Valorant can be a challenging and complex game to master, especially for rookies who are just starting out. However, there are some mistakes every beginner tends to make. Stick with this article and find out which Valorant mistakes you should avoid!
Engaging in Unnecessary Duels
Low-ranked players tend to engage in unnecessary duels. If you outnumber your opponent, never go 1 vs. 1. If there’s only one enemy left, why do they all rush him one by one, giving him a chance to isolate duels and eventually win a round?
If you or your team outnumber the last opponent, there should be coordinated team play. Similarly to CS:GO and other FPS games, a single headshot can mean a kill. It is a common occurrence for the opponent to have the opportunity to land consecutive headshots, resulting in a possible clutch.
Aside from giving the opponent a greater chance of clutching, there’s no economic sense in risking the loss of a player. Instead, you should cooperate with your team and create pressure. When the pressure is high enough, the opponent usually makes a crucial mistake and becomes an easy target.
Walk, Don’t Run
Every time you run in Valorant, your footsteps echo, creating noise that nearby enemies can hear! Running is so loud that even a small circle appears on your mini-map to show how far the sound of your footsteps travels.
Why risk revealing yourself and becoming an easy target? You know the solution to the noise – of course, walking! Okay, we know that walking is slower, but it makes you more precise in shooting and allows you and your team to sneak up on opponents! That’s the goal, right?
This does not mean you have to walk the whole map. Try to get that “game-sens” and you will be able to know exactly when to run and when to walk. If you’re sure there are no enemies nearby or you need to move quickly, of course, you should run. But don’t run in locations where enemies can hear your footsteps, and never run on bomb sites.
Playing Ranked Without Warmup
While practice is important and improving your individual abilities is the best way to progress, warmup is equally as important as practice. It is not smart to join a ranked match without any warmup. Use DeadMatch servers for at least 10 minutes before engaging in ranked matches.
This will refresh your muscle memory, and your aim will be at least 50% better than without a warmup. Even professional Valorant players, the best of the best, have to warm up before their professional Valorant matches. What makes you think that you don’t have to do the same?
Team Coordination
Valorant’s matchmaking system is pretty straightforward. It will always match you up against opponents of similar strength. When two equally strong teams compete against each other, the team that plays better together naturally wins.
The most often rookie mistake players tend to make is that they play only for themselves. Team coordination is not just about communication and proper smoke placements. It also includes coordinated defensive actions during an attack on a site. Or conversely, coordinated aggressive attacks that are, in most cases, practiced during training and are incredibly difficult to defend against when abilities from multiple Agents are combined together.
Avoid Constant Force-Buys
When you’re a beginner in Valorant, we know it’s more than tempting to buy weapons and abilities before every round. But that’s not the way to go. Try to save credits for better and smarter purchases and for synchronization with your team!
Let us give you a simple example: If you are the only one in the team who bought a weapon, while others are stuck with basic pistols, you will most likely lose that round. So, it is better to do what the team does, no matter if you have enough credits or not.
It is better to save credits, and after one eco round, all five of you will have better weapons and better chances of winning.
Buy Armor/Shield
Weapons are definitely the most exciting thing you can buy in Valorant, but they’re only good if you’re alive. And that’s where armor comes in place! Buying armor may not seem appealing or interesting to you, but it’s a rookie mistake. Without armor, one or two shots can kill you, and that’s it. So be smart!
Armor should always be part of your Full Buy rounds. If you can’t afford both, prioritize armor over the best weapon. There are two types of armor: one that costs 400 credits and gives you 25 health, and the other that costs 1,000 credits and gives you an additional 50 health. Both types of armor absorb 70% of the damage taken and will give you additional time to react.
