Dodging a VALORANT match can have drastic consequences, even resulting in a game ban.
VALORANT is a game that has a die-hard fanbase. With thousands of players competing regularly in the various game modes, it has a very regular following. However, there are also instances when players need to dodge a game of VALORANT. While we don’t recommend dodging a game unless absolutely necessary, here’s a quick guide on how to dodge a VALORANT match.
How do you dodge a VALORANT match?
There are two primary ways to dodge a match in VALORANT. There are many reasons why players might want to leave a match. They could be real-life situations or just a miscalculation of time available to them. If you have to leave a match, we recommend leaving right at the start, so everyone else can get back into the matchmaking queue and find another game. Leaving a match in the middle of a game is often a frustrating experience for all players involved. Here are two ways to dodge a VALORANT match.
Don’t pick an Agent
One of the simpler ways to dodge a VALORANT match is to simply not pick an Agent. There is a pre-match phase when players from both teams have to pick their Agents of choice. If a player does not pick an agent during this time, he is removed from the matchmaking queue and the match comes to an end.
There have been numerous instances of players using this method when they are unable to get their desired Agent of choice. At times, a player might genuinely be AFK (Away from the Keyboard) or might have a genuine reason not to continue with the game.
Once the match restarts, all nine players (Except the queue dodger) are placed back in the matchmaking queue.
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Quick Exit
An alternative would be to quickly close the game as soon as the Drafting phase loads. This can be done via either of the following steps.
- Alt + F4 will close the VALORANT Application
- Ctrl-Alt-Del will open the Task manager
- You can then right-click on VALORANT
- Navigate to the Processes Tab
- And then click End Task
What is the penalty for Dodging a VALORANT match?
Dodging a VALORANT match is not without consequences. Quite often, it will result in a warning followed by subsequent and often more harsher consequences. Here’s a quick runthrough of the various punishments. These might not be in order as there are multiple factors impacting your standing.
- AFK Warning: The most common penalty is a simple AFK warning. This comes up as a pop-up after the end of your match. Repeated instances of going AFK or leaving matches will result in more harsher punishments.
- No XP: Repeated instances of AFK or leaving matches will result in no XP gain for some time. This should serve as a strong deterrent against spoiling the VALORANT experience for others.
- RR Reduction: A reduction in Ranked Rating will also impact the quality of your matches. It is in your best interest not to leave matches and/or go AFK.
- Disabled from Queue: When loss of XP or lack of Ranked Rating is not enough to dissuade you from leaving matches, maybe it’s time to take a break. A break from the Matchmaking queue ensures you cannot (even if you try) join matches to then leave them
- Ranked Ban: A prelude to a game ban, Ranked bans remove you from the competitive queue for ranked matches, quite often for seven days. This ensures the ranked matches are free of players looking to spoil the experience for others.
- Game Ban: The harshest punishment is to ban the account from the game. This punishment comes after multiple warnings and quite often, after having gone through all the previous points in this list. The initial ban usually lasts for seven days, although the duration may vary depending on the number of occurrences of the said ban.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest VALORANT news and updates.
