Rifles: which one and when

On a full buy almost everyone buys one of three rifles, all costing 2900 credits:

The Warden arrived with patch 13.06 (September 2026): it is the newest, and the best way to use it is still settling.

It is the most debated question in the game, and the honest answer is that both are excellent. The real differences:

• the Vandal kills with one headshot at any range, even through heavy armor. It rewards a precise first shot, especially on long lines. Its spray is harder to control;
• the Phantom fires faster, holds more rounds, sprays more controllably, is suppressed and shows no tracers when you shoot through smokes. Beyond 15 meters, though, one headshot is no longer enough against heavy armor.

A practical rule: if your position or the map will have you fighting mostly at long range, the Vandal; if you will fight close or through smokes, the Phantom. But what matters most is picking the one you are comfortable with and not switching every round.

The Warden fills a different niche: with a 2x scope and 50 body damage at every range, it is built for players who want to hold long lines without buying a sniper. In exchange it fires more slowly and has only 18 rounds, so up close and in sprays it struggles against the Vandal and Phantom.

For now we suggest trying it in Deathmatch or less important matches first, and using it where its strength shows: defensive spots on open sites, long angles on attack to take space. As a brand-new gun, check upcoming patch notes: it may get adjusted.

When you cannot afford a 2900 rifle with heavy armor, there are two alternatives:

• the Bulldog (2050): automatic, with a right-click that fires accurate three-round bursts at mid range. One headshot does not kill an armored player;
• the Guardian (2250): a semi-automatic precision rifle whose headshot kills anyone at any range. Great for holding long lines, weak up close.

They are the typical guns of force buys where the team still wants a rifle, and of rounds where one player is short while the others full buy.

Your rifle choice can change within the same match, depending on side and position:

• on defense, a player holding a site with long lines may prefer the Vandal or the Warden; one playing a close angle near the entrance may prefer the Phantom;
• on attack, the player entering first through tight spaces often finds the Phantom more comfortable; one taking space from afar or holding the post-plant on long lines gets more out of the Vandal;
• on maps with lots of smokes and fights through them, the Phantom has the edge of hidden tracers.

You do not need to switch every round. But if you notice you keep dying at the same kind of range, ask whether your rifle is the right one for that position.

A rifle without armor is half a buy. Without armor, one headshot from any rifle kills you, and even the Phantom at range or the Bulldog become one-shot threats. With heavy armor, many guns need two headshots or a head and a body shot.

That is why a full buy always counts rifle plus heavy armor: 2900 plus 1000, so 3900 credits, plus abilities. If money does not stretch to everything, a cheaper gun with armor usually beats a rifle without it. The armor chapter and the economy chapters cover this.