[News] A New Valorant Deathmatch Mode is Coming in Act II

[Hossam Taibi]

 

Valorant Act II is due to launch tomorrow, on the 4th of August, bringing new competitive changes and a new Agent, Killjoy. Among those new addition is, reportedly, a Valorant Deathmatch mode; a long-requested feature which will offer players a game mode that isn’t objective-based.

A Valorant Deathmatch Mode is Coming Soon
According to Riot Games, a new Valorant Deathmatch mode will be available in Act II, although it won’t be available immediately at launch. (It will reportedly launch on the 5th of August, one day after Act II begins.) The mode will feature 10 players, but will not be team-based. Similarly, it will not include any objectives beyond eliminating other players. However, there are some more significant differences from the game’s standard mode.

Riot has said that the Valorant Deathmatch mode, in an effort to focus entirely on player skill and accuracy, will not feature Agent abilities. Additionally, players will have an unlimited amount of money, so that they can always purchase whichever weapons they want. Although the game’s objective-based mode will remain Riot’s focus, Deathmatch will provide players with an alternative option. One reason why fans have been calling for a Deathmatch mode is to have a simpler, warm-up option or a mode primarily for practicing their accuracy.

As a result, players will reportedly suffer no penalties for leaving active Deathmatch games in progress; a stark difference to the game’s standard mode. This will allow players to drop in and out of Deathmatch more easily, making it a good option for warming up while waiting for your teammates, etc. When the mode launches on the 5th, it will reportedly be available initially in a beta form. After a period of beta testing, Riot will make the mode a permanent addition to the game. However, at least at present, it’s unknown how long this initial beta period will last.

Ahead of the upcoming launch of Valorant Act II, Riot Games has launched a new series of extremely flashy in-game punk-style cosmetics known as “Glitchpop” skins. The series replaces the existing Oni skins, which will no longer be available from tomorrow, the 4th of August.

 

 

New Valorant Glitchpop Skins & Trailer
The new Valorant Glitchpop skins might well have spawned the game’s wierdest trailer; a riotous, half-cartoon look at the skins in action. The Glitchpop skins will be available to purchase in-game from the 4th of August. In total, the new cosmetic bundle includes skins for the Bulldog, Frenzy, Odin, and Judge firearms, as well as a melee skin. Plus, there are a wide range of Glitchpop Stickers available too. Each one is glaringly neon and over-the-top.

Bought individually, each of the five new Glitchpop weapon skins cost 2,175 VP, except for the melee, which instead costs 4,350 VP. Bought together as a bundle, the total cost for all the skins is 8,700 VP. The high cost has already attracted significant criticism on social media. You can’t buy exactly 8,700 VP from the Valorant Store, but 11,000 VP (the closest amount) will cost you $99.99. Even if you want to buy just one of the single weapon skins, you’d have to get 3650 VP for $34.99. (The bundle below is only 2050 VP – 125 VP off the cost of a Glitchpop weapon skin.)

The Glitchpop skins do go a little further than standard cosmetics, in that they can be levelled up and improved. These level-up improvements include custom muzzle flashes and firing audio, custom reload effects, and logo hologram projections, among other things. However, it’s unclear whether this feature will be enough to sell them to the general Valorant audience. More likely, these sorts of cosmetics are marketed at a tiny wealthy minority of players. Most in-game cosmetics in most games are supported by a very small minority of buyers anyway, but Riot does rather seem to be pushing things to a bit of an extreme.