Our Valorant Weapon Guide series continues with the shotguns in Valorant. Today we take a closer look at the Bucky. Does the cheaper shotgun have enough power?

Before we get to the Bucky, we recommend you read our previous Valorant
Weapon Guides:

• Valorant Weapon Guide: Shorty
• Valorant Weapon Guide: Ghost
• Valorant Weapon Guide: Sheriff

Bucky Weapon Guide

We have already discussed the snipers, rifles, and sidearms in Valorant. Now it’s time for the real underdogs – the shotguns. The Bucky is the first shotgun on our list and it’s quite versatile. Here’s a quick look at the Bucky’s stats:

• Bucky Rate of Fire: 1.1 rounds/sec.
• Bucky Magazine: 5 rounds
• Bucky penetration: Low
• Bucky reload speed: 2.5 seconds (0.5 per round)

The Bucky is the cheapest primary weapon in Valorant and it packs quite a punch at short to medium range – you just have to know how to use it. One tip we can give you in advance is to reload the cases after every single shot.

Bucky damage

The Bucky is really sore in close combat. The shotgun fires 15 bullets per shot, of which only 8 have to hit for a kill (up to a distance of 8 meters). For headshots, the bullets make twice as much ouch, but the damage drops noticeably the farther away the enemy is:

• 0m-8m: body 20/head 40/legs 17
• 8m-12m: body 13/head 26/legs 11
• 12m-50m: body 9/head 18/legs 7

Trying to hit your enemies with primary fire over a distance greater than 8 meters is an even stupider idea than trying to pick off womprats with a T-16. However, this is where the Bucky’s alternate fire comes into play.

Bucky Alt-Fire

The Bucky is a shotgun, but can do pretty good damage at medium range with ADS. The shotgun’s alternate fire causes it to fire a canister that explodes at 7.5m, releasing five pellets instead of 15. This is still enough to take out an unarmored opponent at 8 to 12m. If you hit a target before the canister explodes, only a single pellet will do damage.

The Bucky’s penetrating power is as bad as it gets, so just avoid trying to shoot through walls.

Bucky price

The Bucky’s big advantage over many other weapons in Valorant is its price. As we have already mentioned, the Bucky is the cheapest primary weapon and patch 3.00 has further reduced this price from 900 credits to 850. Now you’re probably wondering: is the Bucky better than the Sheriff? That’s a good question, and the answer is simple. The Sheriff has a lot of shot recovery and requires good aim, while the Bucky can kill without a headshot. If you have a better Aim than Luke Skywalker, the Sheriff is probably the better choice. The Bucky can, however, usually kill faster at close range.

Conclusion

The Bucky is the cheaper shotgun in Valorant and the cheapest primary weapon. It can take down enemies at close range with one shot and do some serious damage at up to 12m. If you want to fight battles at longer distances, there are probably better weapons. Oh what are we saying, almost any weapon is better then. The Bucky is all about close combat, so throw yourself into the fray with it!

Valorant Beginner’s Guide

Overwhelmed with Valorant? No wonder… Without experience in similar games (such as CS:GO or Overwatch) the start in Valorant is difficult. But don’t worry, we are here to help you with our Valorant Beginner Guide.

Valorant is a special game. Many think that getting into the game is easy, but without shooter experience, you’ll quickly be on the ropes. Even CS:GO veterans can get into trouble… In Counter Strike, there are no flying knife-throwing things-people. But that’s why we are here.

This beginner’s guide is meant to help you get started in Valorant and introduce you to the world of Valorant. After that, the most important features should be clear to you, so that the fun in Valorant is not lost.

Valorant Beginner Guide: Basics

Let’s start with the meaning behind the game. In other words: What is Valorant anyway? Valorant is a first-person shooter in which two teams consisting of five players face off. The first team to win 13 rounds wins. Both teams have a different role – attacker and defender.

The goal of the attackers is to place a spike and protect it until detonation. This must happen on one of the three spots (A/B/C). In turn, the defenders must prevent the attackers from doing so.

Each match consists of two halves. After the first half (12 rounds), the two teams switch roles. The attackers become defenders, the defenders become attackers. Easy.

Agents

Before the start of a match, each player must choose an agent. Agents have unique skills, which in most cases also require a certain playstyle (offensive, defensive, support, etc.). Currently there are 16 agents in total, but new agents have already been leaked and should be added soon.

As a new player, you can initially choose between 5 free agents: Brimstone, Phoenix, Sova, Jett and Sage. To unlock more agents, you will have to sign contracts, which is mostly done via Daily Quests or earning experience points.

Valorant Beginner Guide: The best agent to start with

Phoenix is by far the easiest agent to start with in Valorant. His skills are not too complicated, can be combined well in any situation. But watch out with the flashbangs (aka your Q skill)! You’ll probably flashbang yourself and your mates quite often in the beginning, but practice makes perfect!

Valorant Beginner Guide: The best mode to start with

Stay away from Unrated mode for the beginning. This may sound strange, but especially the beginning of Valorant might be hard for you. Frustration will lead to quick quits, which in turn will get you involved in penalties and XP loss. That’s why you should start with Spike Rush first. An average game here lasts 8 minutes, while other modes can easily go over 50 minutes. In Spike Rush, you’ll be quickly released from suffering without having to take any penalties.

In addition, you don’t have to do any eco rounds in Spike Rush. This means that you’ll be able to try out your agents’ abilities, as well as the most varied weapons. Spike Rush is a great mode to learn the basics of Valorant. When you feel like you’re firmly in the saddle, you can try your luck in Unrated mode. After 20 matches in Unrated mode, you’ll gain access to Competitive mode, where you can earn ranks.

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