Best VALORANT weapons: Tier list, Vandal v Phantom, and more

VALORANT’s arsenal is diverse, letting players display their mechanics and headshot prowess—but those guns aren’t built the same. If you often find it hard to choose a gun during the buy phase or are just starting out, our VALORANT weapon tier list is built to help make your pick.

At the time of writing, Riot’s popular tac shooter has 19 weapons, including 18 guns and a melee. While most players favor the reliable rifle category that offers four standard guns to pick from, there are sniper rifles, SMGs, shotguns, and/or heavy machine guns too. You can have a lot of fun tilting rifle mains with a sniper, shotgun, or machine gun, but it all boils down to whether you’re up for the challenges they pose.

Understanding the strengths (and weaknesses) of every weapon (and abilities with a tier list should clear up most of your doubts, so you can fix your dilemma during the buy phase. To make our rankings more comprehensive, we’ve also included certain agent abilities that can be used as weapons in our VALORANT weapon tier list as per the Episode Nine, Act Three (November 2024) meta, so let’s get started. 

All VALORANT weapons tier list (November 2024)

S-tier VALORANT weapons

These are the best weapons you can go for, simply because they are the most reliable when it comes to shooting your enemies down.

Vandal

Price: 2,900 credits
Category: Automatic rifle

Excellent for mid to long-range fights, the Vandal one shots enemies at any distance, unless you hit them through a wall of course. It’s the most popular weapon in VALORANT, with both beginners and seasoned players preferring it over other guns in full-buy rounds. While the Vandal can be a bit unreliable in close range fights due to its comparatively lower fire rate, you can easily counter that with good crosshair placement, a calm aim, and sometimes, crouch spraying.

Phantom

Price: 2,900 credits
Category: Automatic rifle

Despite its annoying falloff multiplier, the Phantom has always been immensely popular among defensive players who prefer the controller or sentinel role. It’s excellent in close to mid-range fights, thanks to its high fire rate, mild recoil, and invisible tracers. That said, it can leave your enemy at 10 HP even if you hit the first headshot on them, while you get one tapped on the head with a Vandal just a millisecond later. Weapon diff, am I right? 

A-tier VALORANT weapons

Operator

Price: 4,700 credits
Category: Sniper rifle

Being the most expensive gun in VALORANT, the Operator sure has a reputation to maintain. It’s the best sniper rifle and one shots enemies at every distance, whether it’s a bullet on the head or body. A leg shot hits them for a 120, though.

Jett’s Bladestorm

Price: Eight ult points
Category: Agent ultimate

Jett’s ultimate needs no introduction. The blades are incredibly accurate, even when you use them with her Updraft to gain a height advantage on enemies. Not only is it perfect for eco rounds, but also apt for when you’re stuck in a clutch situation with a weaker weapon or the Operator. 

That said, Bladestorm can be hard to master, so if you’re a beginner, make sure you warm up in Practice Range.

Chamber’s Tour de Force

Price: Eight ult points
Category: Agent ultimate

Chamber’s free Operator-like sniper needs no introduction. While it was nerfed to the ground back in Patch 5.12, Riot has buffed Tour De Force back to a point where it’s neither game-breaking nor an easy thing to face. The sniper not only one shots enemies at every range, but as a cherry on top, also adds a slow field at the point of their death for a few seconds. Beat that, Jett Operator mains.   

Odin

Price: 3,200 credits
Category: Machine gun

Excellent in the hands of an initiator agent who can reveal the location of their enemies, the Odin comes with high fire rate and wall penetrability, letting you rain potent bullets through thin barriers and punish aggressive enemies trying to push through a narrow chokepoint.

Neon’s Overdrive

Price: Seven ult points
Category: Agent ultimate

Neon’s ultimate can be incredibly annoying to deal with, especially if she knows how to use her agility to its full potential. Not only does it deal considerable damage in close and mid-range and to the head, the Filipino powerhouse can run-and-gun her way to a devastating outcome on her enemies with this empowerment ability. 

With Patch 8.11’s buff to Neon’s slides, Overdrive has become one of the game’s most powerful ultimates.

Guardian

Price: 2,250 credits
Category: Semi-automatic rifle

Known for its accuracy, the Guardian is a perfect choice for half-buy rounds that you need to win. Like the Odin, its bullets have high wall penetrability, so you can punish enemies holding common spots through barriers. Unfortunately, it’s not an automatic weapon, which many players may not prefer.

Sheriff

Price: 800 credits
Category: Pistol

The most expensive sidearm in VALORANT, Sheriff offers a worthy advantage in eco and pistol rounds alike. If you’ve managed to master a calm aim and have decent crosshair placement skills, the Sheriff is for you. 

Ghost

Price: 500 credits
Category: Pistol

The second most popular pistol in the game, the Ghost is a silenced gem. It has no visible tracers, so spamming through smokes can bring a lot of value. Besides, clicking headshots with its potent bullets is very satisfying.

B-tier VALORANT weapons

Chamber’s Headhunter

Price: 100 credits per bullet
Category: Agent ability

One of Chamber’s basic abilities, the Hunterhunter is often called the French weapons designer’s “Pocket Sheriff” or “Pocket Guardian” and for pretty good reasons. While it can be hard to master for a beginner, if you manage to get hold of its quirky recoil pattern, the Headhunter serves as a potent one-shot sidearm with no falloff damage loss unlike the Sheriff, a 1.5x ADS mode, low equip time, and decent spread values. 

Chamber’s kit is built for sniper mains, so having a weapon like the Headhunter to pull out upon missing a shot is a lot of advantage. You also don’t need to invest in a sidearm separately; you can just invest in one of your abilities like other agents do. Each Headhunter bullet costs 100 credits and you can buy up to eight of them.

Outlaw

Price: 2,400 credits
Category: Sniper rifle

The double-barreled Outlaw sniper is a popular pick in anti-eco rounds in which enemies are likely not wearing any armor. As potent as its bullets are, an aggressive Jett or Raze can easily counter you, especially if you miss your shots and fail to scurry into a safe location before they get to you. 

Bulldog

Price: 2,050 credits
Category: Automatic/burst rifle

Another rifle perfect for half-buy rounds, Bulldog excels in fights at mid range. You can rely on its accurate hip fire in most cases, but it also offers a burst ADS mode which can land you some pretty satisfying headshots in ranged encounters. That said, it has a slow fire rate, so you may be weapon diffed if you aren’t quick enough with your reactions.

Stinger

Price: 1,100 credits
Category: SMG

A number of recent changes to Stinger’s characteristics has made it one of the best low-cost weapon choices, especially on closely-spaced maps. While it has a small magazine, the high fire rate and accurate bullets can shred multiple enemies. Just be unpredictable with it and your enemies won’t even have the chance to react. Spectre, who? 

Then again, an SMG will always have its limitations, like in ranged fights where the Stinger is an absolute no-no.

Judge

Price: 1,800 credits
Category: Shotgun

Judge your enemies’ aggressive and unplanned executions with this powerful shotgun. Just ignore the inevitable “you’re bad” messages in All-Chat after you clutch the round. And make sure you carry a sidearm like Sheriff or Ghost for the times you run into ranged encounters. 

As a shotgun, the Judge isn’t a reliable weapon in mid-range fights and understandably horrid in long range, so pretty situational.

Classic

Price: Free
Category: Pistol

It’s a free pistol but quite accurate, so it’s definitely possible for you to win those eco rounds too. The Classic’s alt fire burst mode can work wonders against enemies pushing into your hideout. Then again, it’s a pistol, hence the B tier.

Raze’s Showstopper

Price: Eight ult points
Category: Agent ultimate

The Showstopper has to be the most inconsistent agent ability in VALORANT, but the fear the loud “Fire in the Hole” dialogue inflicts upon the enemy team is justifiable. For if it’s a Raze main who knows the ins and outs of how the bazooka works, the enemy team is certainly going to be left with at least one man down.

C-tier VALORANT weapons

Spectre

Price: 1,600 credits
Category: SMG

The Spectre is a popular choice of primary weapon in anti-eco and bonus rounds across all ranks. But that’s about it. Players steer clear of buying it beyond the second round—and for good reason. For starters, being an SMG, it’s highly unreliable in ranged fights and can be countered by almost every weapon in the game. 

Secondly, it’s not low cost enough to be an apt eco round weapon. Players would rather choose the one-shot sidearm Sheriff or the budget-friendly Stinger with Light Shields, or even a Bucky on closely spaced maps. That said, I definitely love the unmatched run-and-gun potential Spectre offers, excellent for anti-eco rounds.

Ares

Price: 1,600 credits
Category: Machine gun

The Ares may excel in the hands of a good Sova or Fade who knows how to throw a precise recon ability or anyone who can utilize the team’s initiating strengths, thanks to its high fire rate and good penetrability. That said, it also has a high spread value and recoil, so it’s harder to hit shots without ADS. 

While scoped in, both the gun’s fire rate and your flick potential are reduced. You may easily be countered with a Spectre or Stinger in the hands of an aggressive duelist.     

Marshal

Price: 900 credits
Category: Sniper rifle

The Marshal is one of the most accurate weapons, and the most accurate sniper rifle, in VALORANT, which explains why every sniper or Jett main wants to master it for eco rounds. It can take down enemies at full HP and armor with just one headshot and two body shots from any distance. Being a lever action, you can fire shots while reloading the gun, making it fairly usable in close range fights too—unlike other sniper rifles.

While the Marshal’s accuracy with and without ADS tempts a lot of sniper lovers, it still isn’t a reliable weapon outside of an eco round. It’s a very situational gun and must only be wielded by players with exceptional crosshair placement and aim.

Sova’s Hunter Fury

Price: Eight ult points
Category: Agent ultimate

While it has the potential to deal deadly damage on multiple enemies when used based on proper intel or in combination with other deterrent abilities, Hunter’s Fury is mostly used to deny a Spike plant or defuse. Wielding it leaves Sova at a disadvantage, limiting his movement and sight, so players have to bring it out with caution.

Frenzy

Price: 450 credits
Category: Pistol

Another sidearm in the arsenal, the auto-pistol Frenzy has time and again proven quite strong in the hands of an agile duelist. In fact, it’s aptly crafted for Neon, the slide queen.

While it was once a meta pistol, the Frenzy quickly fell down the popularity ladder after Riot nerfed it in Patch 6.11. It now sports lesser accuracy and higher spread values than before, making Ghost a more preferable choice. Interestingly, after Neon’s recent buff in Patch 8.11 which granted her full accuracy when sliding, she is the only VALORANT agent who can reliably wreck havoc with the Frenzy.

Shorty

Price: 300 credits
Category: Pistol shotgun

The Shorty is a sidearm shotgun, suitable for sneaky controller and sentinel mains looking to grab some free kills on unsuspecting enemies in pistol or eco rounds. It’s also a good sidearm for sniper mains or who may need it to defend themselves after missing a shot of their sniper rifle.

But let’s not forget, it’s a pistol shotgun with just two shells to spare at a time. It’s highly unreliable in ranges beyond 10 meters and almost always ineffective against multiple enemies. At most, you can expect to secure one goofy kill on an already injured enemy out of it. Unless, you’re a Raze main like Shorty King Ram.  

D-tier VALORANT weapons

Bucky

Price: 800 credits
Category: Shotgun

The Bucky can be a nuisance to deal with for an enemy, especially if wielded by a skilled Raze or Brimstone to capture or keep control of closely packed spaces. But in most cases, its low damage doesn’t bring much to the table, not to forget, its ineffectiveness in ranged fights and inconsistent performance against other weapons. 

At 800 credits, it can be a fair eco weapon, but at that price point, most players would rather go with the more reliable Sheriff.

Melee (Knife)

Price: Free
Category: Melee

Do I need to explain why the melee is the worst weapon in the tac shooter? As attractive as VALORANT’s knife skins are, the melee is the most unreliable and inconsistent weapon, as you’d expect in a game of guns. The only benefit to having a melee in your hand, is the movement speed you gain; it’s the lightest weapon in the game. 

Don’t get me wrong: Scoring a melee kill can earn you massive respect and entertain both sides of the match. But don’t go around slashing your blades or karambits at every opportunity, or you’ll be tagged a thrower. 

Phantom vs. Vandal: The inevitable VALORANT debate

A question that has puzzled VALORANT players of all levels for years, the debate over the Phantom or Vandal unfortunately has a bit of a boring answer. From analysts to ranked demons to pro players, pretty much everyone agrees: The choice is up to personal preference.

Your playstyle, aim style, and agent picks are the main factors for influencing a choice of the Phantom over Vandal or vice versa, but in all honesty, there is no wrong choice. As long as you’re buying one of these rifles on your team’s buy round, you’re golden. If you’re looking for more insights on the debate, here’s a more detailed guide.

What is the best weapon for beginners in VALORANT?

If you’re a beginner getting used to aiming in the game, the best weapons to start off with are the Phantom, Spectre, and Ghost.

The Phantom is easier to control than the Vandal at first and is the most versatile weapon a beginner could have. The Spectre is similarly lightweight and feels easy to maneuver, though you won’t get much value from afar. The Ghost is a great weapon to train your aim with and is a great venture into the other pistol weapons.

What gun do VALORANT pros use most?

According to data from TheSpike.gg, Vandal has always been the most weapon across all pro leagues and it’s closely followed by the Phantom. In the VCT 2024 Champions, the Classic was the third most popular weapon, closely followed by the Sheriff and Ghost. Shorty and Ares were the least used weapons in the tournament.