Valorant Revamped: Embracing Unreal Engine 5…

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    <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">
        Riot Games is set to transition <em>Valorant</em>, its widely acclaimed first-person tactical hero shooter, to Unreal Engine 5 in July. This engine upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 is part of a series of updates planned for the game in the coming months, including the introduction of a replay system in September.
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        Since its beta release in 2020, <em>Valorant</em> has utilized Unreal Engine 4, and Riot Games has relied on Unreal 4 for their game development for over a decade. The upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 will be implemented with patch 11.02 at the end of July, with Riot assuring players that it won’t interfere with gameplay.
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        Players can expect the overall aesthetics of the game to remain consistent, while the engine upgrade aims to enhance framerate performance and expedite future patch downloads. It will be intriguing to see if this shift results in improvements to character models and animations in the future. Players logging into <em>Valorant</em> during the activation of patch 11.02 will receive a special gun buddy to celebrate the upgrade.
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        Another significant upgrade heading to <em>Valorant</em> this year is the highly anticipated replay system. This feature will initially launch on PC with patch 11.06 in September, followed by a console release later in the year. The replay system will allow players to review their recent competitive matches, with future plans to expand functionalities.
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        The replay system is designed to assist players in reporting instances of cheating or misconduct in <em>Valorant</em>. Additionally, Riot is incorporating multi-factor authentication to combat smurfing in competitive matches—where higher-ranked players use other accounts to help lower-ranked friends. There will also be options to report accounts that exploit ranking or matchmaking systems.
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        Additionally, the forthcoming 11.0 patch later this month will introduce a new map to <em>Valorant</em>, which will be accessible in competitive mode from day one. During the initial two-week patch cycle, rank rating (RR) losses on this new map will be reduced by 50% to help players acclimate to the changes.
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