Riot Games has implemented a new ranked verification system for Valorant, which targets high-ranking players and suspected smurfs. The upgrade requires players from the Ascendant+ class and those that the system suspects of manipulating their ranking to enable Two-Factor Authentication, which means they won’t be able to participate in competitive gameplay until they prove that their accounts are secure. The company’s move intends to tackle one of the game’s most persistent problems, but the community’s reaction reflects the complexity of the smurfing issue.
So, what is the real situation? If you are a player with an Ascendant rank or if your account has been flagged by Riot, then you will now be asked to turn on Two-Factor Authentication before being allowed to engage in competitive matches. The security measure is very simple, however, players have already started discussing loopholes and the question of whether it is really aimed at the right ranks.
It is safe to say that the response from Valorant’s community has been quite divided, and to point out the main inconsistency one of the players named Simeon said: “that should be asc – not + ofc they will smurf in lower ranks lol.” He was absolutely right – the majority of complaints claiming smurfing are in fact about the ranks of gold, platinum, and diamond where players with higher skills create alternate accounts to defeat the unskilled ones.
The talk has turned into apassionate dispute over whether the change even touches the core of the issue. User kakunez stated that “if 90% of the val community is saying smurfing is the problem in the game then what are you talking about? even riot agrees if they’re adding this update.” Others such as Formxny seemed to downplay the smurfing problem and this led to lively discussions about the degree to which the issue is real.
Then practical inquiries on how to bypass the system came up. User wa_saitama asked the pertinent question: “Do they really not know that used phones charge nothing?” His comment suggested that getting cheap secondary phone numbers for verification is not hard at all. Another user, Diestro, responded with one-word reply “exactly nothing..” suggesting that the measures might be easily outsmarted.
The argument turned even more technical when players started talking about spoofing versus smurfing. DavidRonni57385 asserted “spoofing is not cheating it’s just a bypass to get unbanned,” while kakunez countered that “spoofing is cheating lmao idk what you’re trying to say.” This demonstrates the lack of clarity around the various types of account manipulation and what actually constitutes cheating as opposed to simply having numerous accounts.
The most intriguing thing is the split in the community on the issue of whether smurfing is killing the game or not. Some players say it makes the lower ranks “unbearable” while others argue that they have no problem progressing from iron to platinum without encountering the smurfing at all. This disparity might be the reason why Riot is adopting a conservative policy rather than making rapid and diverse changes across all ranks.
This new verification system is the latest effort by Riot to strike the right balance between fair play and accessibility for all. They will first concentrate on the Ascendant+ players who are most likely to feel the impact of the policy, then decide whether or not to require the lower ranks to undergo the same scrutiny. It is a risky strategy that acknowledges the disruptive nature of verification if it is not done correctly.
At the same time, some players have already figured out ways to bypass the system. User ItsNotDistinct proclaimed what they called an “easy bypass for multiple accounts!” but did not elaborate on the specifics. This cat-and-mouse dynamic between developers and gamers trying to keep account restrictions under control is quite common in competitive gaming; however, it does raise a concern about how effective the restrictions will be in the long run.
The timing of this update is also pivotal. After a five-year period of Valorant’s existence, players cannot help but wonder why the smurfing issue, which is very pertinent, took so long to be addressed. As kakunez said, “they just added it to asc+ rather than every rank in the game lmao,” suggesting that this is a very minor step, even though it is a good one, and therefore it may not be enough for the angry low-rank players.
There is no doubt that there will never be a universal panacea that gets everyone’s approval. Players who want to play with their low-ranked friends will suffer the limitation, while others who are tired of facing highly skilled opponents in their difficult matches will happily welcome any anti-smurfing measures. Riot has a long road ahead to determine that exact spot where competition integrity is not sacrificed and players are not frustrated or excluded from the game.
While the debate is still being carried out via Twitter and Discord channels, one thing is clear: the smurfing discussion is here to stay, and Omen continues to be a popular agent in the game. Meanwhile, other gaming platforms like PlayStation and Xbox are also dealing with their own community controversies.
