How to Spray on Valorant – Vandal vs Phantom Spray Patterns

Valorant is a game where precise gunplay matters and guns have recoil upon fire. To quickly improve, mastering the recoil pattern is essential as they will allow for more consistent shots. Aside from learning the various Valorant agents, learning the spray pattern for the top two guns in the game is the best step to play like the pros.

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Valorant spray pattern – Vandal vs Phantom

Both the Vandal and Phantom has the same spray pattern shape. However, due to the higher spread on the Vandal compared to the Phantom, the Vandal has a larger spray pattern in comparison to Phantom. While not a major difference in short range, a comparison between the two in a long range setting would require more pulldown and better spray control when using a Vandal. Due to the Vandal’s larger spray pattern, it is generally advised not to spray long range.

How to spray on Valorant

It is important to note that while there is a general spray pattern in Valorant, unlike CS:GO, Valorant’s spray pattern is not always the same. The spray pattern for the Vandal and Phantom is generally in a T shape. While it does always go up, the direction of its horizontal spray is random, meaning it can go either left or right before switching direction. Therefore, to control your spray in Valorant, you must first initially pull down. Secondly, you must make micro adjustments depending on the horizontal movement of your gun.

Additionally, as the recoil in your Valorant gun increases, bullets will no longer shoot to your crosshair. This further reinforces the importance of knowing the spray pattern of your gun. The only way for bullets to consistently shoot towards your crosshair would be aiming down your gun’s sight. However, aiming down sight reduces both the Vandal and Phantom fire rate. The screen movement is also amplified when aiming down sight, making it harder to control the gun.

Other things to consider – Valorant Vandal vs Phantom

Firing error – Vandal vs Phantom

The Vandal has a 0.25 firing error, meaning there is a good chance its first shot may not shoot straight on your crosshair. While the Phantom also has a firing error (0.2), it is much lower than the Vandal, therefore increasing its reliability in the long range.

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Fire rate – Vandal vs Phantom

The Phantom fires 1.25 extra bullets per second compared to the Vandal. This is especially important, given a roughly 10% increased fire rate with the Phantom can easily be the difference between a kill or a death when spraying down enemies with body and leg shots. However, while the Vandal’s fire rate is slower, advantages include it being more easy to tap, burst and control its spray.

Damage – Vandal vs Phantom

The Vandal has a flat damage no matter the range, while the Phantom has damage drop off the further it goes. This gives Vandal the advantage in long range, especially as it can always one-shot head shot enemies, unlike the phantom, which takes more bullets to kill at a distance.

Bullets – Vandal vs Phantom

The Vandal sits at 25 bullets per clip while the Phantom has 30. The Phantom’s 5 extra bullets are key in clutch situations as it reduces the need to reload which would otherwise leave you vulnerable to a rush or give your position away due to the sound queue.

Which gun is better?

While both the Vandal and Phantom have their own pros and cons, generally, Valorant professional players will favour the Phantom over the Vandal. This is because the Phantom is better in short to medium situations, and maps have more of these tight angles and choke points. Gun buys and tactics are all refined in top tournaments with Valorant betting, with almost all the pros buying a Phantom over a Vandal.