Outlaw has served its purpose in VALORANT, according to stats

Valorant

May 11, 2024

Bryan Francis

Since the release of VALORANT in 2020, just one new gun has been introduced in the game, the Outlaw. The Outlaw is the third sniper in the game. The unique aspect of this weapon is that it’s a double-barrel sniper with a high damage output. Many believe this weapon was introduced to stop the half-shield meta in ranked and various VCT tournaments in VALORANT. In this article, let’s dive deeply into the effect of the Outlaw in VALORANT since its launch this year.

Has the Outlaw been impactful in VALORANT?

Image Credits: Riot Games

The Outlaw was released into VALORANT on Jan. 9 during the Episode 8 Act 1 patch. It costs 2,400 credits to purchase and comes with 12 bullets, ten of which are reserved. A headshot causes 238 damage, a shot to the body 140, and a shot to the leg 119.

The Outlaw’s damage output is not arbitrary; it’s a strategic choice. An opponent without shields is a one-shot kill, regardless of the body part hit. With half shields, a body or headshot is required for a one-shot kill. And with full shields, only a headshot can take them down. This precision in damage calculation has significant implications for gameplay strategies.

Due to this addition, we have seen changes in how teams prioritize their weapons and shield choices during a given time. For example, this year, Gen G faced off against DRX in the VCT Pacific Stage 1. During the 5th round, it was a complete buy for both the teams. Seven of the ten players had purchased a Vandal and a full shield this round. A year ago, both these teams, in the same situation during the VCT Pacific League 2023, would have bought a Vandal or a Phantom with half shields. This change in mentality of cornering full shields can be associated with the Outlaw’s availability in VALORANT.

Has the Outlaw finally served its purpose in the game?

Image Credits: Riot Games

This is where things get interesting concerning the Outlaw. Many people believed the weapon would be overpowered during its launch and break the game. This was due to the high amount of damage a body shot with one bullet dealt. The stats concerning this weapon tell another story. Using stats from rib.gg, we took the sample size of two tournaments: the VCT Masters Madrid 2024 and VCT Pacific Stage 1.

During VCT Masters Madrid, the Operator had a 3.04 percent pick rate, but the Outlaw had a 0.47 percent pick rate. In comparison, during the ongoing VCT Pacific Stage 1, the Operator had a 3.72 percent pick rate, but the Outlaw had a 0.46 percent pick rate. In the VALORANT competitive ladder, another story is being written. Using stats from vstats.gg, currently, the outlaw is the 4th lowest picked weapon on the attacker side in the ranks between Gold and Radiant. This is while the gun has the highest kills-to-death ratio compared to any other weapon in the game.

It does look like the weapon has served its purpose in the VALORANT meta, which is to force players to buy full shields instead of half shields. At the same time, it hasn’t been so overpowered that it has drastically affected the game fundamentals.