Our Valorant Weapon Guide series continues with the shotguns in Valorant. Today we take a look at the Judge. Clearly the better shotgun in Valorant, right?

Before we get to the Judge, we recommend you check out our previous Valorant Weapon Guides:

Read More:

• Valorant Weapon Guide: Bucky
• Valorant Weapon Guide: Shorty
• Valorant Weapon Guide: Sheriff

Judge Weapon Guide

We’ve already looked at the snipers, rifles, and sidearms in Valorant. Now it’s time for the real underdogs – the shotguns. The Judge is the second shotgun in Valorant and it is quite expensive compared to the Bucky. However, it is worth it. Here is a brief overview of the Judge’s stats:

• Judge rate of fire: 3.5 rounds/sec
• Judge Magazine: 7 rounds
• Judge penetration: Low
• Judge reload speed: 2.2 seconds

The Judge’s rate of fire is similar to the Sheriff’s, and it hits just as hard when enemies are nearby. The penetration is unfortunately pretty poor, so please don’t try to shoot through walls. Capisce?

Judge Damage

As you would expect from a shotgun, the Judge shines in close combat. Patch 3.00 was not good for the Judge, as it further increased the weapon’s damage drop at medium range. Pellet damage dropped from 13 to 10 from 10 meters and from 10 to 7 from 15 meters. See how it scales with distance here:

• 0m-10m: Body 17/Head 34/Legs 14.
• 10m-15m: body 10/head 20/legs 8
• 15m-50m: body 7/head 14/legs 6

Unlike the Bucky, the Judge does not have an alternate fire mode for mid-range opponents. This makes it really only effective in close combat.

Judge price

This is where it gets ugly for the Judge. Patch 3.00 has made the price even worse than it already was, as it has gone up from 1600 credits to 1850 credits. Therefore, it is currently more expensive than some other popular weapons like the Spectre. For this amount of credits, you can buy heavy armor and a Sheriff. Nevertheless, the Judge is a good choice if you want to slaughter your enemies at close range.

Conclusion

The Judge is the more expensive shotgun in Valorant, and you will probably think twice before buying it because of the recent price nerf. Nevertheless, the weapon’s effectiveness in close combat is unparalleled. It’s more accurate than the Bucky, and if you duck, the spread is reduced even further. Get close enough and aim accurately enough, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a one-shot kill.

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.

Heroes&WIKI, Valorant, ValorantGuide, ValorantGuides