Valorant Using TPM 2.0 on Windows 11 to Combat Cheaters
When Valorant first came out, one of the main things players noticed about the game was its highly intrusive Vanguard anti-cheat system. It required kernel-level access to your PC, which caused many problems for a lot of players. There were reports of blue screens, crashes, computer freezes, and plenty of other issues. This was swiftly addressed and the Vanguard drama was eventually forgotten.
We now learn that Valorant’s anti-cheat system, Vanguard, will be using TPM 2.0 on Windows 11 systems, taking things a step further. To play Valorant on Windows 11, players will have to activate Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, giving up more control over their personal computers. Riot is clearly trying to combat cheating in this way, but is it worth the cost?
Battle Against Cheaters
Valorant has a clear stance when it comes to hackers and cheaters in their game – they are not welcome. This was evident from the very beginning when they rolled out their new Vanguard anti-cheat system. Sure, it had a rocky start, but eventually things cooled down and the game has enjoyed a relatively cheat-free environment for over a year now.
Of course, hackers and cheaters always find a way in, eventually, but things have been kept under control.
Now, with Windows 11 on the horizon, Valorant sees an opportunity to double down on their Vanguard strategy, introducing new measures in the form of TPM 2.0.
The Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) is a feature introduced by Microsoft in their new Windows 11 OS. It’s a mandatory security feature that is required in order to install the OS on your PC. So what does this mean for Valorant? TPM 2.0 will serve a similar purpose. TPM 2.0 will offer hardware-level protection from any malicious attacks and make lives much harder for any hacker or cheater trying to get his way into the game.
Valorant betting already has a pretty strong defensive wall with Vanguard, and when TPM 2.0 rolls in, it’s going to become an impenetrable fortress.
The Erosion of Freedom
In theory, having less cheating and hacking is a great thing. Everyone enjoys playing games online in a safe environment where their fun and progress are secure, and won’t be disrupted by anyone. However, all things come with a price.
Valorant’s anti-cheat system will certainly dig even deeper into your PC, requiring you to give up even more control for the sake of protection from cheating. At the end of the day, the question is whether all of this is worth it?
There should be more protection from cheaters in Valorant, but that shouldn’t translate into less control for the average player. Unless you’re a Linux user, you have very little room to make your own decisions nowadays. Compulsory Windows updates have already been a thing for a while. If this spills into gaming in the form of TPM 2.0, it could spell tragedy later down the road.
Riot’s efforts to fight cheating are truly commendable, but there’s always more than one way to find a solution to a problem. They just have to make sure that this does not come at the cost of the player.
