Valorant has made a lot of waves since its launch, quickly growing a popular competitive scene and becoming a big game for casual players too. Content has been building gradually though. The game has only just gotten a new game mode, in the form of Escalation. This is a new and more casual game that players can start off with. It might not need the same deep strategy as normal rounds, but Escalation has a fun and unique purpose for players. It can be particularly helpful for those looking to improve their gameplay and practise particular drills.
This Valorant Escalation guide covers everything you need to know about the new mode, and how you can use it to improve.
Valorant Escalation Game Mode
Escalation is a new game mode that has dropped in Valorant. At the moment, it is a limited time mode. So it might not be around forever, it really just depends on how players react to it. It has made a bit more of an impact than LTMs in other games, with a lot of Valorant players jumping in on it. This is how it works:
- Teams cycle through different weapons and abilities. There are 12 in all, two teams race to complete these levels first.
- The team that completes all 12 levels first wins. If no one does, then the team furthest ahead at the end of the ten minute timer claims victory.
- Teams are 5 v 5.
- Each of the 12 levels has a different loadout
- You need 7 points to progress to the next level as a team. You get 1 point for a kill on the current level, and half a point on the previous levels.
- Even if your team is ahead, you need to advance through levels yourself. You need to contribute a kill while at a level to progress onto the next one.
- Respawns are faster than normal, players are invulnerable for the first five seconds after they respawn.
- You get 800 XP for completing a match and 200 XP for winning a match.
Those are the basic rules of Valorant Escalation. It can be a good way to expose yourself to the variety of loadouts the game has to offer. This offers an easier way to get experience with weapons, without having to drop into main matches too often. Games usually only take about 5-8 minutes.
Escalation Loadouts
These are the 12 levels of loadouts that are active in the game:
- Level 1 – Raze’s Showstopper or Vandal/Phantom
- 2 – Vandal or Phantom
- 3-11 – Various Weapons and Abilities
- 12 – Shorty, Classic, Knife, Shock Dart, or Snowball launcher
In addition to this, you get a health pack every 10 seconds.
Valorant Escalation Guide
That’s how Valorant Escalation works, but how can you win more rounds in this game mode? These are some tips and tricks for playing:
- Respawns are Quick, but Costly – Since respawns feel so easy in this game mode it can be easy to get sloppy. Try to avoid this. Deaths are what allow the other team to get ahead, and eventually to win the entire round.
- Know the Levels – It pays to know what to expect from each level. As detailed above, the Valorant Escalation levels have specific items. However, it isn’t entirely detailed what happens in levels 3-11. If the other team gets ahead of you, you can tell what you’ll get next by looking at what they’re using.
- Take it Slow – Most games tend to end pretty quickly, but you’ll have more luck taking things slow. Pay the same attention to the gunplay and lines of sight. This can be a particularly effective mode to get the feel of the specific angles of each map. Play as slowly and carefully as you do in a normal match.
- Punish Reckless Play – Opposing teams can easily fall into the track of pretending it is a deathmatch. Punish reckless behaviour and jump on any opportunity.
- Teamwork – This game mode can feel like a fun side mode, but teamwork is still important. Victories always come down to decent teamwork and coordination. That doesn’t have to go out of the window in the Valorant Escalation game mode.
- Respawns – Players respawn all around the map. Use communication and this positioning to better cover the entire map. When communicating well, it can be a good advantage.
Using Escalation to Improve
Escalation is a fun casual game mode. However, it does offer a good way for players to get acquainted with everything. To really be effective at Valorant, you need to have a pretty solid knowledge of how all of the kit works. Most game modes are focused quite heavily on the abilities of Agents. Although, you really do need a decent grasp of the gunplay too. That is really where Escalation comes in. This is a mode where you can get great experience in just handling the weaponry and figuring out how to master each of them. That’s without having to concentrate on economy or abilities while you’re doing so.
If you’re finding that you use the same specific weapons each game because of familiarity rather than economy, Valorant Escalation is a good way to solve that problem. By getting experience with random weapons, you can get a more agile play style in the regular game mode. Our other guides to Valorant can help you improve on the rest of your performance too:
- How to Get Valorant Skins – Guide
- Valorant Killjoy Guide – Abilities, Tips and Tricks
- Who is the Best Valorant Team?
- How to Counter-Strafe in Valorant
- The Best Valorant Team Composition