What does ACS mean in VALORANT?
It can be overwhelming to keep up with in-game terms and acronyms for different competitive games, and VALORANT is no exception. You'll find that ACS is mentioned as an important element that influences how quickly you rank up or descend to Iron. In this article, we'll delve into what ACS means in VALORANT and how it is calculated.
ACS Meaning In VALORANT
ACS is an acronym for Average Combat Score. It’s a vital metric that you should be considering each time you queue up. Why? Because it offers a comprehensive evaluation of your contribution in terms of fragging power, objective play, and overall impact on the match. To put it simply, it does a good job of translating your performance during the match into a readable number. Why is that important? We’ll getto that later, but first, we should know how ACS is calculated in the first place.
How is it calculated?
It actually goes a bit deeper than you might think. ACS is measured by averaging your combat score over the whole match. Combat score, in turn, is calculated by your damage over the round. Not just that, kills,multi-kills, and non-damaging assists also contribute in your ACS. Let’s elaborate each contributing element:
- Damage (+1): This should be simple enough—with each damage point another point is added to your combat score for the round.
- Kills (+150/130/110/90/70): Now, this one is not as simple as damage, but it's not complex to understand either. You get points for each kill depending on how many enemies are alive. If five enemies are alive and you get the first blood, you’re compensated with 150 points. If four enemies are alive and you get a kill, you’ll be given 130 points, etc. So, optimally, you should be aiming for the first blood.
- Multi-kills (+50): Getting multi-kills is also a good option if you’re aiming for a high ACS, as each kill from two will start giving you 50 points. That means if you get an ace in a round, you’ve secured 200 points just from that.
- Non-damaging assists (+25): For all the potato aimers out there, you still have a shot at a decent ACS if you’re not much of a shooter. Every non-damaging assist will grant you 25 points, which means you’re only required to use abilities like the blind to qualify for that.
Does ACS affect your rank in VALORANT?
Yes, ACS does affect your rank by influencing how many RR (Rank Rating) points you’ll gain or lose after a win or a loss. If your ACS is relatively higher than the rest of the players in the match, the game will be more likely to compensate you with much higher RR points than usual. If your ACS is lower than the average compared to your allies and enemies, you’ll be given fewer RR points.
What is average combat score in VALORANT?
Okay, so now that we know that ACS stands for Average Combat Score and how exactly it is calculated, it’s fair to ask what is considered a good ACS? Or how much ACS will it take for VALORANT to give me a ton of RR? And the answer to this question is that it depends. Generally, 160-180 is decent for beginners.200-250 is pretty good. And anything above is considered superb. You can also check VALORANT stats, including pro players’ ACS, from our stats page.
As you continue in your endeavor to get better in VALORANT, maximizing your ACS will be a consistent objective in a lot of the forthcoming matches. But worry not if you struggle at first in achieving a good ACS—it’s not an overnight process. You should also consider reading our VALORANT guides if you’re keenon getting better: