How to get out of Iron in Valorant?
If you have just started playing Valorant, it's a no-brainer that you rank iron, the lowest rank in the game. Even though you have yet to play a placement match, Riot Games place you in the iron rank since you have no competitive match history.
If you want to get out of iron immediately after you start playing, you can follow these tips and tricks to advance ranks.
Getting out of the iron rank
Iron players often lack game sense and head-level shots since they don't know where to position their crosshairs. As someone who plays at the lowest level of the eight ranks in Valorant competitive mode, you can only do so much when queued against bronze players who already know proper crosshair placement.
Here are some pointers to take note of to level up in the next rank:
Understand Bullet Accuracy
As a beginner in Valorant, having a spray-and-pray mentality can be forgiving, but this may not help if you want to improve your rank. Understanding the two-part mechanics of guns in Valorant – standing-still accuracy and first-shot accuracy – is the key to killing opponents and winning the game.
If you're running and walking, the bullets will not land where you positioned your crosshair. Standing still take your shots to guarantee accuracy since you are not moving and can aim properly.
However, no gun in Valorant is consistent with your crosshair. Two of the best guns – Vandal and Phantom – have first-bullet inaccuracies of 0.25 and 0.20, respectively. If you've learned how to control spray in several guns, you already have an edge compared to your opponents.
Be aware of the map
Being a newbie in the game will not excuse you from not fully knowing the map you are playing. However, learning how to flank and lurk the opponent in early ranks can give your team an advantage in taking/retaking a site.
You should also know where enemies can hide or peek in each plant site to avoid getting killed from behind. Finally, it also pays to know the proper callouts of the map so that you can give information to your teammates.
Use agents' utilities
Winning matches are much more achievable when you and your teammates start using the agents' utilities together and not against each other. So, for example, if you're playing an agent with a molly that can be activated anytime, placing it in the opponent's way to delay them for a few seconds is better.
If you're using an agent like Sova or Fade that can scan a plant site, it's better to know where to place your abilities to avoid missing spots that are usually hard to detect. Unfortunately, these things are not easy, so it's better to try in practice mode or unrated matches.
Play selflessly
Valorant players need to be constantly adjusting for you to win. Unlike other first-person shooting games, you need decisive wins in Valorant to have a higher rank rating for a faster rank improvement.
Sometimes playing all duelists can win a game or two, but this is not always the case. A team needs a duelist, a sentinel, an initiator, and a controller that can play perfectly on different maps.
During the game, you need your teammates to push together a site unless you already have the muscle memory to headshot opponents. If you play selfishly, the chances of winning the game are lower.
Being an iron in Valorant also has its perks. Since you are at the bottom, you have nothing to lose. So, why not just enjoy the game until you feel it? After all, feeling yourself in the game is as important as every aspect of winning.
