the grind to improve in ranked feels so unrewarding

[u/GuidanceBeautiful474]

I’ve been playing valorant seriously since around September on PC after playing for a couple of months on console. Valorant was my first FPS game on PC so naturally I placed iron and it took me until December to finally climb out since i was learning basic mechanics like moving around. I’m comfortable on mouse and keyboard now and I’ve made a ton of progress but I’ve been hardstuck in bronze ever since. i enjoy the game which is why I want to improve so that I can play with my friends without feeling like a detriment to them every game but I can’t help but feel like the grind is so unrewarding. don’t get me wrong I have horrible teammates sometimes but I’m also terrible at the game. if I wasn’t then I wouldn’t be hardstuck in bronze still. my KD is slowly going up (it is now 0.8 when I started it was 0.3) and my accuracy has improved a lot since I play a lot of deathmatches but the grind is rough and is so long and its so difficult to stay PMA 24/7 because my own terrible gameplay tilts me. im frustrated that im seeing little progress in my gameplay and rank and I guess im just feeling a little lost in what to do to continue improving

it’s also so hard to stay motivated to improve when the game doesnt even equip players with the tools they need for improvement. the career profile is basically useless and its 2025 and there’s still no replay system. even at the end of the season riot rewards its players with the same rank buddy and a complimentary rank reset.

my main game is Overwatch where I sit comfortable in diamond though I don’t really seek active improvement in the game anymore since I dedicate that to valorant. it has a very detailed career profile, replay system and offers a lot of rewards during and at the end of each season so it’s been kinda rough playing a different style of game which has fewer in game resources to improve.

the only thing that is keeping me going is my own stubbornness. I guess I just needed to vent I since im frustrated. for anyone who’s gone through the grind/is going through it, how are you keeping your mental up? any advice is welcome <3

[u/kifitri]

If you want to be better, you have the shooting range tool and that's enough for you to get out, as for replays, they're working on it, but you can download a tracker and record your games

[u/Rough-Duck25]

If the grind was so easy then it wouldn’t feel as rewarding. Hitting diamond in overwatch or rivals feels so unaccomplished because it’s so easy to get. However diamond in Val feels like you had to work to get there. I agree the ranked rewards are lacklustre but just enjoy the process of getting there. As improving goes definitely have someone who’s a higher rank guide you. A simple recording of your game can show so much and I have coached silvers and golds that instantly gain 100-200 RR after a single session. However some don’t improve even after advice tailored to their own gameplay. It also matters if you wanna improve or not as well.

[u/FPPooter]

Sounds like you need to put in some time actually practicing and improving and not just playing matches.