TL;DR
- Riot’s Vanguard patch resolved cooling driver blocks but created new connection errors
- CPU-Z vulnerability allowed potential cheating, forcing Vanguard’s aggressive response
- Cooling systems failed to start when temperature data was blocked by anticheat
- Players now face ‘Vanguard not initialized’ errors requiring system restarts
- Deep system access remains necessary to combat modern cheating techniques
Riot Games has deployed a crucial update for Valorant’s Vanguard anticheat system, designed to resolve conflicts with essential hardware drivers. This corrective action follows extensive reporting that revealed the anticheat was preventing critical cooling system drivers from functioning properly across multiple PC hardware manufacturers.
The technical solution specifically addresses CPU-Z, a widely-used hardware monitoring application integrated into numerous active cooling solutions from brands including Corsair and NZXT. This utility, embedded within aftermarket cooler drivers, was identified as having a significant security flaw that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain unfair advantages in competitive matches. When Vanguard received updates during Valorant’s open beta phase, gamers quickly discovered the anticheat had disabled the CPU-Z monitoring tool.
In an hour we’re shipping a hotfix for Vanguard to +up its compatibility with cheat-vulnerable drivers. Most of the previously blocked drivers should now work. Some egregious ones will cause the game not to start but now very few will be blocked outright. Thanks for the feedback.
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT)
May 7, 2020
The system initialization process created concerning scenarios where users no longer heard the familiar sounds of cooling fans and water pumps activating. With CPU-Z blocked from transmitting temperature readings, cooling mechanisms interpreted the absence of data as system shutdown or failure conditions. Fortunately, most modern cooling units can store performance profiles directly in their onboard memory, though Vanguard’s comprehensive driver blocking drew significant criticism from affected users and even Corsair representatives for potentially endangering expensive components.
In an official communication, Corsair characterized Vanguard’s approach as “overly aggressive,” confirming that both Corsair and CPUID (CPU-Z developers) were collaborating on resolving the security weakness. The hardware manufacturer opted not to disclose whether they were also coordinating directly with Riot to address the compatibility concerns.
Vanguard driver fix comes with new issues
While Vanguard’s latest update appears to have stabilized cooling system functionality temporarily, the modification has unfortunately spawned a completely separate technical complication. Following the Valorant update installation, numerous players find themselves unable to establish connections to Riot’s tactical shooter.
Social media responses to Valorant’s CPU-Z fix announcement were dominated by user reports experiencing the “Vanguard not initialized” error during game launch, accompanied by the identical interface displayed when attempting to start Valorant without rebooting after initial installation.
Current troubleshooting methods vary from basic system restarts to comprehensive reinstallation of both Valorant and its anticheat component. At present, Valorant’s official social media channels have not addressed this newly emerged Vanguard complication.
Despite widespread enthusiasm for Riot’s new competitive title, many community members have voiced strong objections regarding the extensive system permissions Vanguard demands. The anticheat requires kernel-level access to user systems, which some consider excessively intrusive. While this permission level presents privacy concerns for certain players, it’s fundamentally necessary for the advanced detection engine to effectively identify cheating software.
Contemporary cheating tools typically inject themselves as system processes before the game application launches, circumventing the scanning protocols employed by most anticheat systems like Valve’s VAC network that activate at game startup. By completing their initialization sequence preemptively, cheat software positions itself beyond the detection capabilities of conventional anticheat programs that primarily monitor for modifications occurring after gameplay initiation. Essentially, if gamers desire competitive environments free from hackers, anticheat solutions with comprehensive system access like Vanguard represent the most effective available option.
Action Checklist
- Restart your system completely to reset Vanguard initialization
- Verify cooling system functionality by checking fan speeds and temperatures
- Update all hardware drivers including cooling system software
- Reinstall Valorant and Vanguard if basic troubleshooting fails
- Monitor official Valorant channels for patch updates and workarounds
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » Riot releases new fix for Vanguard’s aggressive driver blocking Riot's Vanguard anticheat patch fixes cooling issues but introduces new connection problems for Valorant players