Valorant Episode 8: Act 2 Begins!

How to Start Valorant Episode 8: Act 2 at a High Rank in Competitive

Valorant Episode 8: Act 2 has just started, and there’s no time to waste! The new update is bringing us a new playable character, codenamed Agent 25, a Battle Pass full to the brim with exclusive new content, a huge spray collection, three new skin collections right off the bat, and the traditional rank reset. Whether you’ve already started playing ranked or have yet to queue up for your Placements, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive guide to boost your ranked experience in Valorant Episode 8: Act 2.

How does Valorant ranked work?

Valorant's ranked mode, known as the Competitive queue, is an intricate system that can be both frustrating and rewarding for players. Despite its complexities, the player base considers this mode to be the real deal in Valorant. Understanding the intricacies of this system can be crucial in not only avoiding frustration but also in helping you climb the ranks efficiently.

To access Valorant's Competitive mode, an account must first reach Level 20 or above. Until the account hits this level, the Competitive mode will be locked. Leveling up your account involves completing daily and weekly missions, along with participating in alternate modes like Unrated, Spike Rush, and Deathmatch. Our guide on "How to Reach Level 20 in Valorant Fast" can help you make this process easy and fast.

How do Valorant Placements work?

Once the Competitive mode is unlocked, players are required to play five placement matches. These matches are essential for the game to calculate your Valorant MMR, sometimes referred to as the “hidden rank," and unlock your Act rank. The system will look at your performance in these matches, adjusting your rank based on how well you do at that Elo level. Your casual MMR level serves as the baseline before diving into the placement games.

You can play these matches by yourself or tag along with another player. To start out Valorant Episode 8: Act 2 on your best rank, try out our Solo or Duo Valorant Boosting services and ace your Placements!

Valorant’s Rank Rating (RR) is the score you have in each individual rank, representing the total points collected in each competitive match. Players earn these points through victories and individual performance, requiring 100 points to advance to the next rank. Valorant's Competitive mode has nine ranks, each of which is connected to a hidden MMR that determines your actual rank. Winning matches and performing well will help you increase your rank, but you can easily lose MMR and RR by losing matches or getting penalties for skipping queues.

Valorant’s competitive ranks are structured into nine tiers:

• Iron
• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Ascendant
• Immortal
• Radiant

One of the main aspects of winning in Valorant's ranked queue is picking the right agent, so it's important to know who are the best agents in the current meta.

Valorant Episode 8: Act 2 Placements

Valorant's timeline works in Episodes, which are divided into three Acts each. Each Act lasts approximately two months, resulting in two Episodes per year.

At the start of an Episode, the Valorant Ranks get a complete reset, meaning players will be required to complete five Competitive matches, or Placements, to get their new rank. However, a new Act only causes a soft reset, requiring only one Placement match to unlock your new rank.

When an entirely new Episode begins, a hard reset occurs, potentially placing players two ranks lower than their previous competitive frame. Even Radiants can find themselves starting at Ascendant One after an Episode reset. You can check out the basic rules for Placements in this chart. In a multiplayer tactical shooter like Valorant, teaming up with friends is a huge boost, a feature that extends to the Competitive mode with some exclusive restrictions. Parties of four players are ineligible to queue for a Competitive match, allowing solo players and parties of two, three, and five to participate. However, certain conditions exist concerning rank disparities between party members as well, so you can’t have a Bronze player queueing up with a Diamond veteran.

With the start of Valorant Episode 8: Act 2, everyone will be grinding their Placements, so even if you only need to play one, the competition will be fierce. Once your Valorant rank is unlocked, be prepared to find a matchmaking landscape that's hard to survive in, since everyone's ranks will be fairly inaccurate for at least a week or two due to the resets. If you're aiming to get a great rank early on, try using a Valorant Rank Boost to guarantee your best rank early on in the Act!

 

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