Our Valorant weapons in-depth series kicks off with the Vandal. A player-favorite weapon that's hard not to talk about. Check out what makes it special.
Valorant launched with 17 weapons (18 if you count the melee) in its closed beta and a year later, that number hasn't changed. In a recent Q&A, one of the Valorant game designers mentioned that Riot will add new weapons, eventually. Just not this year. There are pros and cons to that piece of information but hey, at least you won't have to learn how to play more weapons. For now, let's focus on the Vandal, a one-shot, one-kill weapon for those with the proper aim.
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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 (in theory). It has decent stats when compared to the others in the Rifle category. Some would even call it the best weapon in there. Here are some details about it:
- Fire rate: 9.75 rounds/sec
- Magazine capacity: 25 rounds
- Wall Penetration: Medium
- Reload Speed: 2.5 seconds
You can clear the entire magazine in less than 3 seconds, so spraying isn't really a great option here. Instead, you'll be better off by tapping.
Vandal Damage
The Vandal's damage is quite consistent and remains the same no matter the distance aka it has no damage drop-off.
- Head - 160 damage
- Body - 40 damage
- Leg - 34 damage
In order to take down an enemy, you'll need 5 shots to the legs, 4 shots to the body, or a single shot to the head. The Vandal might seem quite OP at first but clearly, these advantages have some drawbacks. It has a higher spread and recoil when compared to some other weapons in the Rifles category.
Vandal Alt-Fire
The Vandal's alternative fire mode is not that great. Considering that the weapon can kill with a single shot, every millisecond counts and aiming down seems like a waste of time. When you use the alt-fire you get a 25% zoom, 90% of the usual fire rate, reduced movement speed, and a slight reduction in spread and recoil.
At the end of the day you have to ask yourself, is it really worth it? Do you really care about spread and recoil control on a one-tap weapon that needs a few shots to kill in the worst-case scenario? That's for you to decide.
Vandal Price
With a price tag of 2900 credits, the Vandal is definitely not on the cheap side of things. The best time to buy the Vandal is when your entire team is buying. Don't be one of those players that gets a Vandal during an eco round.
Vandal Recoil
As we've mentioned before, that one-tap potential has a drawback - recoil. The Vandal's recoil is worse than the Phantom, but that doesn't make the weapon terrible by any means. The weapon starts with an upwards pattern then goes to the right, followed by a turn to the left. That's generally speaking, as patterns in Valorant always have a degree of randomness to them. Still, with enough practice, you'll be able to control spraying, just take a look at this useful image.
If you're coming to Valorant from CS:GO, you'll find that the spray pattern of the Vandal is quite similar to that of the AK-47. Coincidence? Anyway, in order to tighten the weapon's spread, you'll have to do the opposite of the pattern (right side of the picture above). Alternatively, you can just rely on your good aim and fire with short bursts (recommended).
Conclusion
For me personally, the Vandal is one of the top three weapons in Valorant. It has great damage output, no damage drop-off, and the best one-tap potential. Since run and gun is still a thing in Valorant I can totally see why it might not be the weapon for everyone, but overall, it's a great choice, and you'll rarely go wrong with it. Hit the range and aim for the head, that's all.
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