Valorant’s New MFA Update Cracks Down on Smurfing

The latest Valorant 11.09 update introduces mandatory multi-factor authentication for specific accounts attempting to access Competitive play, marking a significant step in Riot Games’ ongoing effort to reduce smurfing and account sharing. This change arrives during a major period for the tactical shooter, coinciding with its fifth-anniversary celebrations and a series of impactful game enhancements.

Riot Games has clarified that the MFA requirement targets accounts flagged for suspicious activity, particularly those suspected of being shared or used by multiple individuals. The primary goal is to disrupt smurfing and boosting, practices where experienced players use alternate accounts to dominate lower-skilled matches, sometimes for financial gain. Additionally, starting with patch 11.10, all players ranked Ascendant or higher in North America, Latin America, Brazil, and Korea will need to enable Riot Mobile MFA. The developers encourage the community to continue reporting suspected smurfs under the “Rank Manipulation” category, as these reports are vital for improving detection systems.

Beyond the security measures, patch 11.09 delivers several quality-of-life improvements focused on in-game interactions. Interactive objects like switches, ropes, ziplines, and Ultimate Orbs now feature a consistent green highlight for better visibility. The update also refines interaction prioritization, giving players more precise control when multiple actions are possible in close proximity, such as escaping a Deadlock GravNet near a rope.

A variety of bug fixes have been applied across maps and agents. On Pearl, a crate on B Site received missing collision. A spot on Breeze was corrected where players could destroy utility through a wall. Abyss saw a fix for a location where Deadlock’s GravNet could instantly eliminate teleporting agents like Yoru and Omen. An area on Corrode’s A Site was adjusted to prevent Agents such as Waylay, Jett, and Raze from reaching unintended elevated positions.

Agent-specific corrections include resolving an issue with Astra’s Star activation sound playing incorrectly after a revive. Gekko’s Wingman now displays the proper defuse animation, and a bug with Gekko and Killjoy causing Detain visual effects to appear through thin surfaces was fixed. Iso’s Kill Contract no longer scales up incorrectly when spectated. Omen’s Paranoia icon is now smaller to avoid blocking the minimap. Reyna’s Empress ultimate will properly count toward mission progress, and Skye’s Guiding Light visual effects no longer linger after quick equipment changes. Sage’s Healing Orb will no longer target decayed players who are already fully healed.

Several issues for the agent Veto were addressed, including mismatched radius indicators for Crosscut, inconsistencies between ability descriptions and actual behavior, and problems with visual effects during the Evolution transformation. The tendrils’ exit animation for Chokehold now appears correctly, and using Evolution will consistently track for weekly missions. Viper’s Viper Pit will no longer linger visually when unequipped without casting, and Snake Bite visual effects fade uniformly for all players. Vyse’s Razorvine will properly display its full form. Yoru’s Fakeout now collides appropriately and is destroyed by abilities that deal lethal damage. General fixes include ensuring Suppress audio ends with the effect’s duration and that Concuss visual effects do not show through thin walls.

For console players exclusively, additional agent-related bug fixes have been implemented to improve stability and gameplay consistency.

(Source: Dexerto)