Today we start our Valorant Weapon Guide series, where we go through all the weapons in detail with you. Let’s start with the Vandal, one of the most popular and most played weapons. We’ll explain why that is.

Valorant launched in closed beta with 17 weapons (18 if you count the knife) and a year later, that number still hasn’t changed. In a recent Q&A, one of the developers mentioned that new weapons are coming, but not in 2021, so for now, let’s focus on the Vandal, a one-shot kill weapon for those who have good Aim.

Vandal Weapon Guide

The Vandal is a fully automatic weapon that has enough bullets in a single magazine to take out the entire enemy team (at least in theory). It also has quite decent stats compared to the other weapons in the Rifle category. Some would even call it the best Rifle. Here are some details:

• Rate of fire: 9.75 rounds/sec
• Magazine: 25 rounds
• Penetrating power: Medium
• Reloading speed: 2.5 seconds

The entire magazine can be emptied in less than 3 seconds, so spraying is not necessarily the best choice. It’s best to use single shots or short bursts.

Vandal damage

Vandal’s damage is fairly constant and stays the same regardless of distance – no damage drop at distance.

• Head – 160 damage
• Body – 40 damage
• Legs – 34 damage

For a kill, that means 5 hits to the legs, 4 to the body, or a single head shot. The Vandal may seem pretty OP at first glance, but of course the advantages come with some disadvantages. It has a larger spread and higher recoil compared to most other Rifles.

Vandal Alt-Fire

The Vandal’s alternate fire mode isn’t really spectacular. Since the weapon can kill with a single shot, every millisecond counts here and aiming is a waste of time. The alternate fire mode grants a 25% zoom, 90% of the normal rate of fire, reduced movement speed and a slight reduction in spread and recoil.

So at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it. Is minimally better dispersion and recoil control worth the drawbacks for a weapon with one-tap potential that, at worst, requires only a few shots for a kill? That’s for everyone to decide for themselves.

Vandal Price

With a price of 2900 credits, the Vandal is definitely not a cheap weapon. The best time to buy the Vandal is when the entire team buys it. Don’t be the player who buys a Vandal in the Eco!

Vandal recoil

As we mentioned earlier, the one-tap potential has one drawback – the recoil. The Vandal’s recoil is stronger than the Phantom’s, but that doesn’t make the weapon bad by any means. The Vandal starts with an upward pattern, then moves to the right, followed by a turn to the left. At least, that’s usually the case, since the spray patterns in Valorant are a bit more random than in CS:GO, for example. Still, you can control the pattern well with a little practice. Here is a visual representation of the whole thing.

When you move from CS:GO to Valorant, you’ll quickly notice that the Vandal’s spray pattern is quite similar to that of the AK-47. Coincidence? Anyway, in order to tame the weapon, you have to use the mouse to perform the mirrored movement (shown in blue in the image above right). Alternatively, of course, you can rely on your aim and fire only single shots or short volleys (recommended).

Conclusion

For me personally, the Vandal is one of the three best weapons in Valorant. It has enormous damage, no damage drop at range, and the best one-tap potential. However, since Run&Gun is still very popular in Valorant, I can understand that the Vandal is not the right weapon for everyone. Overall, it’s still always a good choice as long as you don’t spray and aim for the head.

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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