Valorant’s FFA Deathmatch mode is a high-octane experience, but how does it work, and is it worth playing? We’ve got a guide to everything you need to know about this game mode.
Sick of shooting bots in The Range to warm up? Want a bit more of a challenge? Well, this is probably the best chance you’ll get.
Valorant’s Deathmatch works similarly to those in other games like CS:GO and Call of Duty. However, Riot has put their own few twists on the mode to ensure players get the most out of their warm up. Here’s everything that you need to know.
What is Valorant Deathmatch?
Valorant’s Deathmatch mode is a free-for-all version of the popular game mode in other games. 10 players, all playing for themselves, trying to kill everyone else on the map. Everyone has full health and Heavy Armor, and the first player to reach 30 kills wins.
There’s a bunch of additional features in Valorant’s Deathmatch, though. When you kill an enemy, they’ll drop a health pack that restores your health to full. This is similar to the Medi-Shot in CS:GO, which heals you for 50 HP after racking up three kills in a row.
There’s also a “UAV” that reveals everyone’s position on the map every five seconds. You can’t just camp corners in Deathmatch — you have to actively hunt for kills. If you get gunned down, you can’t be killed immediately after respawning thanks to an invulnerability feature — so don’t worry about getting terrible spawns.
If no one gets 30 kills within the six-minute time limit, the player with the most kills will win by default. Overall, it’s meant to be a short-and-sharp game mode where players can warm up their aim and spray control before jumping into Ranked. It’s better than just shooting bots in The Range, that’s for sure.
What guns can you use in Valorant Deathmatch?
Every gun in the game is available in Valorant Deathmatch. However, not all guns were made equal. You can choose to run around the map with a Classic or a Stinger, but it’s going to be hard to rack up wins.
You’ll most commonly see players with either the Sheriff, Phantom, Vandal, or Operator. All of these guns are pretty commonplace in regular games, and are good for trying to replicate what you do in a Ranked game in terms of aim and spray control.
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The sky’s the limit, though. Want to set yourself a challenge? Feel free to run around with a knife-only Deathmatch game — although we doubt you’ll get far.
How to win Valorant Deathmatch
There are two win conditions in Valorant Deathmatch — getting 30 kills, or running down the time limit. If you hit 30 kills within the six minutes allocated, you’ll win the game automatically.
However, if no one hits 30 kills by the end of the match, the player with the most kills will be handed the victory. Obviously, winning in this way is probably going to be more difficult unless people abandon the game midway through.
There’s only really one way to guarantee your wins though, and that’s by just out-aiming your opponents. Deathmatch is very fast-paced and unforgiving when it comes to holding corners, thanks to the “UAV” flushing out campers.
Winning isn’t everything in Deathmatch, though. You don’t get any extra experience, and it doesn’t affect your MMR for ranked. It’s better to take Deathmatch at your own pace to practice on your gun skills — whether that be slamming headshots on the Vandal or bodying opponents with the Operator.
Using better guns like the Phantom, Vandal, or Operator will definitely help you win. However, nothing beats good aim in this game mode.
As of yet, there are currently no plans to add Team Deathmatch to the roster mode, but it’s certainly plausible that Riot could be looking into it soon.
