Our Valorant Weapon Guide series started with the Vandal, but now it’s time to talk about its main competitor – the Phantom.

A lot has changed since the launch of Valorant’s closed beta a year ago, but one thing has remained the same – the number of weapons. We’ve already talked in detail about the Vandal, a weapon that is mostly preferred by players who rely on one-taps. But for whom is the Phantom suitable? That’s exactly the question we want to answer today.

Phantom Weapon Guide

The Phantom is a fully automatic weapon, similar to the Vandal, but it has a larger magazine and a higher rate of fire. Two things the weapons have in common are the reload time of 2.5 seconds and the average penetrating power.

• Rate of fire: 11 rounds/sec (9.75 – Vandal)
• Magazine: 30 rounds (25 rounds – Vandal)
• Penetrating power: Medium
• Reloading speed: 2.5 seconds

Another big difference from the Vandal is that the Phantom is equipped with a silencer. This is a big advantage, as you can shoot through Smoke without giving away your position.

Phantom Damage

The Phantom’s damage drops a bit over distance and is one of the lowest in the game. Here are the exact numbers:

• 0m-15m: body 39/head 156/legs 33
• 15m-30m: body 35/head 140/legs 29
• 30m-50m: body 31/head 124/legs 26

Two shots to the head are always a guaranteed kill. If an enemy is standing right in front of you, even a single shot is enough. Thanks to the high rate of fire, quick kills are also possible at longer distances.

Phantom Alt-Fire

The Phantom’s alt-fire is almost identical to the Vandal’s. Here are the advantages you get when zooming in:

• 1.25x zoom
• Slight reduction in dispersion
• Rate of fire: 9.9 rounds/sec

Overall, this means slightly more zoom, a slower rate of fire, and more accuracy when shooting over a longer period of time. Since you can’t kill enemies at longer ranges with a single shot, we recommend short bursts of fire with the Phantom.

Phantom Price

The Phantom costs 2900 credits, the same price as the Vandal. Both weapons are comparatively expensive, but also offer some of the best stats in the game at almost any range. As long as you don’t buy either of them in an Eco-Round, you can’t go far wrong here.

Phantom Recoil

Another big advantage the Phantom has over the Vandal is recoil. As a rule, the Phantom is always more accurate and the best part is that the spray pattern is very similar to the Vandal, but a bit easier to control. So when it comes to recoil and spray pattern, the Phantom is clearly ahead.

If you’ve ever played CS:GO, you’ll notice that the Vandal resembles the AK-47, while the Phantom is very similar to the M4. The two clones of the best weapons in Valve’s shooter are available to both sides at all times in Valorant (no distinction is made between attackers and defenders in weapons).

Phantom or Vandal?

This debate has been going on since Valorant was released. Even Riot Games is having trouble deciding.

The Vandal’s only major, but sometimes decisive, advantage is its one-tap kills. However, the Phantom wins in almost every other category:

• larger magazine
• higher rate of fire
• silencer
• less recoil and lighter spray pattern

Conclusion

So which of the two guns should you choose? The answer is simple: the one you’re more comfortable with. If you value killing enemies at any range with a single shot, then grab the Vandal, in any other case the Phantom is probably the better choice.

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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