How to Choose the Right Weapon in Valorant

Valorant is currently one of the most well-known video games today, which is why many gamers that are new or experienced in the FPS (first-person shooter) genre are trying out the new game. Most of these gamers are probably not familiar with the game’s mechanics, especially in choosing weapons. While Riot Games, the publisher and developer of the game, are trying their best to make the weapons balanced, there are just some weapons that are deemed better than the others not because of their firepower but because of the overall mechanics of using them as well. To help you know which weapons are the best and to rank up your Valorant smurf account, here is a guide on choosing the best weapons in Valorant.

Following the Tier List

The best way to know the most effective weapons in the game is to read or follow the tier list created by several groups in the Valorant community. The weapons that are deemed the best in these tier lists can vary, although there are a few weapons that are universally accepted to be almost overpowered and better than the others. Since we are just going to discuss the best weapons in the video game, we will just show you four weapons that are considered by many to belong in the S-Tier.

Best Weapons in Valorant

The S-tier for most people would consist of four weapons, and these are Operator, Phantom, Vandal, and Classic. These four weapons serve different purposes on the battlefield, as they have different firing mechanics and types. Here are some details about each of these weapons.

Operator

Regarded by many players to be the strongest weapon in the game, the Operator is a sniper rifle that costs 5000 credits as of December 2020. Before it was sold for that price, it can be first bought for 4500 credits, and its increase in price could be justified since you would need to grind for credits first before getting this powerful weapon.

The Operator can deal 255 damage to the head, 150 damage to the body, and 120 damage to the legs. From looking at its damage numbers, you could already see that it is too powerful, especially in the hands of those that are adept at sniper rifles. However, its overpowering features don’t stop there, as the Operator is also the only weapon that is capable of killing armored enemies at any range. The Operator is often used in Valorant Boosting since it is an effective weapon to make each round faster and easier for both the booster and the client. On the other hand, the Operator can be pretty difficult to wield for beginners since it requires accurate shots to be effective.

Phantom

The Phantom is arguably one of the best assault rifles in the game because of its larger magazine capacity and higher fire rate compared to the other weapons in the category, although it may sometimes be unwieldy for those that are not experienced in using assault rifles.

Its unwieldiness is often attributed to its silencer barrel, which would require the player to have a more accurate shot against an enemy compared to other assault rifles that have a wider spread. On the other hand, there is a benefit with the Phantom’s silencer, as it can hide the direction of its bullet and make it untraceable for enemies looking at the player firing at them. Another drawback that it has is that it doesn’t have a consistent damage output, meaning that its damage would depend on how near or far the enemy is from you. Here is a list of its damage output as of December 2020:

  • Head – 156 (0 to 15 meters), 140 (15 to 30 meters), 124 (30 to 50 meters)
  • Body – 39 (0 to 15 meters), 35 (15 to 30 meters), 31 (30 to 50 meters)
  • Legs – 33 (0 to 15 meters), 39 (15 to 30 meters), 20 (30 to 50 meters)

Vandal

The Vandal is arguably one of the best weapons for beginners because of its slower fire rate that makes it better to control. The feature makes firing shots in Valorant much more enjoyable for gamers that just want to have fun playing the game and not take it seriously. However, when compared to the Phantom, the Vandal has a smaller magazine capacity, thus making reloading much more frequent.

The one advantage that the Vandal has over the Phantom is that it has balanced damage output at any range, which means that its damage won’t change no matter how far or near the enemy is from the user. The Vandal can deal 160 damage to the head, 40 damage to the body, and 34 damage to the legs.

Classic

As its name suggests, the Classic is a staple in the FPS genre because it is a pistol that has well-balanced attributes. Most players that wield the expensive Operator would choose the Classic as their sidearm since it doesn’t cost any credits. So, you can spend credits on any other pieces of equipment and just get the Classic as a sidearm.

Since it is given for free right at the beginning of the game, the Classic is a great weapon for beginners, and they should learn how to master this pistol just in case their main firearm runs out of bullets. At 0 to 30 meters, the Classic can deal 78 damage to the head, 26 damage to the body, and 22 damage to the legs, while at 30 to 50 meters, the weapon can deal 62 damage to the head, 22 damage to the body, and 18 damage to the legs.

Those are four of the best weapon in Valorant, although their effectiveness would still rely on their user’s skills. Practice using every weapon in the game so that you would be more versatile on the battlefield.