Weapons, armor and economy - 6.1
Weapons in general
In one line: Every gun has a price, damage that changes with body part and sometimes with distance, accuracy that collapses on the move and an ability to shoot through walls. Understanding these four things tells you which gun to use and how.
Weapon families
VALORANT has seven weapon families, each with a role:
| Family | Guns | What they are for |
|---|---|---|
| Sidearms | Classic, Shorty, Frenzy, Ghost, Bandit, Sheriff | pistol rounds, ecos, backup weapon |
| SMGs | Stinger, Spectre | budget rounds, close-range fights |
| Shotguns | Bucky, Judge | very tight spaces, mostly on defense |
| Rifles | Bulldog, Guardian, Phantom, Vandal, Warden | the main weapon of buy rounds |
| Snipers | Marshal, Outlaw, Operator | long lines, one shot one kill |
| Machine guns | Ares, Odin | holding a passage, hitting through cover |
| Melee | knife | moving faster |
Every gun has its own page with price, checked damage, when to buy it and when not to. Here we cover the rules that apply to all of them.
Damage: where you hit and from how far
Every gun deals different damage to head, body and legs. The difference is huge: with almost every gun a headshot is worth three to four times a body shot. That is why keeping your crosshair at head height is the most important habit in the game.
A player has 100 health, plus armor (up to 50 more). That creates thresholds worth remembering: a headshot dealing at least 150 damage, like the Vandal's or the Sheriff's within 30 meters, kills even through heavy armor.
Some guns lose damage with distance (the Phantom, SMGs, pistols), others do not (the Vandal, the Warden). That changes which gun suits a map or a position: on long lines, a gun without falloff has the edge.
Accuracy: standing, walking, jumping
In VALORANT accuracy depends on how you move. The general rules:
- standing still your shots are accurate, especially the first one;
- walking costs a little accuracy;
- running costs a lot of accuracy with almost every gun;
- in the air shots are inaccurate;
- crouching gains a little accuracy in long sprays.
On top of that, every gun has recoil: from the second shot onwards, bullets climb and drift. That is why you alternate single shots, short bursts and sprays depending on distance (covered in the chapter on shooting).
SMGs and some shotguns forgive movement a little more, but "stop, then shoot" still applies almost every time.
Wall penetration
A lot of cover (doors, thin boxes, some walls) does not stop every bullet. Each gun has low, medium or high penetration: machine guns, heavy snipers, the Sheriff and the Guardian go through more material; light pistols and SMGs less.
This has two practical consequences:
- on attack or defense, with precise information you can hit an enemy behind thin cover (a wallbang);
- when you are the one behind cover, do not assume you are safe if the enemy knows where you are: move.
Knowing which cover can be shot through is map knowledge, built over time. A custom game with a friend, shooting at the most common cover on each site, helps you learn it quickly.
Picking up guns from the floor
When a player dies, their gun stays on the floor and anyone can pick it up, enemies included. It is an important part of the economy: a Vandal picked up on an eco round is 2900 credits saved.
Some practical rules:
- on an eco, go for the guns of enemies you kill: that is how you get back into the game;
- on an anti-eco, be careful not to give yours away: die and the enemy has a rifle;
- at the end of a round, if you are alive with a worse gun than one on the floor, swap it;
- a teammate can drop you a gun they bought for you: that is how players with more money help those with less.
Picking up a gun takes a moment and leaves you exposed: do it when you are safe, not in the middle of a duel.
Choosing your gun for the round
Choosing a gun starts with three questions:
- How much money do I and my team have? (covered in the economy chapters);
- What range will I fight at? A spot on a long line wants a gun without damage falloff; a tight angle wants a gun that forgives up close;
- What am I good at? If your strength is the first headshot, the Vandal and Sheriff reward you; if you prefer controlled bursts, the Phantom and Spectre are more comfortable.
Remember
- Head, body, legs: damage varies a lot, and the head is worth three to four times the body.
- Some guns lose damage with distance, others do not.
- On the move almost every gun becomes inaccurate.
- Penetration decides what you can hit through cover.
What not to do
Buying the most expensive gun without thinking about where you will fight.
Instead Ask what range your duels will be at and choose the gun for that range.
Shooting legs or body out of habit.
Instead Keep your crosshair at head height: that is where guns make the difference.
Trusting thin cover as if it were a wall.
Instead Learn which cover can be shot through and do not sit still behind it if the enemy knows where you are.
Using a gun you do not know in an important round.
Instead Try it first in Deathmatch or the range.