Following Patch 1.05, Valorant’s Act II is in full swing. Riot Games introduce a slew of changes, including Act Rank, a new Agent by the name of Killjoy, and a brand new mode of play. That mode of play is simply titled “Deathmatch.”

Deathmatch is what one would expect, a free-for-all between players across the various maps of Valorant. Deathmatch is fairly different than both the game’s main mode and Spike Rush. There is no spike to plant. There are no abilities to put to use. And there are no restrictions when it comes to purchasing weapons.

Here’s the rundown:

Deathmatch is a 10-player, every agent for themselves battle. The agent you play as is completely randomized. Abilities are disabled. Any weapon is available to use from the start. Killing another agent drops a pickup that when grabbed heals the player fully and reloads their weapon. The first player to reach the 30 kill mark is the winner, unless the timer of 6 minutes hits zero. At that point, the winner is the player with the highest number of kills.

Pros

Accessibility

Deathmatch mode is the warm-up FFA lobby that Valorant needed. It is short, sweet, and to the point. Players queue in and enter the mode with a short warm-up period. The round then starts and for six quick minutes, or until 30 kills, players can test the waters with whatever weapon they see fit. It does not last 30-40 minutes like the original mode of Valorant. It is this accessibility to the game that makes it so enjoyable. Granted, practicing with certain abilities will need to be done in the main mode or in a custom lobby.

Disabled Abilities

If you are confident in using your Agent of choice’s abilities, then Deathmatch is the perfect place to get those gun skills sharpened. There is no need to worry about being randomly assigned an agent like Sova in Deathmatch and have his abilities be rendered useless in the mode. Standing still to send out the Owl Drone spells certain doom here. With no abilities, the playing field is completely evened out. The winner will be the one with the best rotations, the best map reads, and the best gunplay.

Cons

Spawn Points

The spawns are, putting it nicely, horrific. Haven and Ascent are large maps, but Bind and Split are much too small for a ten-person free-for-all. There are numerous occasions when a player dies and spawns right behind another. This even happens at the beginning of a match, spawning a player in with a quick turn to the right to see another player in the open. Granted, this is understandable from a pace of play point of view. From an enjoyment factor standpoint, however, constantly spawning next to the only exit from a building and getting slaughtered by a player camping the door is not that great of a feeling.

Map Pings

The extremely often mappings that show every enemy on the mini-map could use an overhaul. This encourages camping corners and new players are bound to rush straight to their demise. It is very frequent and shows a large red dot in the last known position of the player. With so many shots going off, it should be changed to indicate that instead. Riot Games should show enemy positions when they shoot their weapon, not when they are sneaking up on a player that stomped by with no regard.

Conclusion

The Deathmatch mode is a fantastic addition to Valorant. When compared to other games, it is simple, yet oh so effective. There is no crazy gimmick. There isn’t some unneeded objective. It is Valorant, stripped down to its core, molded into a free-for-all battle for supremacy. The issues with it are not game-breaking, especially since it is considered to be in Beta. It is an enjoyable break from the sweat of Ranked mode. Give it a try and see for yourself!

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