anyone can tell someone else to be nicer or to never deathwish.
This is not an easy thing to control, especially during emotional experiences such as video games. However, the added heath and competitive benefits of having a good attitude in Valorant far outweigh the general negatives. And, more importantly, it is also related to the psychological well-being of the individual as well, as this positive behavior regulates moods too.
Therefore, it is pivotal that individuals work on managing and controlling their emotional responses during the game itself in order to avoid penalties and bans and to maintain productive and smooth communication or synergy with teammates. One can identify negative emotions that prompt the behavior and develop coping methods such as controlled breathing, guided imagery, or mindfulness exercises. Moreover, they can engage in other physical or mental activities such as a walk in the park, interacting with a book, or even playing a calmer game to stimulate relaxation. These methods serve as a mechanism to ensuring one’s emotional responses do not hamper their growth and development within the game of Valorant.
Reporting Toxic Players
Reporting toxic players does not help bypass Valorant penalties, but it can help Riot identify issues with the system and dealing with the reputation degradation that they experience on the platform. Nigh a Senior Agent reported in March 2020 that once a player reaches the Highest Level of Reputation Degradation, they are eligible for immediate penalties. RIot suggests that if you encounter disruptive players in Valorant, get evidence in the form of screenshots or recordings, and submit them to player support. [rEUsp69]
