Looking to get that extra rank rating in Valorant? The performance bonus in Valorant is real, but the higher frag may not be enough.
The fastest way to rank up is by gaining more ELO on each map. To level up a single level, players need 100 RR, which accumulates after each win. You may need 5 or 10 games to break out of a secondary rank in Valorant. It all depends on how you play. Earning 25 or more RR in each game means you rank up fast, while earning less than 17 means you have a long way to go.
It’s possible to get over 25 ELO in a single game, and it has nothing to do with top frag, EvrMoar revealed in a new episode of Ranked Fact Friday. You can be a liability and still qualify for a performance bonus in Valorant.
How to get performance bonuses in Valorant
A performance bonus is an extra ELO boost that Valorant gives players for unusually good games. For example, if a player usually gets 18 RR for winning, a performance bonus could increase the RR gain to 25. However, higher frag isn’t the only key to unlocking additional RR.
A performance bonus is awarded because it looks at your individual score in a game rather than comparing it to a player’s previous performances. Fragmenting all games may not be enough. Instead, the matchmaking algorithm looks for an unusual increase in a player’s score to reward exceptional performance in a game. For example, a Skilled Queen in Valorant who drops 30 bombs regularly will still get the usual amount of ELO, while a player who normally gets 20 kills can get a performance bonus for getting 30.
On the contrary, if a player exceeds the usual 30 scores, the system would detect it and award a bonus. For this reason, lower fraggers also have a chance to gain more RR. Those who can barely cross 10 kills can get an extra five points for winning 15 in a game. This means they did better than their personal best, becoming eligible for a performance bonus.
Performance bonuses are ultimately more about proving a player’s current MMR wrong rather than outclassing a current group of opponents. Valorant tries to get players out of low ranks faster by rewarding them with extra points when it detects they are playing better than the assigned MMR skill level. Ultimately, players must outdo themselves to get a bonus.
It’s worth noting that this math doesn’t apply to players higher than Immortal, as encounter MMR has less of an impact at those ranks.
