Valorant is a relatively new FPS game introduced in 2020 that took the world by storm. It has become one of the top FPS multiplayer games alongside CS: GO and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Valorant stands out because, aside from the typical FPS concept and mind games, the Agents are equipped with different and dynamic abilities that can change how this game is played.
But at the end of the day, Valorant is still a first-person shooter game. You will need to shoot, and knowing your arsenal of weapons by heart will help you confidently shoot.
Weapons in Valorant
The weapons in Valorant are divided into six types. There are five sidearms, two SMGs, two shotguns, four rifles, two snipers, and two heavy machine guns. Each weapon varies from one other with its perks and quirks, but they all have their purposes.
Eco rounds will force you to buy a cheap SMG or a sidearm and rely on weapon drops. During these rounds, you will have to know the strengths and limits of the weapon you can afford.
This makes it a good habit to try and practice all the weapons available in the arsenal so you can get used to them to a certain degree. Mastering the agents’ abilities and lineups is half the game, while the other half is your aim and choice of weapons.
Rifles are arguably the best weapon in the game. They are the perfect mix of power, rate of fire, and range. Four rifles in Valorant vary both in price and characteristics. While these are rifles, they each have unique traits and circumstantial advantages.
Our fate in the game will ultimately reply on which weapon we choose. Players get rewarded with Credits when they land a kill, win the round, and purchase better weapons in the following round. Earning enough credits to buy rifles is an unspoken goal in the game since acquiring them will make your life much easier.
If you are new to the game or have decided to stick with sniper rifles and pistols, read on. We will tell you why the four rifles in Valorant are the standard weaponry for pros and why you must use them.
Bulldog
The Bulldog is the cheapest of the four rifles in the game. It is a bullpup assault rifle and an AUG variant. This fully-automatic rifle has a great fire rate and damage. It can kill with two bullets to the head and five to the body and legs.
It houses 24 bullets max making it a well-balanced weapon regarding clip size and damage. Like all the other rifles in Valorant, there is an ADS (Aim-Down Sights) mode for the Bulldog, which changes its fire mode to 3-shot bursts.
The Bulldog is relatively cheap and can be purchased in eco rounds at only 2050 credits. SMGs are still cheaper, but the Bulldog offers a higher rate of fire and lower damage fall-off.
This weapon is best used with normal fire between medium to long-range shooting since the ADS can significantly spread the bullets with burst mode.
While many players argue whether the Phantom or the Vandal is the better gun, the Bulldog sits quietly at the back with a comparatively good DPS for almost a thousand credits cheaper.
If you expect to fight from long distances and lack the money for a Vandal or an Operator, we suggest you get the Bulldog instead of an SMG. Listed below are the specs of Bulldog:
- Price – 2050 credits
- Mag Size – 24
- Fire rate – 9.15 rounds/sec
- Alt-Fire – 1.25x zoom, 3-round burst at 4 rounds/sec
- Wall Penetration – Medium
- Damage at any range
- Head – 116
- Body – 35
- Legs – 30
Guardian
The Guardian is the second rifle in Valorant. This semiautomatic rifle is characterized by its low rate of fire but high damage and accuracy. The Guardian is probably an imagined futurized version of the M1 Garand.
While it may be a semi, players worldwide refer to this weapon as the Operator’s younger brother. It is the only semiautomatic rifle in the game and holds the record for the greatest damage per bullet. It can one-shot an enemy to the head, three to the body, and four to the legs.
This semiautomatic can fire at a decent rate. However, one tapping with enough rest periods between shots can keep your aim spot-on if you wish to maintain accuracy.
Many players fear the Guardian in the right hands, especially during defending rounds. It can one-tap you or send a follow-up if it misses, making it a powerful weapon to hold down angles and take out multiple enemies with high penetration.
The Guardian requires a player to have good aim since its slow rate of fire is a tradeoff, especially when compared to the Vandal and Phantom. If you are a calm and accurate player, you are doing a disservice by not using this weapon in your matches. Listed below are the specs of Guardian:
- Price – 2250 credits
- Mag Size – 12
- Fire rate – 6.5 rounds/sec
- Alt-Fire – 1.5x zoom
- Wall Penetration – Medium
- Damage at any range
- Head – 195
- Body – 65
- Legs – 49
Phantom
The Phantom is one of the two most favorite and debatable rifles in Valorant. This fully automatic rifle is roughly modeled after a suppressed SCAR-L. It is priced at 2900 credits, just like Vandal’s noisier counterpart.
Since the game’s release, valorant players have continuously compared the Phantom with the Vandal. To cut a long story short, both weapons have their perks and quirks. While the Phantom has a lower damage per bullet than the Vandal, it makes up for this by having better accuracy, better spread, and a silencer to boot!
This rifle is great for both assaults and defending due to its accuracy. It can one-tap an enemy in the head at close ranges and two-taps at long-range shootouts. Together with the Spectre, the Phantom’s fast rate of fire and silencer makes it great for ambushes while staying hidden on the map.
Using the Phantom’s ADS can further reduce the recoil spread and make this an even more accurate weapon in long-range situations. It has bigger fall-off damage than the Vandal, making this a better option for rushing in and close to medium-range fighting. Listed below are the specs of Phantom:
- Price – 2900 credits
- Mag Size – 30
- Fire rate – 11 rounds/sec
- Alt-Fire – 1.25x zoom, 9.9 rounds/sec
- Wall Penetration – Medium
- Damage at 15m and below
- Head – 156
- Body – 39
- Legs – 33
- Damage at 16m to 30m
- Head – 140
- Body – 35
- Legs – 30
- Damage at 30m and above
- Head – 124
- Body – 31
- Legs – 26
Vandal
The Vandal is the second of the two most favorite rifles in Valorant. This fully automatic rifle is based on a modern AK rifle variant with some design and mechanical tweaks here and there. This Phantom counterpart has higher damage per bullet and does not suffer distance fall-off damage.
Priced at the same price as the Phantom at 2900 credits, this powerful rifle is one of the most versatile weapons in the game. It can kill enemies with four bullets to the body and five to the legs. It has a high damage output at long ranges and can one-shot an enemy to the head for an easy kill.
The Phantom and the Vandal are the most expensive of all the rifles and are only outpriced by the Odin and the Operator. The tradeoff for the Vandal’s consistently high damage output is the high spread and recoil, making it more difficult to control.
The Vandal’s “wild” recoil is an issue for new players, so most players starting in Valorant stick with the Phanom. It does not necessarily take a pro to master using the Vandal. It has a steeper learning curve than players would find with the Phantom. Listed below are the specs of Vandal:
- Price – 2900 credits
- Mag Size – 25
- Fire rate – 9.25 rounds/sec
- Alt-Fire – 1.25x zoom, 8.32 rounds/sec
- Wall Penetration – Medium
- Damage at any range
- Head – 156
- Body – 39
- Legs – 33
Valorant Rifles
Rifles are the cream of the crop in Valorant. They are the best power, speed, balance, and range mix. Hypothetically, in a match of players with all equal skill and aim, any FPS game will boil down to which one has the better weapon.
While the Odin and the Operator are unquestionably the most powerful weapons in the game, they are not the weapons you can afford in early and eco rounds. While SMGs and sidearms are powerful tools, few can outgun a player with one of these four rifles.
If you are afraid to lose credits by purchasing a rifle, remember you can also get this money back by killing enemies efficiently with these expensive weapons. That is what credits in the game are made for to purchase better weapons.
Generally, most weapons in Valorant are situational weapons. Rifles shine in most situations for being versatile and powerful weapons. They can fight on equal footing with snipers and machine guns. If the only thing stopping you from purchasing rifles is the fear of losing them in the next round — do not. Use these rifles on your next match and see how much you have missed.
