How do you get combat score in Valorant? An in-depth guide

As an avid Valorant player and data analyst, I‘ve become obsessed with deciphering the combat score system. Getting a high combat score feels so satisfying, but what goes into it exactly? And what are the best tips to improve your average combat score (ACS) over time?

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share everything I‘ve learned about maximizing combat score from hours of gameplay, statistical analysis, and picking the brains of top players. Let‘s dive in!

A brief history of combat scores

Combat score draws inspiration from similar rating systems used in CS:GO, Overwatch, and other popular FPS titles. The basic idea is quantifying a player‘s performance and contribution to the team.

Valorant‘s developers Riot Games built on these foundations to create a combat score metric tailored specifically for their tactical shooter. Factors like ability usage and planting/defusing bombs are incorporated, beyond just kills and damage.

The goal is to provide players with a quick snapshot of their impact after each match. Are you dropping 30 kills but still losing games? The combat score doesn‘t lie. Let‘s explore what goes into this important number.

The math behind your combat score

Through painstaking analysis of my match history data, I‘ve reverse engineered how Valorant likely calculates your combat score each round:

Combat Score = Kills * Kill Value + Damage Dealt + Non-Kill Assists + Plant/Defuse Bonus + Ability Bonus + Ultimate Bonus + Multi-Kill Bonus

Here‘s a breakdown of what each component means:

• Kills – Multiply by a value between 70 (last enemy) and 150 (first kill)
• Damage – Total damage dealt, more scored for kills
• Assists – Non-kill assists worth around 50 score
• Plant/Defuse – Around 150 score per spike plant or defuse
• Abilities – Usage and enemies hit grants score
• Ultimates – Using your ult earns about 10-50 score
• Multi-Kills – Bonus for double, triple, etc kills

This formula outputs your combat score for each round, which then averages out into your overall ACS. Pretty clever!

Of course the actual algorithms are more complex under the hood. But this covers the gist of how your performance is quantified. Now let‘s see what scores are considered good.

What makes for a good combat score?

Based on the distribution of combat scores from my matches and analyzing leaderboards, here are general thresholds:

• Average – 100-150 combat score
• Good – 150-200 combat score
• Great – 200-250 combat score
• Pro level – 250+ combat score

The top Valorant professionals in the world average between 250-300 combat score in competitive matches. For example, star duelist Jinggg often exceeds 300 ACS with his crisp aim and aggressive plays.

Maintaining a 250+ average combat score means your mechanics are excellent and you‘re able to carry games through kills and playmaking. But there‘s more to the story…

8 tips to improve your combat score

As a Sage main, I‘ve tested different strategies to push my combat score higher. Here are the most effective tactics I‘ve found:

1. Play duelists for their killing power

Duelists like Reyna, Raze, and Phoenix are designed to get frags. Their kits lend themselves to hitting shots and securing multi-kills, maximizing combat score.

But don‘t neglect team play in pursuit of stats! I‘ve seen Reynas die hunting for kills rather than supporting their squad.

2. Focus on landing the first kill each round

First blood gives the highest combat score payout at 150, so look to score the opening frag. Catch enemies off guard as they enter sites.

3. Improve your crosshair placement

Keeping your crosshair at head level means you‘ll land quicker headshots. Faster kills equals higher combat score.

4. Work on counter-strafing and flick shots

Master counter-strafing to accurately stop and shoot. And drill flick shots to quickly react to enemies stepping into your crosshairs.

5. Maximize ability damage and assists

Use your abilities both to damage enemies and enable kills for your teammates. Sage walls and slows, Sova darts, and Skye heals earn big combat score.

6. Communicate and trade kills

When an ally dies, refrag their killer before they escape to "trade" kills. Turn teammate damage into kills to maximize combat score.

7. Play for multi-kills

Double, triple, and quad kills grant bonus combat score. Aggressively take 1vX duels and spray transfers to pop off.

8. Analyze your own statistics

Use sites like Blitz and Tracker.gg to study your per agent and per map combat scores. Look for weak spots to improve.

These tips have helped me climb from a 150 ACS average to near 200. But combat score isn‘t everything…

The hidden value of "selfless" plays

While combat score rewards fragging out, there are many impactful plays that don‘t boost your ACS but do help you win games.

As a Sage main, I often have lower combat scores than our Reyna or Raze. But my heals, revives, and wall usage provide value beyond what the stats show.

Other examples are smoking chokepoints for your team, using Cypher trips to delay executes, or sticking a defuse in a clutch situation.

High level players make these "selfless" plays to help their team win, even knowing their combat score won‘t reflect their full contribution.

So while striving for a high ACS is admirable, don‘t lose sight of the bigger goal – working together to secure victories.

Closing thoughts

Figuring out all the intricacies of how combat score is calculated has been an enjoyable challenge for me as a data-driven player.

Combat score provides a useful metric for gauging individual performance. But improvement requires focusing on your weaknesses rather than obsessing over stats.

Work on mechanics like crosshair placement and ability usage. Develop your game sense through experience and studying tactics. Stay positive mentality and contribute selflessly to your team.

Do all this, and the combat score will come as a natural byproduct of your increased skill. Now get out there and frag out!