Valorant gun tier list: Best weapons, Vandal vs Phantom, more

Before every round, Valorant players have to pick one weapon based on the Creds they have. If you’re struggling to take down opponents, check out this Valorant gun tier list that has the best guns in the game from each category and reveals the better weapon between Vandal and Phantom.

Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 arrived with Outlaw and this is the first time Riot Games has added a new weapon to the game since its release in June 2020. Similar to CS2, you’re expected to own a weapon before every round and because of limited Creds, choosing the right weapon is key to winning games.

On top of that, Valorant features eighteen weapons from different categories, each with unique properties and advantages. While some weapons reward precise aim, others allow you to spray down enemies.

To help you be at the top of your game, here’s a Valorant gun tier list featuring the best guns from every category in Episode 8 Act 1 and answering which gun you should pick between the Phantom and Vandal.

• Valorant gun tier list: Best weapons ranked
• S-tier guns in Valorant
• A-tier guns in Valorant
• B-tier weapons in Valorant
• C-tier weapons in Valorant
• D-tier weapons in Valorant
• Phantom vs Vandal: Which rifle is better in Valorant? 
• Best Valorant guns for beginners
• Most used weapons by Valorant pros

Valorant gun tier list: Best weapons ranked

Below, you’ll find every gun in Valorant placed in tiers, ranging from S to D. The guns placed in the S tier are the best while the ones placed in the D tier are the worst.

Tier	Valorant gun
S	Vandal, Phantom, Operator
A	Outlaw, Specter, Sheriff, Ghost
B	Guardian, Marshal, Odin
C	Bulldog, Ares, Judge, Classic, Stinger
D	Bucky, Frenzy, Shorty

S-tier weapons in Valorant

Vandal

• Price – 2900
• Wall penetration – Medium
• Fire rate – 9.75 rds/ sec
• Reload – 2.5 sec
• Magazine – 25
• Damage – 160 to Head at all ranges

The Vandal is easily one of the most versatile and powerful guns in Valorant that rewards players with precise aim and stable crosshair placement. Because there’s no damage drop-off based on distance, you can one-shot opponents (160 Head damage) at any range with this weapon just like the Operator, all while spending much less Creds.

Mastering the Vandal’s recoil pattern and handling might take some time, but once you do, getting this gun in all buy rounds is a no-brainer.

Phantom

• Price – 2900
• Wall penetration – Medium
• Fire rate – 11 rds/ sec
• Reload – 2.5 sec
• Magazine – 30
• Damage – 156 to Head to 15 meters

The Phantom is another top-tier Valorant weapon that only lags behind the Vandal in damage. It has a better fire rate, a bigger magazine, and more stability, making it ideal for spraying down enemies in close and mid-range encounters.

The Phantom is not a tough gun to handle, and beginners who are still improving their aim can choose it over the Vandal for early success. However, it is important to note that the Phantom’s damage drops after 15 and 30 meters so you won’t be able to one-shot opponents with headshots that consistently.

Operator

• Price – 4700
• Wall penetration – High
• Fire rate – 0.6 rds/ sec
• Reload – 3.7 sec
• Magazine – 5
• Damage – 255 to Head and 150 to Body at any distance

Only one weapon can guarantee you a kill in Valorant with a body shot, and it’s the Operator. Its placement in the S tier should be no surprise, as, despite the high cost, this weapon is absolutely lethal in the right hands.

The Operator is best for defending sites with long entry paths and opponents are compelled to spam their abilities if they want to push through. Of course, using this weapon is only recommended if you’re confident about your sniping skills as losing it without any return can drastically harm your team’s economy.

A-tier guns in Valorant

Outlaw

• Price – 2400
• Wall penetration – High
• Fire rate – 2.75 rds/sec
• Reload – 2.3 sec for 1 bullet and 3.8 sec for 2
• Magazine – 2
• Damage – 238 to Head and 140 to Body at any distance

At just 2400 Creds, the Outlaw has instantly become one of the best guns in Valorant Episode 8 Act 1. It offers two shots and doesn’t break zoom after firing like the Operator and the Marshal. In early rounds and against enemies with Light armor, this weapon can be a game-changer as you can one-shot with a headshot or deal two body/leg shots to seal the deal.

Specter

• Price – 1600
• Wall penetration – Low
• Fire rate – 13.3 rds/ sec
• Reload – 2.25 sec
• Magazine – 30
• Damage – 78 to Head and 26 to Body before 15 meters

The Specter’s fire rate and massive magazine make it one of the best guns in Valorant. When you don’t have enough Creds for a Vandal or a Phantom, the Specter is a cheap yet handy alternative. At close range, you can get away by running and shooting simultaneously without facing a lot of recoil.

Thanks to the big magazine, the Specter can be spammed when you’re blinded by utilities and you might even get a surprise kill or two with smart crosshair placement. The only downside of the Specter, as with any SMG, is its damage drop-off so make sure to tap instead of spray at long ranges. 

Sheriff

• Price – 800 
• Wall penetration – High
• Fire rate – 4 rds/ sec
• Reload – 2.25 sec
• Magazine – 6
• Damage – 159 to Head and 55 to Body till 30 meters

As a pistol, the Sheriff’s price in Valorant might seem like a lot, but its high damage and quick fire rate certainly compensate for it. You can one-shot opponents at medium range and even following the damage drop-off, a few body or head shots can take someone out. 

The Sheriff is clearly a high-risk high-reward weapon that can prove to be great value for money in saving rounds as with precise aim, it can outshine the ARs as well.  

Ghost 

• Price – 500
• Wall penetration – Medium
• Fire rate – 6.75 rds/ sec
• Reload – 1.5 sec
• Magazine – 15
• Damage – 105 to Head and 30 to Body till 30 metres

Ghost is one of the best guns for the first round in Valorant due to its quick fire rate and reload speed. The damage is high enough to one-shot most opponents without armor and that will be the case a lot of times in the first round. 

Players with good aim can easily make the most of the Ghost as landing two consecutive headshots at any range will guarantee an elimination. 

B-tier weapons in Valorant

Guardian

• Price – 2250
• Wall penetration – High
• Fire rate – 5.25 rds/ sec
• Reload –  2.5  sec
• Magazine – 12
• Damage – 195 to Head and 65 to Body till 50 meters

In rounds when you’re running short of Creds to buy the Phantom or Vandal but want a weapon with high damage, the Guardian is a reliable option. It is a semi-automatic weapon with massive headshot damage up to 50 meters so anyone with solid aim and crosshair placement can make the most of it.

The fire rate is extremely effective considering the damage and getting multiple kills with a single magazine shouldn’t be too tough for anyone with the desired skill set. 

Odin 

• Price – 3200
• Wall penetration – High
• Fire rate – 12-15.6 rds/ sec
• Reload –  5  sec
• Magazine – 100
• Damage – 95 to Head and 38 to Body till 30 meters

The only thing that makes the Odin stand out among other Valorant weapons is the massive magazine. With 100 bullets and an easy-to-understand recoil pattern, you can spray through walls endlessly with the Odin. Your opponents certainly won’t like this, and in a fair 1v1 fight, the Vandal and Phantom can easily outgun the Odin due to higher damage.

Having said that, the Odin is not a bad weapon at all. If used correctly and in a defensive way, it can shred opponents before they realize it but limited viability and a low-skill entry barrier have pushed it down to the B tier. 

Marshal 

• Price – 950
• Wall penetration – Medium
• Fire rate – 1.5 rds/ sec
• Reload –  2.5  sec
• Magazine – 5
• Damage – 202 to Head and 101 to Body till 50 meters

At its price, you can’t complain about the Marshal’s damage and fire rate in Valorant. In save rounds, it is a great way to hold sites and take out opponents who might be using pistols or a Specter in long-range fights. 

Marshal rewards accuracy and confident players do not refrain from purchasing it in the second round following a loss. Even at close range, a Marshal can work like a Guardian and help you one-shot targets with headshots and the body shots can considerably affect an opponent. 

C-tier guns in Valorant

The following weapons have been placed in the C-tier in our Valorant weapon tier list:

• Bulldog – It is not the most versatile gun in the pool with its unusual firing pattern (3-bullet burst) and the clunky firing might be an issue against hard-hitting weapons like Guardian, Phantom, and Vandal. 
• Ares – This is a weaker version of the Odin with a smaller magazine and it’s only good for spamming through walls and when you’re blinded. If you have good aim, saving up for a better weapon is recommended.
• Judge – Judge is a shotgun with high damage and it costs 1850 Creds which doesn’t seem enticing considering the weapon’s limited scope. It is almost useless at mid to long-range but can certainly be used to surprise opponents by camping a corner. 
• Classic – The Classic’s steady handling and burst-fire option through right-click are great, but in higher-skill lobbies, you’ll often find players using better pistols and the ones on a similar skill level should outgun you most of the time. Agents with brilliant utilities can purchase them and rely on the Classic in the first round. 
• Stinger – The Stinger’s unstable burst-fire and low magazine size are deal-breakers, even though this is a very cheap SMG. 

D-tier weapons in Valorant

These are the worst weapons in Valorant: 

• Bucky and Shorty are two cheap shotguns with high damage but very limited range. They only work in a handful of situations like camping corners in early rounds but in high-rank lobbies, getting away with this is rare. 
• Frenzy is a pistol in Valorant that allows you to spray down enemies but the unbearable recoil at higher ranges and the low damage make it the worst of the pistols. 

Phantom vs Vandal: Which AR is better in Valorant?  

The Phantom in Valorant is better for beginners while the Vandal is a much more rewarding option for experienced and skilled players. Although both weapons can be equally useful and reliable in short to mid ranges, the Vandal is the better gun by a mile at longer ranges because its damage doesn’t drop off at all. 

If you miss first-shot accuracy though, choosing the Phantom can drastically improve your win rate as its burst is a lot easier to control and you can quickly stack up enough damage to eliminate the opponent. 

Best Valorant guns for beginners

The Phantom, Ghost, Outlaw, and Specter are four of the best guns for beginners in Valorant as they’re the easiest to handle and allow you to spray instead of depending a lot on first-shot accuracy. 

The Outlaw is a great gun for anyone who wants to get into sniping in Valorant. With two shots, this sniper leaves a decent margin for error and the damage output is enough to one-shot opponents in most scenarios. 

The Judge is another straightforward weapon that beginners can use but it’s unlikely to have any benefits in the longer run. 

Once you’ve mastered these weapons, moving to the likes of Vandal and the Operator is recommended. 

Most used weapons by Valorant pros

Valorant pros mostly use the Vandal as it is the most value for money and a rewarding weapon for their skill set. We’re talking about players who rarely miss a headshot and cannot afford to lose a trade due to a damage drop-off by using the Phantom.

Having said that, the Phantom is the second most-used gun in pro lobbies, followed by the Operator. The lethal sniper is usually assigned to at least one player in the team who excels in sniping and can defend/attack sites with long entry paths.

Well, this was everything to know about the best guns in Valorant. For similar content, check out:

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