Master the Art of Reporting in Valorant: A Comprehensive Guide
Are you a Valorant player who has encountered toxic behavior or cheating in the game? Reporting such incidents is crucial for maintaining a fair and enjoyable gaming environment.
In this article, we will discuss what Valorant is, the importance of reporting, and how to effectively report a player. From in-game reporting to utilizing the Riot Support Website, we will explore the various methods available.
We will provide tips for effective reporting and what to expect after a report is made. Let’s dive in and learn how to make Valorant a better place for all players.
Contents
Key Takeaways:
What Is Valorant?
Valorant is a free-to-play multiplayer online first-person tactical shooter developed and published by Riot Games. The game was announced on October 15, 2019, with Riot’s desire to blend the cooperative Agents of Shield and mystical Harry Potter elements of Overwatch with a superior competitive shooter game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Valorant was released in a closed beta test mode on April 7, 2020, before being officially launched on June 2, 2020. The game has received strong community interest and tournament engagement, which enabled it to be one of the most successful game launches of all time.
Gameplay in Valorant is divided into matches where two teams of five players compete against each other. One team is the “Attacking Side” competing to plant a bomb at a designated area, while another team is the “Defense Side” that tries to stop the attacking team’s players from planting the bomb. The game consists of competition across two zones called “Sites”. In the five-on-five scenario, every round represents one set of the game. Once every player on a team is eliminated or the “Defense Team” successfully disables the bomb, the round is over. A total of twenty-five rounds are included in a match to determine the winner.
Why Is Reporting Important in Valorant?
Reporting in Valorant is important because it shows Riot where player behavior is not up to expectations, helps Riot monitor bugs and glitches which make a game less fun and new user friendly (like players purposefully throwing a game which can imbalance gun types or exploits that make a map unplayable), and assists Riot in making adjustments to the game to improve player experiences. If a player is griefing or participating in hate-speech, legitimate in-game Valorant reports will work relatively quickly to suspend or ban the offending player for their actions.
How to Report a Player in Valorant?
Reporting is referred to in Valorant as filing a support ticket with the in-game support staff. Players should report if they believe that someone’s communication or game activity (such as disruptive gameplay) is disruptive and violates the Valorant Code of Conduct. Note that hate speech or other bullying language may be reported under the category of Abusive Chat.
Filing a support ticket allows Riot Games to comb through the information they have to determine whether the report is false and the cheating player was actually not cheating or if the cheating player truly was cheating. To file a support ticket follow these steps that take you to Riot Games’ support page for Valorant support.
In-game Reporting
Reporting in Valorant by using the in-game system is a three-step process. First, open the scoreboard by pressing the Tab key. Then click on the suspected person’s name and choose the relevant option I’m reporting this player. Finally, select the reason, type the description, and press Esc.
In-game reporting in Valorant supports four categories of harassing communications for chat and voice (text/voice abuse) and several other disruptive communications and gameplay cheating behaviors. A major advantage of using the in-game reporting method is that it is user-friendly when the suspected individual is playing. It does not require the game to be reopened, unlike reporting to Riot Support. But disadvantage includes over-reporting and spam reporting as the in-game system does not allow scrutiny for the validity of the accusations and makes it easier to report loosely.
Reporting through the Riot Support Website
If you are interested in additional information for your reports or are unable to report in the end-of-game screen via Riot Support, you can submit reports on the developer’s website using the instructions for your selected platform. Please be aware that the more information and types of toxic behavior you provide, the better Riot Support will be able to respond and take appropriate measures.
To submit a report on the Riot Support page, simply navigate to the Contact Support section of the Valorant website and click “Submit a ticket”. Once the ticket submission form is uploaded, choose the Categories title option most relevant to your case. After, complete the form with a title, progress steps, and a brief description of your case. The other sections in the form are not essential but are provided if you wish to add more information. Finally, enter the correct CAPTCHA code and click Submit. You should then receive an email response from the Riot Support email address you entered on the ticket submission form.
Reporting through the In-game Chat
Reporting through the in-game chat is currently the only way to report players on Valorant. After a match is completed, you can report someone by following these steps:
- Click on the non-play ping.
- Let your cursor hover over the offending player’s name.
- The ‘C’ in a speech bubble will let you report them.
- Choose the reporting reason best suited to explain their behavior.
There is no official information from Riot Games about in-game chat reporting, and from player field tests no evidence is available, other than players muting and reporting higher-frequency chat abusers. Based on this, it can be assumed that abusive chat reports submit a text extract to Valorant Rixin Board, which determines the penalty.
Reporting in-game chat abusers can have a quick impact if many players report the offending person.
Reporting through the Official Valorant Discord Server
According to the Valorant Discord bot BigSage, community members may not conduct Valorant Cheating & Exploiting, Game Support & Bugs, Gameplay Sabotage, or Hacking Reporter submission/status inquiries. This includes Bravo reporting. Valorant places an emphasis on players using the in-game system to file reports.
Accordingly, with the exception of technical difficulties and status checker problems, Do NOT file reports of the following types on the Discord server: ❌ How to Disable Easy Anti-Cheat? (EAC) ❌ Lost Access to Account ❌ Okta Errors ❌ How do I Submit a Bug Report for a Cheater, Hacker, or Exploiter? ❌ Game Issue Questions or Error Reports ❌ How Do I Submit or Track a Ticket for an Issue on the Valorant Map?
Before submitting a player conduct report on the Discord server, players should file a BigSage report to see if technical specialists or live support personnel at Valorant can address the issue. If these informal attempts fail to resolve the issue you have with player conduct, then you can engage more formally with the support team to file a player conduct report on the Valorant Discord server.
What Information Should Be Included in a Report?
The information that should be included in a report should vary slightly depending on the entity to which the player is making the report. For Riot Support, reports should contain the following information, which can usually be obtained from the match history or from the timeline screen at the end of a match.
- Your Username.
- Server Region.
- Date and Time.
- Match ID.
- Game Map.
- Full names and tags of the other nine players and their Agents’ names.
- A brief description of why the report is being made, which should be supported by the following data.
- Recording of game client and computer system time in question.
- Recording spectator logs during the questionable behavior time.
- Recording local logs in $game_folder/logs/Argent_*.Log.
For Player Reports, the following information should be included:
- Your Username
- Who you are submitting the report to.
- Other players’ Usernames
- Is the behavior a recurrent issue? What games or times did it occur?
- Details of behaviour you are reporting:
- Impersonation
- Spamming
- Verbal Abuse
- Leaving a Game
- AFK
- Suicide
- Intentional Losing
- Teaming
- Hacking/Cheating
- Offensive Usernames
- Upload any relevant screenshots
Player’s In-Game Name and Tagline
The Player’s In-Game Name and Tagline are the most critical pieces of information to provide in your report if you are reporting a player for inappropriate conduct in chat (text or voice). This is because when a player is reported for chat misconduct, Riot Support keeps the report confidential and it does not affect the outcome of a game. When a player is verbally or in chat being abusive to others, Riot is most interested in searching chat logs to verify this. If the player looks like they are running from RIOT under an alternative or friend’s account, this is where the name and tag info are very important.
Description of the Incident
The most important information needed to report in Valorant is the Description of the incident. This is a statement about the offense that contains all relevant information in order to justify the report. The Description of the incident includes the following information in order to be considered a full and valid report and should be included to the best of the player’s ability.
- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Where?
- Why?
Who? Description of the offensive player and their username, a description of the target of the offense.
What? A description of the violation.
When? The time and approximate duration when the violation occurred.
Where? A description of the place where the violation occured on the map.
Why? A description of the motivation of the offender.
Screenshots or Videos (if available)
Screenshots and videos are the most reliable method of reporting in Valorant as they provide direct evidence of the abusive behavior that Riot Games needs in order to take action. These are the steps to both screenshot and record in Valorant:
- To screenshot, press F9
- To record gameplay, press F3 to start the recording and then press F3 again when finished to stop the recording
All screenshots and videos may be found at the following locations in the file directory:
- C:…%USERNAME%My DocumentsMy VideosLORLogsLeagueClient Logs (Client logs for queue exceptions or plats)
- C:…%USERNAME%My DocumentsMy VideosLORLogsLegends of Runeterra (Client logs for queue exceptions or plats)
- C:…%USERNAME%My DocumentsMy GamesLORAdmin DataLog (Client logs for queue exceptions or plats)
Time and Date of the Incident
When writing a report in Valorant, including the time and date of an incident helps Riot Support Agents locate the relevant information. Players should indicate the timezone whenever they specify a date or time. The default language in Valorant for reporting is English. Therefore, when writing the date, the `Month Day, Year` or `Day Month, Year` format is appropriate.
If the situation is dragging on for days or months, indicating the time and date allows support agents to pinpoint specific incidents. It is important to accurately note when the incident occurred rather than when the report was filed. In major shooting games such as Valorant, reported cheaters are removed from the game and Riot Games must be precise when determining the time of the incident. If this information is unavailable, developers should take screenshots or video recordings to ensure that all relevant information is documented and can be accessed later.
What Happens After a Report Is Made?
After a report is made, Riot logs the complaint. Support staff reviews the report manually, typically reviewing chat logs, recordings, or match reports provided by the player, and based on their analysis if a user is determined to have broken Valorant’s code of conduct, they will assign the appropriate punishment which includes:
- Chat restrictions
- Voice restrictions
- XP/Radiant Point Boost reductions
- Ranked restrictions
Riot has stated previously that they are cautious of handing out temporary or permanent bans lightly and want to be exceedingly cautious with reports from Experience-Based Agents. Riot does not have external cheat detection software, so they cannot flag or track a player who has been reported for cheating. This means that if they miss the window to apply an appropriate punishment, there are no repercussions for the accused player.
Investigation by Riot Games
Reporting in Valorant may start with a look by Riot Games into the matter. With a high reporting rate and thousands of abusive behavior reports, Riot predominantly investigates their own cases (see the Toxic Player article map above for external reporting). Even reviews continue anonymously giving summaries of every case, lessons learned are published from resolved reports giving specific arguments for why decisions were made. Investigations take time as seen in Riot’s summary of 21,191 reports in 2 weeks shows. Not including appeals and material filed, the regular reports took 5 minutes each from start to finish while escalated reports took 20 minutes. Many reports don’t get an investigative review.
Possible Punishments for the Reported Player
Players in Valorant who are reported will not be advised of the punishment meted out to them. The possible punishments for the reported player can be one of three things, and a combination thereof:
- No action taken.
- A warning issued, future transfer of game scams, and/or future suspension or resignation.
- A warning issued, transfer of game scams, and suspension or expulsion.
If either (1) or (2) is meted out, the reported player will not hear about it. If Riot Games provides stricter penalties to violators, law enforcement may be contacted.
How to Follow Up on a Report?
To follow up on a report, you must file it under the Support Ticket category of the feedback form on the official Riot Games website to reach customer service. Riot will respond with the result of the toxicity investigation or the status of the reports for a single issue of cheating they took action on. It is not guaranteed that they will share matchmaking data or the results of investigations if the player in question did not violate game rules according to their playing environment.
Checking the In-Game Chat Logs
Reporting in Valorant is done intermittently as of Episode 3 Act 2. There are three steps to take to minimize toxicity: check the in-game chat logs before entering a new game to ensure falsely accused teammates have not received penalties; report egregious toxic behavior such as cyberbullying, racism, harassment, throwing, or hacking by opening the scoreboard, selecting the user, and using the `report` function to let the developers know; and utilize the mute button in the match if you find yourself getting distracted by toxic behavior. This article is based on the state of features at the end of Episode 3 Act 2.
Contacting Riot Support
Another method of reporting in Valorant is contacting Riot Games directly. The official Valorant website offers a public support page with Frequently Asked Questions and Articles containing contact links and offering advice on technical issues. The official Riot Games website offers a range of other methods of searching for, or submitting, a customer support inquiry. TO get there from within Valorant click on the name of the player to be reported, a dropdown menu will appear to the right of the name, click the Mute button followed by the Report button. At the top of the Report Player window which opens, click Submit a Ticket. This creates a support ticket for the player and provides them instruction on how to contact Riot.
Tips for Effective Reporting in Valorant
Tips for effective reporting in Valorant are to only report in chat or voice-enabled comms, do not report both at the same time, and to not bother reporting obvious cheats.
Users can be reported from the Valorant client after a game by going to the match history, clicking on the game in question, clicking on the exclamation mark, selecting the behavior that applies, and pressing report. The Riot support page provides additional reporting methods and guidance.
Stay Calm and Objective
When reporting your teammates in Valorant, the most important thing is to stay calm and objective. Remember that you won’t be able to change the incident once you have reported it, so it is important to make sure your report is accurate, you have a good understanding of the incident, and your decision is not emotionally laden.
Devs on the Riot Games support team have made many comments on reddit stating that players should only submit reports that have not obscured the underlying issue, have been calm, are not an emotional vent of frustration, are not false, and do not circulate gossip or rumors. They warn that they take false reports very seriously and that they will take action against those who are constantly submitting them.
To explain it in the simplest way, you should follow these guidelines when reporting in Valorant. Rules and Code of Conduct is all that we have to maintain fair gameplay in the online gaming community. Without observing rules and code of conduct, a fair online game would not be possible.
Provide Accurate Information
To properly report in Valorant, you should provide accurate information. Comment on changes in the game, including new maps, agents, weapons, skins, and balance changes, as well as the status of the map or progress of other players. The expected penalty is less risk of further reporting or communication penalties.
Examples of accurate reports include letting teammates know where the enemy team is, what tools they have for defense, and game progress. You can also let the team know about a general map of your location that has a camera to secure the region or a microphone to listen to footsteps. If you have a great recording, some suggested callouts may announce immediate locations of the enemy to make sure you capture it.
To encourage accurate reporting, Riot Games has provided an in-game tool where you can view a map of the locations of things referred to by another player, which will help teammates understand what is not specifically called out from them.
Avoid Retaliating Against the Reported Player
Valve’s anti-cheating expert Dr. Mike Ambinder strongly recommended players should not discuss incidents they have reported to prevent false negatives (meaning other players being asked to report said person may play “nicely” toward them for fear of retaliation after the game is over), and to maintain the integrity of his systems.
Riot Games has not commented on behavior beyond hiding, muting, or reporting abusive players. While not providing direct information on individual system strengths, Riot has been in discussions with SpawnCampers for feedback on the future of player reporting. A mutual objective Riot has during these discussions is to publicly communicate some of the same insights into how their systems function. This is the modern reality where competitive card players Worlds away can interact online in a video game.
Overall, based on expert reasoning beyond the realm of the game itself and on prior evaluations by 3rd party certifiers of just and impartial systems, players should not discuss their reports of other players and should report them to Riot right away. This will help promote a positive and cooperative international game community.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Report in Valorant?
How do I report a player in Valorant?
To report a player in Valorant, press the Esc key during a match and click on their player icon. From there, select “Report” and choose the appropriate reason for the report.
How to Report in Valorant?
Can I report multiple players at once in Valorant?
Yes, you can report multiple players at once in Valorant. Simply press the Esc key during a match and click on each player’s icon to report them individually.
How to Report in Valorant?
What happens after I report a player in Valorant?
After you report a player in Valorant, the report will be sent to the game developers for review. If the player is found to be violating the game’s code of conduct, appropriate action will be taken.
How to Report in Valorant?
Can I report a player for offensive or inappropriate username in Valorant?
Yes, you can report a player for their username in Valorant. Press the Esc key during a match, click on their player icon, select “Report,” and choose the option for inappropriate username.
How to Report in Valorant?
Is there a way to report a player outside of a match in Valorant?
Yes, you can report a player outside of a match in Valorant. Go to the Social tab, click on the player’s name, and select “Report” from the options.
How to Report in Valorant?
Can I report a player after the match has ended in Valorant?
Yes, you can report a player after the match has ended in Valorant. Go to the Social tab, click on the match history, and select “Report” next to the player’s name.
