Valorant is getting a team deathmatch game mode as part of Episode 7 Act 1 that will see two teams of players compete across three new maps to be the first to 100 kills. The new game mode will launch as part of Patch 7.0 on June 27.
The team deathmatch mode will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has played pretty much any shooter in the past 15 or so years, with two teams fighting it out to earn the most kills. When you die you respawn almost instantly and can get straight back into the action, with the key to victory requiring your team to get more kills than deaths.
In Valorant there are a few changes to the conventional team deathmatch rule set that make things pretty interesting. The main part is that over the course of the nine and half minute match, there are four different stages. You can select your weapon loadout pre-match, or can update it when you respawn, but when a new stage of the match is started your loadout will be upgraded. This means that you’re not going to be able to run around with the most powerful weapons all game, but also won’t be at a disadvantage if you want to try and improve your pistol skills.
There are weapons spawners dotted around each of the three new team deathmatch maps, which when claimed will give you a usually more powerful weapon. These weapons also scale with each stage of the map, so shouldn’t be too unbalanced if your team misses out.
With your load-outs set and being upgraded automatically, the typical economy system from standard Valorant matches is gone, which means you also can’t purchase abilities. These will be available with cool down timers instead of paying to unlock them, while ultimate abilities can be earned through kills, and picking up ultimate orbs.
There are also recovery orbs, which will restore your HP after a fight and give you a shield. These are designed to give you a chance to take multiple engagements in one life, otherwise, the game would just turn into a lot of very unfair battles with little skill involved.
“Our goal when designing Team Deathmatch was to create a combat-centric experience where players can showcase their creativity and mechanical skill,” said Kyle Powell, Game Designer on Valorant. “This mode allows players to compete with fewer constraints in an environment that rewards bold plays and fast reflexes. We’ve streamlined many of the aspects of Valorant to keep you always in the action and focused on finding the next fight.”
It seems unlikely that team deathmatch will challenge the standard Valorant experience as the most dominant game mode, but as a way to warm up, practice your aim and have a more relaxed time while still being competitive it seems like a great addition to the game. You’ll be able to see for yourself when it launches on June 27 as part of the 7.0 patch.
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