Valorant Game Guide on Iron Rank and How to Get Out of It Fast

Iron is a unique tier in Valorant's rank system. This is the rank where a lot of players who have never played Valorant or any competitive first-person shooter are placed into. This rank is a training grounds for newer and lesser experienced players for a reason and that is because iron rank is where players will tend to make a lot of mistakes and have the least amount of in-game experience.

That being said there's one giant mistake I see time and time again from players in iron rank and that mistake is running and gunning. Valorant is a game where first shot accuracy is king just like its inspiration counter-strike global offensive. Valorant game mechanics are almost the opposite of how you would play any other FPS game. In games such as COD, Overwatch and Apex legends for example you have the ability to full sprint around the map and your shots will still be accurate, and you will be able to track your targets with precision. In Valorant this is not the case.

Celebrate the launch of Episode 2 with this VALORANT inspired track from Chuty x @VALORANTes. https://t.co/09AopU7uEc pic.twitter.com/OIpbQenawy

— VALORANT (@VALORANT) January 16, 2021

You must stand still in order to get the 100 accuracy you will need in order to hit your targets. There are two parts to this unusual in-game mechanic. Those are accuracy while standing still and first shot accuracy. The kicker is even while standing still not all weapons are completely accurate. A good example would be the vandal it has the worst first shot accuracy of 0.25 compared to its counterpart the phantom which has a first shot accuracy of 0.20. This complex in-game mechanic can create some bad moments when trying to hit headshots against moving targets. The biggest mistake I see in iron ranks stems from newer players not being able to get used to these two in-game mechanics of first shot accuracy and accuracy while standing still.

How to Get Out of Iron Rank in Valorant?

In order to fix this common problem I recommend going into the practice range and using bots on hard difficulty with full armor on. You can switch between the different modes where they will flash on your screen. Then you have to shoot at them quickly in the free aim mode where you can allow them to strafe back and forth while you have to hit them while moving. This will instill in your muscle memory that you have to stand completely still and aim at the head level in order to get frags in this game. Practicing this every day before you jump into games is a surefire way to master this game's shooting and moving mechanics in no time. I also recommend playing the game more often and for longer periods of time. Playing over longer periods of time will allow your mind to hone in on what you are doing, and it will allow your muscle memory to get a lot more practicing with what it should be doing.