In Riot’s latest Ask Valorant post, they addressed one of the community’s biggest problems with the game, running and gunning. It looks like they are finally making changes to address it in Patch 2.02.
Riot doesn’t fully reveal the changes to running and gunning here, but they state they have “changes planned.” They also say they are “making sure not to change too many systems at once to ensure shooting doesn’t feel so dramatically different that you’ll have to relearn habits.” This suggests that the changes will be minor at first, but it leaves the door open for more if needed.
Riot originally confirmed a nerf to running and gunning was coming after complaints from professional players and the community, but they have taken their time on it. According to this Ask Valorant, it seems like it’s finally going to happen in the next couple of weeks.
The latest Ask VALORANT answers what's next for running accuracy, and if the ranked system is working as intended. Read all about it: https://t.co/E0A0u5daVS pic.twitter.com/G2REaI4gGK
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) January 28, 2021
Why is running and gunning a problem in Valorant?
For the uninitiated, running and gunning is when a player shoots while moving. In tactical shooters like Valorant, gunfire typically gets less accurate when the player moves or jumps. This hasn’t been consistent, however, and running and gunning with assault rifles is still surprisingly accurate. This leads to a lot of questionable shots landing and undermines tactical skills like counter-strafing and crouching.
Nerfing running and gunning as this Ask Valorant post suggests will reward players for tactically positioning and strafing or crouching and punish players for wildly shooting. The idea here is to reward tactical gameplay and mechanics while reducing the number of random headshots when on the move. The change to running and gunning should prevent Vandal players from getting headshots on the run and picking up kills.
Patch 2.02 will likely come out next week with the changes. Be sure to try to kick those running and gunning habits and get used to standing still and shooting!
