Valorant: Best Guns Tier List

If fans are having a hard time finding the best gun to use in Valorant, this tier list can hopefully help make that decision a bit easier. While the meta constantly shifts, there’s generally always been a better choice depending on the scenario you find yourself in. There’s some nuance in spending those credits wisely, but ultimately the gun chosen to play with depends on players’ personal preferences. That being said, there are certainly better guns to use depending on the scenario.

The weapons in this tier list will be placed according to their overall value, based on their price, utility, and effectiveness. There’s a brief description of how each tier is categorized and how each weapon fits into its tier. Let’s start from the bottom of the barrel and work up to the best guns in Valorant. Be sure to check out the quick reference guide at the end of this article too.

D Tier – Poor

Starting off with the worst, these guns are at the very bottom in the D Tier, due to not having any distinct advantages over all the other guns. They are generally seen as a waste of credits.

Tactical Knife

The starting Tactical Knife isn’t a gun and technically shouldn’t be on this list, but since it can be used as a weapon, here’s where it would end up. It doesn’t impact base movement speed like other weapons, so this makes traversing the map a bit quicker. It also has the potential to one-hit kill with the alternative fire mode from behind, but the likelihood of this happening is very low. It should be replaced as soon as possible.

Shorty

The Shorty has terrible range and only two shells before needing to reload, making it very difficult to use effectively. It is one of the worst buys in the game, even sporting the lowest price point of 150 credits. The Classic (which is free) would be a better choice.

C Tier – Mediocre

These guns are in the C Tier due to not having any advantages over other weapons on the list. There may be some rare use case scenario where they’ll be decent, but players would generally be better served by any of the other guns in the higher tiers.

Bulldog

The Bulldog will almost always lose to the other Assault Rifles, with its higher recoil, smaller magazine size, and lower overall damage. At a lower cost of 2,050 credits, though, it has the potential to beat other similarly priced guns in early rounds. Aiming down a long lane and waiting for the right moment can catch opponents off guard.

Frenzy

The Frenzy is not a good gun to use in most cases, and will lose most one-on-one battles. The full-auto accuracy is difficult to control, and coupled with the small magazine size, it can be frustrating to use effectively. During pistol rounds, the more accurate Ghost, which only costs 50 credits more (450 vs 500 credits), would tend to be a much better pick.

Ares

The Ares, at 1600 credits, is a cheaper alternative to the Odin, which costs 3200 credits. They both have a higher-capacity magazine (50 vs 100, respectively). Due to its slower firing rate, however, it will often be beaten by the other higher-tiered assault rifles. Still, it’s an okay pick when low on credits or when trying to save those funds for later rounds.

Guardian

The Guardian is a fairly expensive choice (at 2,250 credits) in comparison to the other guns. It is the only semi-automatic rifle, so fans may find it difficult to master this playstyle. It does provide a one-hit kill to the head at any range, making it useful at mid to long ranges.

B Tier – Good

B Tier weapons are generally a solid choice, and in some cases strong. However, they can be unfavorable when faced with higher-tier weapons. In comparison, there are only very specific situations where these guns can be useful for their cost.

Stinger

The Stinger is the cheaper version of the Spectre (950 vs 1,600 credits). The high rate of fire works well for close quarters, but the heavy recoil makes staying on target more difficult at longer ranges.

Bucky

The Bucky is the cheaper version of the Judge (850 vs 1,850 credits). It has a slower firing rate, which means it only performs optimally while playing defensively by surprising enemies at very close-range. It’s a solid cheap pick for early rounds, or when looking to save for later rounds.

Ghost

The Ghost is a decent pistol for early rounds. For 500 credits, it is very accurate and can kill an unarmored player with a headshot. It’s a great sidearm, but should usually be replaced by the Spectre or Judge if possible (depending on the player’s preference for an SMG or Shotgun).

Classic

The Classic ranks highly due to it being free. It is a good choice to save credits for later rounds, or to use when buying armor or utility. It doesn’t have the best accuracy, but it does boast a decent time to kill with its alternate burst fire mode. It’s possible to prioritize other purchases while still wielding a capable weapon.

Marshal

The Marshall is a very cheap sniper to use early on, when you don’t have the credits for the Operator (950 vs 4,700 credits). It provides a one-shot kill to the head, but it misses out on the same one-hit kill to the body that the Operator can pull off. It has a faster rate of fire, though, and its lower magnification makes it easy to control.

A Tier – Great

The A Tier guns are strong but generally have a situational drawback. Some might perform better at offense or defense, but generally not both. They have less than optimal cost versus effectiveness.

Sheriff

The Sheriff is the go-to gun for pistol rounds, as it provides a guaranteed kill with a headshot within 30m. Be wary, though: The slow rate of fire will lose to other close-range guns if fans don’t get that headshot off. Headshots past 30m won’t kill fully shielded players, whereas the Marshall, costing only 150 credits more, would. The Sheriff pairs nicely with the Operator as a close-range secondary weapon.

Odin

An expensive choice at 3,200 credits. The Odin, with its high-capacity magazine, is great for suppressing enemies, multi-kills and wall penetration. The drawback of not having one-hit headshot kill potential is offset by the high rate of fire. There’s not much more to say other than this is the classic “spray-and-pray” gun.

Judge

The Judge is hands-down the best shotgun, even at the higher price of 1,850 credits. It is full-auto, and it excels at both aggressive and defensive close-quarter plays. The obvious downside is that the damage falloff and bullet spread is not good for mid to long-range combat.

Spectre

The Spectre offers great value for its cost (1,600 credits), making it a solid choice early on. It has a very high firing rate but lower damage per bullet. The damage output is still high and it consistently performs well in close-range combat.

S Tier – Best

The guns in the S Tier have historically proven to be the best regardless of the situation. They excel in both offensive and defensive scenarios. They are also the most optimal choice for their relative costs.

Operator

The Operator provides a one-shot kill to the head and body. The Operator is very effective at long-ranged combat and excels on maps with long lines of sight, such as Fracture, Icebox, and Breeze. While being quite expensive at 4,700 credits, it’s well worth the investment. The one drawback it has is that the hip-fire accuracy is very bad; however, experienced Valorant players would typically swap to a secondary weapon in those instances.

Vandal

The Vandal provides a one-shot kill to the head at any distance, but it’s not quite as accurate as the Phantom. The recoil is pretty high, so users need to be taking shots in bursts of 3 to 5 to maintain accuracy on the target. At 2,900 credits, the Vandal is a solid choice at any stage of the game.

Phantom

The Phantom is at the top of the list due to its consistent ability to take down targets quickly. When compared to the Vandal, which costs the same amount of credits (2,900), it has a higher rate of fire, better recoil control, a silenced barrel, and a larger magazine. The only downside is its damage fall-off; after 15 meters it will no longer provide a one-shot kill to the head.

Best Guns In Valorant

Above is the complete list of all the guns and their corresponding tier in one quick reference image.