Earlier this week, Riot Games implemented several key changes to Valorant’s Deathmatch mode through Patch 4.03 in an effort to “address some of the main points of frustration around the spawning system”. On paper, these changes looked like they would work – however, the reality of the situation was a little different. With players claiming that the alterations made the situation worse, Riot Games has taken more substantial steps to fix things. The changes to Valorant Deathmatch spawns remain, but now the overall player count has been reduced from 14 to 12.
In the latest set of Valorant patch notes, Riot Games explained that it was improving spawn location placement and altering the logic of Valorant Deathmatch spawns in an effort to tackle player frustrations at poor spawn placement in the mode. A number of “dangerous” spawn locations were even removed completely.
However, when coupled with a reduction in the respawn time – from 3.0s to 1.5s – these changes proved ineffective. A number of players are complaining that the Valorant Deathmatch spawns are even worse than before. So, Riot Games is taking more drastic measures to “mitigate” the issues by cutting the player count down to 12.
This change is now live in Valorant, so expect to see two fewer agents in your next Deathmatch game.
Riot Games has not confirmed if these changes are temporary or a permanent amendment to the game mode.
We heard you on the rough Deathmatch experience post-Patch 4.03 (like spawning in direct line of sight).
So we're reducing the number of players in Deathmatch from 14 to 12, immediately. This should mitigate these issues—and we'll keep an eye on the situation.
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) February 18, 2022
Although many players are happy to see Riot Games actively trying to fix things, there are still two sides to the argument when it comes to Valorant’s Deathmatch mode. Players looking to use this mode to warm up don’t want the pace of the game to be altered by a lower player count. On the other hand, there are players who want to see the spawning issues fixed.
Either way, it looks like these changes could be a permanent change for Valorant’s Deathmatch mode. We will keep you updated with the latest information on further changes when it is made available.