FFA Deathmatch coming to Valorant in Patch 1.05

Andy Williams
Valorant FFA Deathmatch and Killjoy.

The wait is over! Riot have announced that a dedicated FFA Deathmatch will be coming to Valorant in Episode 1: Act 2, on August 5. Here’s everything you need to know about the game mode.

Ever since the closed beta, players have been urging Riot to create a dedicated Deathmatch mode, akin to that found in the likes of CS:GO and Overwatch. And merely two months into the game’s lifecycle, the development team have answered players’ prayers.

FFA Deathmatch launching in Act 2

While Spike Rush grants players a faster-paced alternative to the traditional Spike Defuse, players often prefer to warm-up their aim in preparation for the main event. Yes, The Range offers a convenient way to test your static aim on bots, but a more dynamic alternative would allow players to put everything to the test.

Enter FFA Deathmatch. Releasing as part of the Act 2 patch on August 5, the mode will be perfect for players looking to play a less tactical version of Valorant. So how will it work? Let’s delve into the nitty-gritty.

Reyna defusing Spike with Raze shooting Showstropper in Valorant.
No more defusing the Spike, as players will have to focus on securing kills to top the leaderboard.

How FFA Deathmatch works in Valorant

10-player matches. No abilities. An infinite supply of Creds. If you consider yourself a bit of a gunslinger, then FFA Deathmatch will be your stomping ground. The objective? First to 30 kills (or whoever has the most kills after the six-minute time limit).

All players will be able to access the Buy Menu as they spawn, with the ability to buy any weapon. So if you want to practice you one-taps with the Vandal, or your flicks with the Operator, the world’s your oyster.

Speaking of respawning, spawn trapping is out of the question! Players will spawn in locations where their backs are against a wall, aren’t too far from the action, and won’t have enemies within their line of sight. After a death, there will be a three-second delay before respawning and you will be granted eight seconds of invulnerability that will dissipate as soon as you move/fire your weapon.

Player shooting at Jett in Valorant.
Marksman: players will be rewarded for being a sharpshooter in Deathmatch.

UAVs, Health Packs & kill banners

Your minimap is your best friend. The radar will sweep every five seconds and reveal the location of all players at that time… So Duelists rejoice, as there will be no more corner camping!

What about health? You’ll spawn with full health and Heavy Armor. If you eliminate an enemy, they’ll drop a Health Pack which will expire after 10 seconds. Running over the Health Pack will instantly restore you to full health and armor.

You’ll also be able to earn kill banners for your trouble. These are designed to provide recognition for going on a killing spree. Each of these banners are timed-based, meaning that there’s a limited window of time to secure another kill for your streak to continue. Got a triple in quick succession? There’s a banner for that.

Player shooting on A-Site on Bind in Valorant.
Abilities are gone and campers are out. Players will rely solely on gun skill to best their opponent.

Every man for themselves, with the sole objective to frag out. The more kills you get, the more XP you earn — roll on those Battlepass rewards! You can opt to leave a game at any stage, but if you bow out early, your XP will be scrapped.

With the addition of this game mode, as well a plethora of community-driven cosmetics in the Act 2 Battlepass, Riot are really honing in on player feedback to fine-tune Valorant to be the best it can be. Here’s to fraggin’ out in Future Earth.

Related Topics

About The Author

Andy is a former Dexerto games writer, with a passion for competitive shooter titles like CS:GO and Valorant.