Valorant Weapon Guide – All Guns, Stats & Best Buys

Valorant has 17 weapons across 6 categories. Understanding each gun's role, damage profile, and best-use scenario is the difference between winning your 1v1s and donating free guns to the enemy. This guide covers every weapon worth buying, the eternal Vandal vs. Phantom debate, and which gun to pull out in any economic situation.

Table of Contents

1. Rifles: Vandal, Phantom, Bulldog, Guardian
2. SMGs: Spectre, Stinger
3. Snipers: Operator, Marshal, Outlaw
4. Shotguns: Judge, Bucky
5. Heavies: Odin, Ares
6. Sidearms: Sheriff, Ghost, Classic, Frenzy, Shorty
7. Vandal vs. Phantom Deep Dive
8. FAQ

Rifles

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Vandal	2900	25/75	Primary rifle. One-tap headshot at ALL ranges. Higher recoil than Phantom. Best for long angles and tap-firing.
Phantom	2900	30/90	Primary rifle. One-tap headshot within ~15m; beyond that, 140 headshot damage (leaves enemy at 10 HP with heavy shields). Faster fire rate, tighter spray, silenced. No bullet tracers through smokes. Best for close-mid range and spraying through smokes.
Bulldog	2050	24/72	Budget rifle. Full-auto primary, ADS fires a 3-round burst. Respectable mid-range option on force buys.
Guardian	2250	12/36	Semi-auto DMR. Perfect first-shot accuracy, 1.5x scope, high penetration. One-tap headshot at all ranges. High skill floor.

SMGs

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Spectre	1600	30/90	Best SMG. Silenced, run-and-gun capable, strong at close-mid range. The standard Round 2 buy after winning pistol. Falls off hard at range — don't challenge rifle players at 30m+.
Stinger	1100	20/60	Budget SMG. Insane fire rate for close-range ambushes. 20-round magazine empties fast — you need to hit the burst or you're dead during reload. ADS fires a 4-round burst.

Snipers

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Operator	4700	5/10	One-shot kill to the body at any range. Slow fire rate, slow movement while scoped. The ultimate angle-holder's weapon. Only buy with heavy shields and on defense or with a coordinated attack holding post-plant angles.
Marshal	950	5/15	Budget sniper. One-shot headshot at all ranges; bodyshot does ~101 damage (leaves heavy-shield enemies at 49 HP). No-scope accuracy is surprisingly good at close range. Common eco-round weapon.
Outlaw	2400	2/10	Double-barrel sniper. Fires two shots rapidly. Bodyshot damage is high enough to kill light-shield enemies in one shot. Reloads both barrels after two shots. Niche: best against eco rounds where enemies only have light shields.

Shotguns

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Judge	1850	7/21	Fully automatic shotgun. Devastating at close range — can clear a tight corner instantly. Common on defense in close-quarters maps (Split, Bind hookah).
Bucky	850	5/10	Pump-action shotgun. Right-click fires an air-burst shell with extended range. Niche eco-round weapon for holding tight angles. The air-burst can catch enemies off-guard at mid-range.

Heavy Machine Guns

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Odin	3200	100/200	Wall-bang machine. High fire rate, high penetration, massive magazine. Can spray through walls and smokes with devastating effect. Common on Sova/Fade players who can reveal enemies through walls. Movement speed is very slow.
Ares	1600	50/150	Budget LMG. Spin-up time before firing at full rate. Cheaper alternative to Odin for wall-bang strategies. Less effective at range due to lower fire rate and accuracy.

Sidearms

Weapon	Price	Mag/Ammo	Role
Classic	Free	12/36	Default pistol. Left-click: semi-auto, decent at range. Right-click: 3-round burst, deadly at close range (jump-shot burst is a meme for a reason — it works).
Shorty	300	2/6	Mini shotgun. Two shells, devastating at point-blank range. Common on eco rounds for holding tight corners. Also used as a secondary by Operator players for close-range defense.
Frenzy	450	13/39	Full-auto pistol. Run-and-gun at close range. Strong on pistol round if you can close distance. Falls off hard past 15m.
Ghost	500	15/45	Silenced semi-auto pistol. One-tap headshot at close range (within ~30m). Strongest pistol-round buy for precision players.
Sheriff	800	6/18	Revolver. One-tap headshot at ALL ranges (145 damage to the head with heavy shields = instant kill). High recoil between shots. The "hero" eco weapon — land headshots and you turn eco rounds into wins.

Vandal vs. Phantom: The Eternal Debate

This is the single most debated topic in Valorant. Here's the objective breakdown:

Factor	Vandal	Phantom
Headshot kill range	All ranges (one-tap)	0-15m (one-tap); 15m+ = 140 dmg
Fire rate	9.75 rounds/sec	11 rounds/sec (~13% faster)
Magazine	25 rounds	30 rounds
Recoil	Higher, especially first 5 bullets	Tighter spray pattern, easier to control
Silencer	No	Yes — no tracers through smokes
Best on maps...	Breeze, Icebox, Haven (long angles)	Split, Bind, Ascent (close-mid angles)

Rule of thumb: If you tap-fire and hold long angles, pick Vandal. If you spray and play close-mid range, pick Phantom. If you're unsure, pick Phantom — the silenced fire rate advantage and smoke-spam potential make it more forgiving. At the highest level, most pros use both situationally based on the map and their position.

Related Guides

• Valorant Economy Guide
• Valorant Beginner Guide
• Valorant Aim Training Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does the Phantom not one-tap at long range?

A: The Phantom has damage falloff — beyond 15m, headshot damage drops to 140. With heavy shields (150 total HP), the enemy survives with 10 HP. This is a deliberate design choice: the Phantom trades long-range kill consistency for a faster fire rate, larger magazine, and silencer. You need to double-dink (two headshots) at range.

Q: Is the Guardian worth buying over the Bulldog?

A: If you have good aim, yes. The Guardian's perfect first-shot accuracy means your crosshair placement directly translates to kills. The Bulldog is more forgiving (full-auto spray) but less precise. At 2250 vs 2050 credits, the difference is minimal. If you're confident in your aim, Guardian. If you want forgiveness, Bulldog.

Q: When should I use the Odin?

A: The Odin excels when you have recon info (Sova dart, Fade eye, Cypher cam) revealing enemies behind walls. Spam through walls/smokes using the revealed outlines. It's also strong on defense for holding specific chokes (Ascent B main, Haven garage). The Odin is NOT a rifle replacement — you move slowly and the spin-up time loses you fights at close range.

Q: Is the Sheriff viable on eco rounds?

A: Yes, it's the premier eco weapon. At 800 credits, it's half the Ghost price but with one-tap headshot potential at all ranges. On eco, you're looking for high-impact plays — a Sheriff headshot instantly turns a 5v5 into a 5v4 and lets you pick up the enemy's rifle. The risk: if you miss, you're dead. Pair it with light shields (400) if you have the credits from a plant bonus.

Q: Do skins affect weapon performance?

A: Officially, no — skins are cosmetic only. However, some skins have different firing sounds and visual recoil animations that subjectively feel better (the community frequently cites Prime Vandal and Reaver Vandal as skins that "feel" more accurate). This is purely psychological/audio feedback. Actual weapon stats never change with skins.