Valorant Episode 5 introduced a brand new tier to the popular competitive FPS game’s ranked ladder – Ascendant. The change, Riot said at the time, was implemented to unclog the mass of players at the lower end, and create a better distribution of players. Now, one Redditor has compiled an infographic that showcases just how effective the new ranks have been so far.
Using data from Tracker.gg and Esportstales, the table created by ‘Mr_Aleko’ shows a far smoother curve from across the Valorant ranks, particularly when it comes to pushing players out of low elo. As noted by the user, Iron now constitutes only 1% of players, compared to 7% last act, with players below Immortal 2 being promoted an average of two sub-ranks since Episode 5 kicked off.
Of course, the Tracker.gg data will continue to fluctuate as more and more players get their placements done, and kick on with their climb. Interestingly, at the time of writing, Silver 1 maintains the lion’s share of players, mirroring the Esportstales stats from last act. Regardless, we’re seeing far more players in the Platinum and Diamond tiers than we were before, with those previously in mid-high Diamond and low-mid Immortal finding homes in Ascendant.
As such, the early results are indicative that the change has been a successful one. Whether or not this has translated directly into better quality games, however, cannot be judged from the stats alone. You can check out Mr_Aleko’s table below.
If you’re struggling with your ranked climb this act, be sure to check out our guide on how to get better at Valorant for our top tips.