Rank Shields, a new tool for competitive players, are now active in VALORANT as of Patch 10.01. They were first announced during the VALORANT 2025 season preview. Dropping between VALORANT skill divisions, such as from Gold to Silver, can be a brutal feeling. But with Rank Shields, players get three chances to stay at their tier one rank.
With the introduction of Rank Shields to VALORANT, lower-ranked players on the verge of should be less scared of demotion, and should make the ranked climb far less brutal.
How Do Rank Shields Work in VALORANT?
Players at a tier one rank in VALORANT, i.e. Silver 1, Gold 1, Platinum 1, are granted two Rank Shields. This applies to all ranks except for Radiant, which doesn’t have any tiers. There are no Rank Shields protecting you from demoting in ranks like Silver 2 or Silver 3.
Traditionally, players that fall to zero rank rating while at a tier one rank will be demoted to the lower rank if they lose again. Now, if players lose while they have a Rank Shield, that Rank Shield will be consumed and they will stay at their rank with zero RR still. This can happen twice if a player has both Rank Shields, but if they lose a third time with no shields remaining, they will be demoted.
Players are only given Rank Shields when they first enter tier one of a rank, either by promoting from the rank below or dropping down from the tier two rank above. Shields only replenish after demotion or promotion. So if you use both Rank Shields but win your last chance match, your rank rating will increase past zero, but you will not get your shields back.
What do you think of the implementation of Rank Shields in VALORANT? Let us know down below, and join more discussions in the official Insider Gaming forums.
For more Insider Gaming, check out our coverage of Marvel Snap being taken down in the United States.
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