In first-person shooter games, players are typically given a free starter gun of some kind. For example, pistols are the most common starter gun in any first-person shooter game, but these guns are often weak, and players tend to forgo these types of guns as the game goes on.
As players progress in-game and amass a collection of guns, the starter gun is usually left behind and often forgotten, never to be used again. This is especially true for games with storylines such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, and the Far Cry series to name a few.
However, in tactical shooters such as CSGO and VALORANT, pistols are some of the most essential guns in the game, regardless of whether players already have a better gun such as an automatic rifle. The time-to-kill in tactical shooter games is so short that switching to the pistol is often quicker than reloading their main weapon.
VALORANT, in particular, has one of the most overpowered free guns in any tactical shooting game ever.
Enter, Le Classique. Better-known in-game as The Classic.
The Classic
If pistol-type guns are often shunned or forgotten in other FPS games, in VALORANT, no one will ever forget getting jumping-right-clicked in the face with the Classic.
Getting insta-killed with the Classic right-click is one of the most disrespectfully-hilarious plays in a game of VALORANT.
Imagine saving up 2900 in-game credits to buy an automatic rifle only to get stuffed in the face with a free gun. That kind of thing will send you into a tilted state and will surely affect your in-game mental outlook throughout the rest of the game.
If you have ever played CSGO, you might realize that the Classic is actually Riot Games trying to be like Professor Utonium when he made the Power Puff Girls. Riot Games took every ingredient – sugar, spice, and everything nice from CSGO’s P2000 and Glock and turned it into the perfect little gun.
The result is a P2000 on steroids – and this baby is buff.
The Classic has 48 bullets in total, with 12 rounds per magazine. It is one of the lightest guns in-game that offers the fastest movement speed at 5.73 meters per second when equipped, second only to having your knife out.
Players can switch to the Classic in 0.75 seconds and fire at a maximum rate of 6.75 rounds per second. Reload time is quick at only 1.75 seconds. Finally, the first shot spread is at a 0.4 degree spread after subsequent shots.
How To Use The Classic
To learn to use the Classic to its full potential, we first must understand how the Classic works, and when, where, and how you can be most effective with it.
The Classic falls flat on its face because of its low damage output and its inaccuracy at longer ranges. That is expected since it is a pistol, and it is a free gun, remember?
Classic vs. Ghost
When comparing the Classic versus its counterpart Ghost, the Classic has the advantage in reload speed and bullet spread, despite their indicated stats.
The Ghost, on the other hand, will have the advantage at longer ranges. Its suppressed gunfire and overall damage are also better than the Classic, not to mention the greater bullet capacity.
While shooting as fast as possible from a standstill, the Classic has the visually tighter bullet grouping regardless of the distance you are shooting from. However, you still have to remember to pace your shots and find the right balance between firing speed and accuracy.
The Classic is still purely a close-to-mid-range weapon at best, though. Players have to remember that the Classic only deals 78 damage to the head, 26 to the body, and 22 to the legs at 0-30 meters. While that damage slightly drops off beyond 30 meters to 66, 22, and 18 to the head, body, and legs, respectively.
Players will need to land at least two headshots at close range and three for longer ranges. Let’s not even talk about how many body or leg shots you need to land before you can kill anybody with the Classic.
Therefore, the Classic is a terrible weapon for long-range gun duels. This is why the Classic is often eschewed in favor of the Ghost on maps with longer sightlines.
Don’t Make me Right-Click You
The Classic’s piece de resistance is its three-bullet burst alt-fire.
With the Classic’s right-click (or alt-fire), players are able to shoot a three bullet burst-fire. Each Classic bullet deals 78 damage to the head at 0-30 meters, so landing two lucky headshots with the right-click will almost instantly kill anyone at close range.
You will be the most effective with the Classic by remembering these key points:
- Keep it short (the distance between you and the enemy)
- Play around corners
- Alternate between left and right-click to reset the alt-fire inaccuracy
- Stop and shoot
- Keep moving
- Keep the distance between you and your enemies short. This means that you have to play the Classic the way it is meant to be played; like a shotgun.
- With number one in mind, you need to find tight corners to play the Classic right-click effectively. Look for a corner where enemies will have to fully clear the corner to see where you are and then catch them off guard with a Classic Burst-fire.
- A little-known secret for keeping the right-click of the Classic accurate is to alternate between the Normal fire and the Alt-fire. Go ahead and try this in The Range.
- As with any gun in the game, you are inaccurate while moving. Stop to shoot, and then move to another position to be more unpredictable.
- It might sound contradictory to number 4, but this plays well with the high movement speed the Classic gives players while equipped. Keep moving to make you harder to hit, but always remember number 4.
Free Does Not Mean Terrible
There is a correlation between the price of an item and its perceived value. People tend to associate value with high costs. The higher the price, the better the value. Right?
The Classic completely obliterates that train of thought, at least in VALORANT. You can’t hate on the Classic. Ever. The gun is free, and you paid absolutely nothing to use it.
The Classic is an amazing gun when used correctly. All you have to do is play to its advantages to reap the rewards offered by this small but terrible gun.
Never sleep on the Classic. After all, you know you couldn’t force yourself to sleep last night after you got Classic’d clean on the face.
