What does Eco mean in VALORANT

Valorant

May 15, 2024

Tarun Sayal

One of the terms that players often say in VALORANT is Eco, but not everyone is familiar with its meaning. This can make some players, especially beginners, feel puzzled and unsure when they encounter this term. That’s why we will clarify what Eco stands for in VALORANT and how you can use it to communicate better with your team.

What is Eco in VALORANT

VALORANT Eco

In simple terms, Eco in VALORANT means when your team doesn’t have sufficient funds to fully stock up and you have to play the round either with pistols or ultimates like Chamber’s Tour de Force or Jett’s Blade Storm in order to save creds for the next round. Let’s understand the entire situation with an example.

For instance, if each player in your team has 2000 creds or less in their account, then they usually buy nothing or purchase a Pistol at most to deal as much damage as possible while spending less money. We recommend buying the following weapons during Eco rounds if you don’t want to play with Classic:

Shorty
Frenzy
Ghost
Sheriff

Meanwhile, teamwork and coordination play an important factor here as there’s no point in saving during an Eco round if your teammates have already spent most of their creds and you’re preserving for the next round. In such a situation, it’s best to force buy which means you have to purchase all the abilities, a light weapon, and a shield to obtain a Thrifty. Therefore, make sure to keep an eye on the HUD or points table which gives a brief summary of your team buy.

How to win Eco rounds in VALORANT

Here are some tips and tricks that you can utilize to dominate Eco rounds in VALORANT:

Hold an off angle: Surviving without a weapon is hard, so avoid getting the first blood in Eco rounds. Instead, you should find an unexpected angle where you can easily kill an enemy and grab their Vandal or Phantom.
Stack a site: Stacking means the majority of your team is holding a single site instead of watching different angles on the map. The stacking strategy is very effective in Eco rounds, as your teammates can quickly avenge your death and earn more creds.
Use Sheriff: Finally, we highly recommend practicing in VALORANT’s range mode with powerful pistols like the Sheriff. This weapon costs only around 800 credits and can help you secure kills while spending less.