Hello,

I decided to write a little guide on how to climb, after seeing a lot of my friends being stuck in "low" elos even though they have a lot of experience in shooters.
This is NOT meant for new players, so I'm not covering aim training etc. I'll just say this game is much more about crosshair placement then raw aim for most agents so be sure to work on that if you're new.

I played Valorant quite a bit during beta, then had 12 wins in Act 1 and 13 wins in Act 2. I was Plat/Diam playing mostly 5 stacks with people from Discord communities that I didn't know. I came back for Act 3 and just reached Imo 2 in around 30 wins in Solo Queue.

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1. Killing is easy, but so is dieing
   One of the most common mistakes I see from experienced players giving a shot at Valorant, is not taking the game seriously. They think they're this beast and will take risks for no reason. Killing in Valorant is much more easier than CS:GO for example, but so is dieing. Basic teamplay, timing are required to prevent enemies from winning an otherwise easy win for you
2. Don't queue together unless you're going to use that advantage
   The game will always reward you with how much you give. If you're playing duo, please take crossfires and hold your site smartly together. If you're playing in 5 stack, be sure to communicate clearly and take advantage of being together on vocal, which should be more than basic communication that could be done on the game's VOIP. If you're just going to play as you would in solo, then just solo queue because others will take advantage of being stacked.
3. Never blame a teammate
   This is probably the MOST important point, as it will condition your teammates' and your own performance.
   Blaming a teammate is a really easy way to not face your own mistakes. It will also create a really bad mood in the team and chances are the whole team will start to underperform. You might start to perform better because you're falsely confident you're better than them, but you'll just end up frustrated and lose.
   The best way to consistently rank up and have your mates perform at their maximum is to give any useful information, and when you die only focus on your own mistake. You just died after killing 3 guys ? The only question that should come to your mind is "what should I have done to kill the 4th, or at least not die"
   If you notice your teammates are doing "stupid" mistakes, instead of being angry at them, ask yourself "Do I do the same mistake ?" "What is the appropriate play in that situation ?"
4. Agent selection
   I would advise to only play one agent at a time. This will allow you to fully master him and think about other aspects of the game. You can't focus on everything at a time and thinking about how to use your spells will just slow you down. I also advice changing agents once in a while to understand other aspects of the game and find what fits you best.
   Changing agents can happen with your mood, but also when you reach new ceilings. I used Jett to climb and now I play almost only Brimstone because my sensitivity is too low to play Jett and I don't have the required APM to get everything she can give. I had to accept that I won't carry games in this elo as I could in lower elos, so I have to use my personal capacities to help my team with the best agent for me.

Solo Queue is probably the best way to climb up the ladder. The biggest challenge you'll face is to accept where the game placed you and only focus on your own mistakes. It's easy to blame others but it will never make you improve. This is especially true for players coming from other games that believe they should be higher but make a lot of mistakes due to overconfidence.