VALORANT’s arsenal is diverse, letting you display your mechanical skill 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.
Here’s our VALORANT weapon tier list as of Patch 11.08.
Table of contents
TL;DR
- Vandal and Phantom are the two best rifles in the game.
- On low-buy rounds, Stinger, Sheriff, Ghost, and Marshal are good options.
- Always look at what your team is buying to maintain a healthy economy.
All VALORANT weapons, ranked (November 2025)
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Vandal, Phantom |
| A-Tier | Operator, Odin, Guardian, Outlaw, Ghost, Sheriff |
| B-Tier | Bulldog, Marshal, Classic, Stinger, Judge, Spectre |
| C-Tier | Ares, Frenzy, Bucky, Shorty, Melee |
S-Tier
Vandal
Price: 2,900 credits
Category: 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 gun in VALORANT, with a 37.61 percent pick rate, according to TheSpike.gg. Vandal can be difficult to control, though, and requires tap-firing unless you’re fighting close-range, where a little bit of spraying is excusable.
Phantom
Price: 2,900 credits
Category: Rifle
Phantom is an alternative primary rifle, and despite its annoying falloff multiplier, Phantom has always been immensely popular among defensive controllers, like Viper, and aggressive initiators, like Fade. Anyone who plays a dive Agent, like Jett or Waylay, can also benefit from using a Phantom rather than a Vandal, especially if you’re still working on your aim.
Suppressed weapons, like Phantom, Spectre, and Ghost, have hidden bullet tracers, so firing through the smoke won’t reveal your position.
Phantom is a more reliable option, especially given how chaotic rounds in VALORANT can get, and pro players like TenZ agree with that. It has lower recoil, faster fire rate, and the ability to one-shot to the head at 20 meters. 140 to the head at longer ranges can hurt, for sure, but that’s when Vandal may be a better option.
A-Tier
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, one-shotting enemies at every range with shots to the head or body. A leg shot hits them for a 120, though, which can be deadly when dueling a rifler.
Operator can be the best gun in the game, but it’s far more situational than rifles, depending on both the map and your Agent. Operator shines bright on long sightlines like B Main on Pearl or Mid on Ascent in the hands of Agents like Jett or Chamber. Both have utility to instantly disengage, which is what you need when more than one enemy is peeking you at once.
Other Agents can also take advantage of the Op, but need to be far more careful with positioning. Losing an Operator to the enemy team due to negligence can easily turn the tide of the match.
Odin
Price: 3,200 credits
Category: Machine gun
Odin can become an extremely oppressive gun, and NRG brawk proved it during VALORANT Champions 2025. Excellent in the hands of an initiator agent who can reveal the location of their enemies, the Odin comes with a 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.
Guardian
Price: 2,250 credits
Category: Rifle
Known for its accuracy, the Guardian is a perfect choice for half-buy rounds that you need to win. It deals 195 damage to the head at all ranges and has high wall penetrability, so that you can punish enemies holding common spots through walls. The downside is that it’s a semi-automatic weapon, making it suitable only for the best marksmen.
Outlaw
Price: 2,400 credits
Category: Sniper rifle
If the enemy team prefers Light or Regen Shields, you can punish them using an Outlaw. At 140 damage to the body, the double-barreled sniper is strong in rounds when enemies are less likely to wear full armor. While a more situational pick, the ability to fire both shots in quick succession can bring down a full shielded player, too, as long as you don’t miss.
Ghost
Price: 500 credits
Category: Sidearm
Ghost is the best pistol in VALORANT and the most popular pick during pistol rounds. It’s an affordable sidearm that deals 105 damage at 30 meters, allowing you to one-shot an opponent who doesn’t have armor. Unless you have expensive utility, like Sage’s wall, Ghost is always a good gun to have during pistols, and sometimes even eco rounds.
Sheriff
Price: 800 credits
Category: Sidearm
Sheriff is an even more dangerous sidearm than Ghost. It deals 159 damage at 30 meters while costing 800 credits. While it’s not a primary pick on pistol rounds, as it takes up the entire budget, it’s a solid option when you need a cheaper gun.
B-Tier
Bulldog
Price: 2,050 credits
Category: Rifle
Another rifle perfect for half-buy rounds, Bulldog excels in mid-range fights. 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.
Marshal
Price: 950 credits
Category: Sniper rifle
The Marshal is one of the most accurate weapons and has the most precise hip-fire among snipers in VALORANT. It can take down enemies at full health and armor with just one headshot or two body shots from any distance. It’s a great gun to pick when low on credits or if you know the enemy team won’t have many shields. At the same time, it gets easily outgunned by rifles and other snipers, unless you have exceptional aim.
Classic
Price: Free
Category: Pistol
Classic is the free pistol. It has decent accuracy, so it’s definitely possible for you to trade out a teammate or surprise an opponent. Classic’s alt-fire burst mode can work wonders at point-blank range against enemies pushing into your hideout. Then again, it’s a free pistol, so don’t expect too much.
Stinger
Price: 1,100 credits
Category: SMG
Stinger is one of the best low-cost choices, especially on closely spaced maps. It has a small magazine and high recoil, but its high fire rate shreds enemies up close. Just be unpredictable with it, and your enemies won’t even have the chance to react. Then again, an SMG will always have its limitations, like in ranged fights where the Stinger is an absolute no-no.
Judge
Price: 1,850 credits
Category: Shotgun
As a shotgun, the Judge isn’t a reliable weapon in mid-range fights and understandably horrid in long range, so it’s pretty situational. However, if you set up a close-range play yourself or with your teammates’ help, it can make quick work of anyone who’s not diligent enough to check corners. The Judge is also widely popular on Raze – satcheling right into enemies’ faces with the rest of the team following closely behind.
Spectre
Price: 1,600 credits
Category: SMG
Spectre is a reliable submachine gun and a go-to for anti-eco and bonus rounds across all ranks. But that’s about it. It’s not cheap enough to buy on eco rounds. Instead, it’s a more cost-effective decision to go for a Sheriff or the budget-friendly Stinger with Light Shields, or even a Bucky on closely spaced maps.
C-Tier
Ares
Price: 1,600 credits
Category: Machine gun
Ares may excel in the hands of a good Sova or Fade who knows how to throw a precise recon ability, but its high recoil and spread make it a very underwhelming gun compared to other options. You may easily be countered with a Spectre or Stinger in the hands of an aggressive duelist.
Frenzy
Price: 450 credits
Category: Sidearm
Frenzy used to be a meta pistol until Riot nerfed it in Patch 6.11. It’s a fully automatic sidearm with far higher recoil and less accuracy than you’d prefer, making Ghost a more preferable choice. In fact, the only Agent who can reliably wreak havoc with the Frenzy is Neon after her buff in Patch 8.11, which granted her full accuracy when sliding.
Shorty
Price: 300 credits
Category: Sidearm
Shorty is a sidearm shotgun suitable for sneaky controller and sentinel mains (as well as Yoru players) looking to grab some free kills on unsuspecting enemies in pistol or eco rounds. It’s also a good sidearm for sniper mains who may need it to defend themselves if an enemy suddenly appears up close.
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.
Bucky
Price: 850 credits
Category: Shotgun
Bucky can be a nuisance to deal with when wielded by a skilled Raze or Neon to capture or keep control of closely packed spaces. But in most cases, its low damage from either fire modes doesn’t bring much to the table, not to forget its ineffectiveness in ranged fights and inconsistent performance against other weapons.
Melee
Price: Free
Category: Melee
As attractive as VALORANT’s knife skins are, the melee is the most unreliable 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.
Without a question, stabbing someone in the back can boost your morale and entertain both sides of the match. But it can ruin it just as fast if you get caught with a knife in your hand out in the open.
Phantom vs. Vandal: The inevitable VALORANT debate
A question that has puzzled VALORANT for years, the debate over the Phantom or Vandal unfortunately has a bit of a boring answer. From analysts to ranked demons and pro players, pretty much everyone agrees: The choice is up to personal preference.
Your playstyle, aim style, and Agent picks are the main factors influencing the choice, but in all honesty, there is no wrong answer. 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.
Best budget weapons in VALORANT
In rounds when your team is low on credits, there are a few budget options that can allow you to get a kill or at least a trade. They may not be able to outgun a Vandal, but you can still get decent value with the right setup.
Here are the best budget weapons in VALORANT:
- Sheriff
- Stinger
- Marshal
- Ghost
All these guns are around 1,000 credits and can work well on eco rounds if you play them right. Marshal and Sheriff require precise aim but are deadly at longer ranges; Ghost is viable at mid-range, and Stinger can delete enemies at close range.
Always look at your team’s economy to decide what to do. Don’t buy rifles when the rest of the team can’t afford them. The last thing you want is to waste 2,900 credits when no one can trade you due to worse weapons.
Best weapons for beginners in VALORANT
If you’re a beginner getting used to aiming in the game, the best guns to start with are Phantom, Spectre, and Ghost. Phantom is easier to control than the Vandal at first and is the most versatile weapon a beginner could have. Spectre is similarly lightweight and feels easy to maneuver, though you won’t get much value from afar. Ghost is a great sidearm for training your aim and is, overall, a fantastic pick for pistol rounds.
FAQs
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Should I buy Vandal or Phantom in VALORANT?
Buy a Phantom for closer ranges and spamming through smokes. Buy a Vandal for one-shot headshots at any range.
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What is the best gun for beginners in VALORANT?
If you’re just starting in VALORANT, Phantom is a consistent option that’s easy to control.
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What gun can one-shot to the head in VALORANT?
Weapons that can one-shot to the head include Vandal, Phantom (up to 20m), Operator, Sheriff (up to 30m), Marshal, Outlaw, and Guardian.
