There are many guns that you can use in Valorant, each with their own perks and subsequent costs. Depending on your preferred playtype and available credits, some guns may be a better choice for you than others. By the way, if you are familiar with CS:GO, you might notice that some of these guns seem familiar. While the weapons may look similar, there are some key differences to their ADS effects. In fact, many veteran CS:GO players were won over to Valorant before the game even left beta mode!

But how do you know which one is ideal for you? You could learn through trial or error, or you could read this guide. At Overboost, we have plenty of experience playing Valorant, and we're happy to share our expert knowledge of each weapon with you.

Rifles

Bulldog

Valorant currently has three fully-automatic rifles, and the Bulldog is the most affordable one to purchase. Unlike other rifles, the Bulldog features a 3-round burst. This is ideal for close-range combat, as the spread increases when you fire it at a medium- or long-distance range. So, when targets are further away, use the primary fire mode. The Bulldog will typically kill an enemy with 2 taps to the head or 5 to the legs/body.

When shooting ADS (Aiming Down Sights), it makes the Bulldog's aim more accurate, and the recoil and spread are reduced. This makes the ADS ideal for when you are either assaulting a site or holding one down.

Vandal

The Vandal is another fully automatic rifle, and it has the ability to one-shot enemies with a well-aimed headshot. Like with the Bulldog, you can ADS in order to reduce spread - so long as you are okay with reducing the fire rate.

Overall, the Vandal trades off better recoil and higher spread in exchange for an ideal range of linear damage. What does this mean? Well, no matter how far away from the target you are, the Vandal will kill them with either 1 head shot or 5 body/leg shots.

Due to the Vandal's hefty price tag, it's usually just seen in gun rounds, which is a round where both teams have money. This assault rifle is great for holding down a site, especially when you use its ADS.

Phantom

The Phantom rifle costs as much as the Vandal, sitting pretty at 2,900 credits. It does less damage than the Vandal rifle per bullet, but it has better accuracy and a lower spread. What's more, it uses a silencer so you can go undetected by your enemies.

Because of the Phantom's accuracy and silence, it is an ideal weapon for ambushing. When you are close up, you can one-shot enemies with a single headshot. From a long-range distance, it will take 6 leg taps, 5 body taps, or 2 head taps. As with the Vandal, the Phantom is most often seen during gun rounds.

When you use the Phantom's ADS, you can hold down sites. The gun's primary fire already has low spread, so using its ADS mode makes it even more accurate.

Guardian

This is a mid-priced semi-automatic rifle - and, in fact, it is currently Valorant's only semi-automatic rifle. The Guardian features a 1.5 zoom in addition to the greatest damage per bullet (when compared to the game's other three rifles). At any range, the Guardian will take an enemy down with 1 bullet to the head, 3 to the body, or 4 to the legs.

The Guardian is best used in a defensive situation. Because of its ideal damage and great zoom, you can kill anybody who is peeking around corners.

Sniper Rifles

Marshal

The Marshal is a sniper rifle that offers low movement speed penalty, as well as a high amount of damage for each bullet. What's more, the Marshal allows for excellent accuracy when no-scoping. And, if you do want to use the scope, the animation is quite fast. This lets you shoot off very quickly when peeking around a corner. When your opponent is wearing heavy armor, the Marshal will kill them with one shot to the head or two to the legs/body.

Operator

The Operator is Valorant's only other sniper rifle, and it is much more expensive than the Marshal - sitting at 4,500 credits! However, it has the greatest damage out of any other Valorant weapon. It can pretty much kill an enemy in one shot, regardless of whether you hit their head, body, or legs.

In addition to this, the Operator has a dual zoom feature. You can use its 5x zoom for precise angles, whereas its 2.5x zoom is ideal for aiming into open areas. However, keep in mind that the Operator's fire rate is very low. You don't want to miss your target, or else you will be giving them ample time to retaliate.

Sidearms

Classic

You'll receive this as your starting pistol for each round. It's quite weak, but it is ideal in situations where you don't have enough money to buy a different weapon. Use this until you've saved up enough to move on to something better. Because of the low damage, you'll have to make 2-3 headshots, 7 body shots, or 8 leg shots in order to kill an opponent.

Shorty

If you're short on credits, the Shorty has you covered. It's a cheap weapon - in fact, it is the cheapest purchasable weapon in the whole game. Because of the affordable nature of the Shorty, it is ideal for when you are ambushing enemies. You can take the weapons they drop and use them later on.

The Shorty can only be used to kill at close range, ideally under 9 meters - but under 15 meters will also work. In addition to this, the Shorty has a very bad spread.

Frenzy

This cheap weapon only costs 400 credits, and it does decent damage. You should use it at close range, which allows you to spray at enemies rapidly. However, you can also use it at medium- to long-ranges in order to burst fire or tap your opponents. If your team's economy is bad, this is an ideal choice.

Ghost

This sidearm comes equipped with a silencer, which allows you to lurk unnoticed - hence the name. At 500 credits, it is pretty cheap and does good damage - but its ammo capacity is low. We'd say use it as a backup weapon, as it has decent damage and pretty consistent results. It never hurts having the Ghost on hand.

Sheriff

Standing at 800 credits, the Sherriff is Valorant's most pricey sidearm. Its magazine is small, while it packs a punch with high damage. While it is the most expensive sidearm, it is still much more affordable than other weapon types - which makes it great for economy rounds. You can get pretty good damage for a cheap price. To kill an enemy with the Sheriff, you need to make 1 headshot, 3 body shots, or 4 body shots - so long as you are within 30 meters.

Submachine Guns

Stinger

The Stinger has an incredibly high rate of fire, but its damage per bullet is much lower than other weapons. In addition to this, its high spread causes it to have less-than-ideal accuracy. However, it really excels in close-range combat when you can pepper your opponent with rapid fire. With a magazine size of just 20 rounds, though, be sure to make every shot count if you are going up against multiple enemies.

Spectre

The Spectre is Valorant's only other submachine gun. It's pricier than the Stinger, but it comes equipped with a silencer and features better accuracy and higher magazine capacity. Still, though, the damager per bullet is even lower than Stinger's. This is a good buy if your team doesn't have the cash to purchase any of Valorant's rifles. It lets you ambush enemies while you are saving up for something a bit better.

Shotguns

Bucky

Even though Bucky's magazine size is only 5, you can reload it after one shot without decreasing the fire rate. Essentially, this increases its magazine size to 15. The Bucky shotgun's primary fire isn't great if your enemy is further than 12 meters away. However, you can use its alternate fire mode to fire a single shell with exploding bullets. This mode is ideal for mid-range combat.

Judge

The Judge is a significantly more expensive shotgun than Bucky, yet it does less damage per bullet. However, where it excels is the highly decreased spread and improved rate of fire. This means that using the gun is more of a forgiving experience. You can reduce the shotgun's spread even further by using it while crouching.

Machine Guns

Ares

This heavy weapon has a high level of wall penetration and the 2^nd greatest magazine size in Valorant. You might notice that Ares' price is the same as the Spectre. While the Spectre is ideal for close and mid-range combat, Ares is best used for long-distance shooting.

Odin

Odin is the 2^nd most expensive gun in all of Valorant, and it has the highest magazine size. Like Ares, Odin features heavy wall penetration. Besides the greater damage-per-bullet, another advantage of Ares is that you immediately start off at max fire rate when using its ADS.

Conclusion

So, now that we've gone over all of Valorant's guns, you should have a better idea of which ones are best for you. Remember, you can always start with a cheaper gun and use it to pick off enemies - and then save up for a better weapon. The great thing about Valorant is that they have something for each price point. You can get a decent weapon even if you don't have many credits to spare.  Now that the game has officially launched, go try out your newfound knowledge of Valorant!