VALORANT is Riot’s new competitive first-person shooter. In this game, two teams of five compete against each other in a twenty-four round match. Each map will have attackers and defenders, where the attackers will have to plan the spike at one of the bomb sites, and the defenders will have to defend the bomb site.
There are many different weapons in the game, and our VALORANT weapons guide takes an in-depth look into all of them. We’ll also take a look at how to buy weapons for your team, how to buy abilities, and which weapons are the best.
Valorant Weapons Guide
Here is a complete list of all the VALORANT weapons currently in the game. There are 7 categories of items available for purchase:
- Sidearms
- SMGs
- Rifles
- Shotguns
- Snipers
- Heavy
- Armor
The weapons are split out into sidearm weapons and primary weapons, which can be purchased during the buy phase of each round. Some weapons have an alternative fire mode which can be seen when you hover over the weapon to see the stats in the buy menu. At the bottom of the buy menu, you can also purchase ability charges for your Agent.
VALORANT Sidearms
Sidearms are secondary weapons that are used primarily on the first round of each half, or if a team is on an economy (save) round. There are six sidearms to choose from:
Classic – Free
The Classic pistol is what you spawn with by default every round. The alternative fire on this weapon is a 3-round burst, which is good for close range. Here are the stats of the Classic pistol:
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 6.75 rounds/second
- Alternate Fire Mode
- 3-Round Burst, spread increase
- Fire Rate: 2.22 rounds/second
- Damage
- 0-30 Meters – Body 26 | Head 78 | Leg 22
- 30-50 Meters – Body 22 | Head 66 | Leg 18
- Magazine Capacity: 12
- Wall Penetration: Low
Shorty – 200 creds
The shorty is a very cheap weapon that can be used if you’re holding a very close angle. It’s useless at medium to long-range but does big damage up close due to the 12-pellet shots. You can use this weapon if your team is saving to try and get a close frag and steal the opponent’s weapon.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 3.3 rounds/second
- Damage (12 pellets):
- 0-9 Meters – Body 12 | Head 36 | Leg 10
- 9-15 Meters – Body 8 | Head 24 | Leg 6
- 0-9 Meters – Body 3 | Head 9 | Leg 2
- Magazine Capacity: 2
- Wall Penetration: Low
Frenzy – 400 creds
Frenzy is a full-automatic pistol with no alternative fire. It does a decent amount of damage, and you can spray it so it’s a nice weapon to use on a save round instead of the Classic pistol.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 10 rounds per second
- Damage
- 0-22 Meters – Body 26 | Head 78 | Leg 22
- 20-50 Meters – Body 21 | Head 63 | Leg 17
- Magazine Capacity: 13
- Wall Penetration: Low
Ghost – 500 creds
The Ghost is similar to the suppressed USP from Counter-Strike. It’s a silent weapon, so the enemy team will not be able to tell where the shots are coming from. It’s effective at all ranges, making it a nice pistol if you prefer it over the others.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 6.75 rounds/second
- Damage
- 0-30 Meters – Body 30 | Head 105 | Leg 26
- 30-50 Meters – Body 25 | Head 88 | Leg 21
- Magazine Capacity: 15
- Wall Penetration: Medium
Sheriff – 800 creds
The Sheriff is similar to the Desert Eagle in Counter-Strike, and will one-shot headshot pretty much anyone unless they are too far from you or if they have heavy armor. The faster you shoot this weapon the more inaccurate it is, so it’s important to time your shots right for maximum accuracy.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 4 rounds/second
- Damage
- 0-30 Meters – Body 55 | Head 160 | Leg 47
- 30-50 Meters – Body 50 | Head 145 | Leg 43
- Magazine Capacity: 6
- Wall Penetration: High
VALORANT SMGs
Submachine guns are low-cost weapons for close to mid-range gunfights. There are two SMGs to choose from at the moment:
Stinger – 1000 creds
The Stinger is an incredibly fast weapon with a 1.15x zoom and 4-round burst alternate fire. The only downfall is it does not shoot through walls. Unscoped, it fires very fast, whereas the alternate fire is a lot more controlled and good for medium range.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 18 rounds/second
- Alternate Fire:
- Zoom Mode (1.15x) 4-Round Burst, spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 4 rounds/sec
- Damage:
- 0-20 Meters – Body 27 | Head 67 | Legs 23
- 20-50 Meters – Body 25 | Head 62 | Legs 21
Spectre – 1600 creds
This SMG shoots a little slower than the Stinger. It’s a solid weapon if your team doesn’t have a lot of money. It shoots through walls with medium penetration and is probably preferable over the Stinger for many players because it’s easier to control. When you alternate fire with this weapon, the bullets seem a LOT more accurate.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 13.33 rounds/second
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode: 1.15x, slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 12 rounds/second
- Damage:
- 0-20 Meters – Body 26 | Head 78 | Leg 22
- 20-50 Meters – Body 22 | Head 66 | Leg 18
- Magazine Capacity: 30
- Wall Penetration: Medium
VALORANT Shotguns
Shotguns are weapons that excel at close-range combat, good for holding tight angles and small areas. There are two shotguns in the game:
Bucky – 900 creds
Bucky is a solid shotgun which is pretty cheap. Alternate fire on this weapon extends the first shot, which basically makes the spread less. Alternate fire is good for a more accurate shot at medium range.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 1.1 rounds/second
- Alternate Fire
- Semi-Automatic: Air Burst (extends primary fire shot)
- Fire Rate: 1.1 rounds/second
- Damage (15 pellets)
- 0-8 Meters – Body 22 | Head 44 | Leg 19
- 8-12 Meters – Body 17 | Head 34 | Leg 14
- 12-50 Meters – Body 9 | Head 18 | Leg 8
- Magazine Capacity: 5
- Wall Penetration: Low
Judge – 1500 creds
The Judge is the second and more expensive shotgun. It’s fully automatic and the spread widens the more you shoot. It’s a solid weapon for close range and has a higher magazine capacity than the Bucky, so you can pull off some good plays in close range situations.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 3.5 rounds/second
- Damage (12 pellets)
- 0-10 Meters – Body 17 | Head 34 | Leg 14
- 10-15 Meters – Body 13 | Head 26 | Leg 11
- 15-50 Meters – Body 10 | Head 20 | Leg 9
- Magazine Capacity: 7
- Wall Penetration: Medium
VALORANT Rifles
Rifles are what a majority of players will be using on full buy rounds. There are four rifles in the game, three of which will be the main weapon of choice for any rifler:
Bulldog – 2100 creds
The first rifle and cheapest of the bunch is the Bulldog. With medium wall penetration and 116 damage to the head, it’s a good budget rifle with a two-shot headshot capability.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 9.15 rounds/sec
- Alternate Fire:
- Zoom Mode (1.25x), 3-Round Burst
- Fire Rate: 4 rounds/sec
- Damage
- 0-50 Meters – Body 35 | Head 116 | Leg 30
- Magazine Capacity: 24
- Wall Penetration: Medium
Guardian – 2700 creds
This is the weapon for people who are good at one-shot tap aiming. It’s a one-shot headshot weapon regardless of how far you are from the enemy. If you shoot too fast, it’s hard to control. You need to make sure you space out your shots a bit so they are accurate.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 6.5 rounds/sec
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (1.5x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 6.5 rounds/sec
- Damage
- 0-50 Meters – Body 65 | Head 195 | Leg 49
Phantom – 2900 creds
The Phantom is comparative to the M4A1 from Counter-Strike. It’s suppressed so does not give away your positioning. Alternate fire slows the weapon down but allows it to have better recoil control. This is one of the most-used rifles in the game.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 11 rounds/sec
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (1.25x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 9.9 rounds/sec
- Damage
- 0-15 Meters – Body 39 | Head 156 | Leg 33
- 15-30 Meters – Body 35 | Head 140 | Leg 30
- 30-50 Meters – Body 31 | Head 124 | Leg 26
- Magazine Capacity: 30
- Wall Penetration: Medium
Vandal – 2900 creds
The Vandal is similar to the AK from Counter-Strike. It’s capable of one-shot headshots on most people unless they have heavy armor. Alternative fire reduces the spread, and overall this is a solid weapon to burst-fire or tap.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 9.25 rounds/sec
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (1.25x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 8.32 rounds/sec
- Damage
- 0-50 Meters – Body 39 | Head 156 | Leg 33
- Magazine Capacity: 25
- Wall Penetration: Medium
VALORANT Snipers
There are two sniper rifles in the game. The operator is comparative to the AWP in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, whereas the Marshal is comparative to the scout.
Marshal – 1100 creds
For the snipers, we have the Marshal which is similar to the Scout from Counter-Strike. It’s a less powerful sniper than the Operator, but it’s a lot more mobile and quicker to fire. It also has a great hip-fire accuracy so you can hit people unscoped.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 1.5 rounds/sec
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (2.5x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 1.2 rounds/second
- Damage
- 0-50 Meters – Body 101 | Head 202 | Leg 85
- Magazine Capacity: 5
- Wall Penetration: Medium
Operator – 4500 creds
The Operator is the standard Sniper in VALORANT. It’s a one-shot kill to the body and head. It has the highest wall penetration in the game, allowing you to easily clip people through walls. Double-zoom allows for up to 5x magnification and incredible accuracy.
- Semi-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 0.75 rounds/second
- Alternate Fire
- Dual Zoom Mode (2.5x, 5x), significant spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 0.75 rounds/sec
- Damage:
- 0-50 Meters – Body 150 | Head 225 | Leg 127
- Magazine Capacity: 5
- Wall Penetration: High
VALORANT Heavy / Light-Machine Guns
Heavy weapons are full-automatic machine guns with high wall penetration damage. They are essentially the light-machine guns of the game. They have high magazine counts and high wall penetration. There are two LMGs in the game at the moment:
Ares – 1700 creds
The Ares increases in rate of fire as you shoot it. LMGs, in general, are also far more accurate when you crouch compared to other weapons. You can also alternate fire for a slower fire-rate and more control with a slight 1.25x zoom.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 10-13 rounds/second (speeds up during fire)
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (1.25x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 10-13 rounds/second (speed up during fire)
- Damage
- 0-30 Meters – Body 30 | Head 72 | Leg 25
- 30-50 Meters – Body 28 | Head 67 | Leg 23
- Magazine Capacity: 50
- Wall Penetration: High
Odin – 3200 creds
With the highest magazine out of any weapon in the game, the Ares is a solid heavy LMG. It hits hard, has a high wall penetration, and is a great stationary weapon to use. The damage is very high considering the number of bullets and fast fire rate.
- Full-Automatic
- Fire Rate: 12-15.6 rounds/second (speeds up during fire)
- Alternate Fire
- Zoom Mode (1.25x), slight spread reduction
- Fire Rate: 15.6 rounds/second
- Damage
- 0-30 Meters – Body 38 | Head 95 | Leg 32
- 30-50 Meters – Body 31 | Head 77 | Leg 26
- Magazine Capacity: 100
- Wall Penetration: High
VALORANT Shields
Shields will be a must-have on full buy rounds, and likely an optional or recommended purchase on pistol rounds and force-buy rounds. Both shields BLOCK 50% of the damage taken, but the heavy shield absorbs 50 damage and the light shield absorbs 25 damage.
Light Shields – 400 creds
Blocks 50% of damage taken. Breaks after it has absorbed 25 damage.
Heavy Shields – 1000 creds
Blocks 50% of damage taken. Breaks after it has absorbed 50 damage.
Abilities
The final item you can buy is your Agent abilities. The only ability you do not need to purchase is your ultimate. You earn your ultimate through experience from capturing orbs, killing enemies, and planting and defusing the spike.
You do not need to buy your “E” ability, as this is your signature ability you always start with and it regenerates over time. Each Agent will have a different cost for their C and Q abilities.
In VALORANT, your abilities are essentially your utilities. Instead of grenades like in Counter-Strike and Call of Duty, you get unique Agent abilities to use. This makes the game interesting from a competitive standpoint. If you die, you keep your abilities so you are not punished for it.
Purchasing Weapons For Teammates
Players low on money can request weapons from teammates. VALORANT has a new method of allowing teammates to buy weapons from each other. You can purchase weapons for your teammates directly through the UI and they will appear in your teammates’ hands.
Buy Zone in VALORANT
You can purchase weapons during the start time from anywhere on your side of the map. Unlike Counter-Strike, you do not need to be in your spawn area to purchase items like weapons, shields, and abilities.
