As a tactical shooter, Valorant has a small yet comprehensive set to guns which all have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Aside from sidearms (pistols), there are 5 subclasses of primary Valorant weapons; SMGs, Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns and Machine Guns.
Ranking weapons in a tier-list is a subjective endeavor, especially considering every player has their unique style and way of play. However, there is enough data to show which weapons find more headshots and success-rate in both casual and ranked play.
Before we rank them all, let’s look at what the Valorant arsenal of weapons holds.
Classic – The Classic is the default pistol, having both a normal left click fire, and right-click burst fire. While recently nerfed, the Classic is still a great option in pistol rounds as you can buy both armor and some abilities.
Shorty – The Shorty is a much-dreaded gun, costing only 150 credits with one-shot potential if all bullets land. It is the most economic buy when holding close angles due to it being a mini shotgun that often nets at least a single kill if enemies decide to push you.
Frenzy – A fully automatic pistol that is extremely strong in short to medium range situations. This makes a Frenzy a good option for both holding down and re-taking sites.
Ghost – The Ghost is a top option on pistol round buys as bullets can one-shot enemies without armor. With 15 bullets, the Ghost has the highest amount of a bullets in a single clip and can easily take down multiple enemies.
Sheriff – The Sheriff is a high risk and high reward pistol due to its high cost a meagre 6 bullets per clip. Costing 800 credits, players cannot buy any armor or abilities when purchasing it during pistol rounds. The Sheriff has the ability to one-shot headshot enemies in the short to medium range, but has bullet damage drop off. It is a deadly pick in eco buys as early picks can snowball rounds quickly.
Stinger – Costing only 950 credits, Stinger is an extremely good for rushing enemies at close range. The SMG has a very high fire rate which can mow down enemies quickly. The SMG aim down sight trick also makes Stringer viable in medium range situations.
Spectre – Spectre is usually the prime gun of choice when a “proper” main rifle cannot be bought. The Spectre has a good accuracy in the short to medium range and is especially strong when running and gunning close by due to its high fire rate.
Bulldog – Bulldog is the cheapest and slowest firing full automatic rifle. However, like the Stinger, the Bulldog is also equipped with a burst fire. Utilizing the aim down sight, the Bulldog is a great pick in medium to long range fights. While the Bulldog cannot one-shot headshot, followed up by other body shot hits from the burst fire, the gun can still quickly down enemies with one click.
Guardian – The Guardian is the only semi-automatic rifle in Valorant. Housing only 12 bullets, each is deadly, with its high wall penetration and headshots instantly killing enemies at any range. This makes the gun extremely strong in medium and long-range situations. However, its slow fire rate makes the Guardian a highly skill reliant gun as simply shooting enemies in the body takes a long time.
Phantom – Phantom is one of the main primary Valorant weapons, being viable in all situations due to its medium to high fire rate and tight recoil. However, while the Phantom is still good in long range battles, its main downside is its bullet damage drop.
Vandal – Another one of the main primary weapons, the Vandal is also viable in all situations despite having some of its unique ups and down compared to the Phantom. The Vandal’s strong point are bullets not being affected by bullet damage drop, making it a must pick in maps like Breeze. View our detailed comparison between the Vandal and Phantom.
Marshal – The Marshal is the game’s budget sniper, costing only 950 credits, about 20% of the price of the Operator. While it takes more than one body or leg shot to kill enemies, it can still one-shot headshot enemies, making it a deadly pick for skilled players. The marshal is unique, due to its quick scoping animation and fairly good run speed allowing players to easily peak and challenge angles.
Operator – The Operator is by far the best gun when holding down angles due to its ability to one-shot enemies in the body even at long range. Despite being nerfed several times, the Operator remains a top pick in especially lower ranks as players usually dry-peak angles.
Ares – The Ares is an affordable gun that is highly forgiving due to its 50 mag clip and high accuracy while aiming down sight. Its high wall penetration also makes it a great tool for pre-firing angles plus common camping spots and is especially strong for Sova players.
Odin – The Odin has all the similar points to the areas, however, costing more than double its price, the Odin pays for having high damage, double the clip of the Ares, and a higher fire-rate.
While gun choices are deeply situational, based off playstyle, and differs across ranks, we have established a general Valorant weapons tier list considering their cost and effectiveness in varying situations.
Both lists below rank weapons and pistols based on play-rate, success rate and frequency of usage. It does not necessarily mean you will be better if you pick 1-2-3 as your loadout and the rest is garbage, it just illustrates how prominent each weapon is in play and how well they are doing in terms of accuracy and headshot rate.
Weapon
1. Phantom
2. Vandal
3. Operator
4. Judge
5. Spectre
6. Marshal
—–
7. Guardian
8. Odin
9. Stinger
10. Bulldog
11. Ares
12. Bucky
Not everything goes to plan. Sometimes you will need to force buy or play sub-optimal load-outs, especially after losing post plant or crucial economy rounds. Here’s some buys that are finding great success currently.
If you still consider yourself a newbie in Valorant, check out our Valorant Beginner’s Guide.
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