Valorant community reacts to new FFA Deathmatch mode

Potentially the most heavily requested feature since the launch of Valorant has been a Deathmatch mode. A fast-paced, respawn playlist is the perfect place to warm up and practice your mechanics.

Well, Riot Games heard the demand and responded at their usual, impressive speed. With the beginning of Valorant Act II, they introduced a beta version of a Free-For-All Deathmatch mode.

The developers have made it clear that they are still working on the new mode at the moment, and it is not by any means a finished product. For now, Deathmatch will only be playable during specific testing periods.

So, how is it?

Initial feedback on FFA Deathmatch mode has been mixed. Valorant fans certainly see a lot of potential, but some feel that a few vital changes need to be made.

Radar

The biggest point of contention is the radar which regularly reveals the location of all enemies on the minimap. This is supposed to prevent situations where you run around aimlessly unable to find anyone to fight, as well as to reduce instances of camping.

However, it hasn’t quite had that effect. Players are still sitting in corners and using footstep audio to pre-fire anyone who approaches. While many say they would be happy with no radar at all, others suggest that it should only ping people who don’t move for a certain amount of time.

Sound

Deathmatch made me realize how bad the sound is in Valorant from r/VALORANT

A post by user u/Superalbix relating to in-game audio has gained a lot of traction in the Valorant subreddit. Rather than being an issue unique to Deathmatch, they argue that the new mode has made them notice how bad sound is in general.

The comments discuss problems with depth, and most agree that it is often very hard to gauge the position, or even direction of an opponent.

Whilst it may not always be easy to track your enemies via sound alone, Cloud9 pro Tyson thinks that footstep audio needs to be dramatically reduced or even removed from Deathmatch. In combination with the all-seeing radar, this makes things rough for aggressive players.

Play Time

For former Fortnite star Jake “Poach” Brumleve, Deathmatch games are way too short. In a tweet explaining how he thinks the mode could be improved, Poach included “Much longer sessions” as a key suggestion.

With the standard bomb mode being such a huge time commitment, Riot have been keen to keep things short and sweet with other game modes. The issue is, with Deathmatch currently limited to 6 minutes or less, you barely have time to get into the swing of things.

If you are trying to warm up or train your aim, you will most likely have to load into quite a few matches, each with their own queue/loading time. Longer matches mean more action, and less time sitting waiting.

This sort of feedback from the community should not been seen in a negative light. As mentioned earlier, Riot have made it plain that this is a beta, and this is exactly why they didn’t come straight out with something permanent.

We can expect multiple changes as they continue to work on Deathmatch mode, and no doubt it will end up being fantastic.