VALORANT uses a wide range of cryptic terms that often baffle its players. One of the mysterious terms that frequently appears in the game is “ACS” and it seems like plenty of players give importance to it. So, if you’re wondering what ACS means and why it’s important in VALORANT, here’s everything you need to know.
VALORANT ACS meaning explained
Image Credits: Riot Games
ACS is an abbreviation used for Average Combat Score in VALORANT. In simple words, the ACS indicates your overall performance in the game by taking several key metrics such as kills, headshot percentage, economy, etc. into account. It’s worth noting, however, that the ACS or Average Combat Score is not shown during the VALORANT match. Instead, you must visit the Career section once the match concludes to see your and your teammates’ Average Combat Score.
How ACS is calculated in VALORANT
Unfortunately, Riot Games hasn’t officially disclosed the method it uses to calculate Average Combat Score. In a blog post, though, the developer revealed that your combat score is not just based on kills, although that is a big factor in the score. The system also looks at the damage inflicted, meaning that assists where you help kill an enemy are taken into account, as well as a utility that does damage.
Furthermore, there are some other factors that help inform your combat score, such as first bloods and streaks. These are called out on the combat score tooltip.
Ian Fielding, the Senior Producer of VALORANT at Riot Games, further added that while your combat score indicates how well you performed in core combat during the game, it’s not 1:1 with the performance calculations the game uses for your rank updates. Rank updates leverage not only, but some of these data points. Simply put, the focus of whether or not your rank updates are primarily focused on wins and the decisiveness of these wins.
So, why does ACS matter so much? It’s more than just a fancy number. It’s a handy way to gauge how well you’re performing compared to others in a match. A high ACS usually means you’re making bigger contributions, whether through kills, assists, or objectives.
Your ACS also affects your ranking in competitive play as we mentioned earlier. Performing well in terms of ACS can help you climb the ranks faster, as it shows you’re consistently helping your team win. However, it’s worth noting that your ACS is negatively impacted if you surrender the match.
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