Everything You Need to Know About VALORANT

Any questions regarding Riot’s upcoming FPS: VALORANT? We’ve got everything you need to know about VALORANT.
When will VALORANT be released?

For fans without a beta key the wait is not going to be too long. Riot Games has announced a release sometime in summer. However a fixed date has not yet been determined. The Closed Beta has begun on April 7th.
Once we have more information we will update our article.

How do I get into the Closed Beta?

Please follow the following instructions to secure your chance at a beta key.

  1. Register on the official website using your Riot account (or create a new one)
  2. Connect your Twitch account with your Riot acount
  3. Watch VALORANT-Streams on Twitch. If you are lucky you will get a drop via Twitch notifications and email, whitelisting you for the beta.
How much is VALORANT going to cost?

Just like Riot’s League of Legends VALORANT will be free to play. Interested players will be able to directly download the game in summer 2020. Microtransactions for weapon- or characterskins will be included.

What are the system requirements for VALORANT?

Riot’s VALORANT will not need a high-end PC to run. The developer has deliberately chosen low requirements to enable more people to play the game.

Minimum Requirements (30 FPS)

  • Windows 7/8/10 64 bit
  • 4GB RAM
  • 1GB VRAM
  • CPU: Intel i3-370M
  • GPU: Intel HD 3000

Recommended Requirements (60 FPS)

  • CPU: Intel i3-4150
  • GPU: Geforce GT 730

High-End Requirements (144+ FPS)

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz
  • GPU: GTX 1050 Ti
Which characters will be playable in VALORANT?

Currently ten characters are implemented. There will not be any crossovers with the League of Legends universe. VALORANT’s setting is in a different world with new characters.

For our overview on the revealed characters so far, head over here:

VALORANT – All Characters and their abilities

Which weapons are in VALORANT?

There are 17 different weapons in VALORANT, they are divided into six categories:

Pistols
  • Classic: Everyone starts with this default pistol in each round. If you are facing fully armored opponents you will need two headshots to eliminate them. Has a secondary burst mode releasing three bullets at once.
  • Shorty: A sawed off shotgun allowing you to fire twice in quick succession. Only viable over short distances and also has a long reload time. For just 200 Credits it can however be thrifty investment.
  • Frenzy: The only fully automatic pistol in the game. To eliminate fully armored opponents you have to land more than two headshots. The weapon also has a erratic spray pattern with pretty strong recoil. However the rate of fire can make this pistol viable in some situations. The Frenzy can be bought with 400 Credits.
  • Ghost: The Ghost is basically VALORANT’s version of Counter-Strike’s USP but stronger. In pistol rounds it can oneshot enemies with headshots. Can eliminate fully armored opponents with two headshots. Precise tapping is the way to use this 500 Credit investment to it’s full potential.
  • Sheriff: The Sheriff has the highest damage per bullet ratio among the pistols. Headshots are lethal and make it a good choice even against full-buys. The pricetag of 800 Credits makes it more expensive than other secondaries.
SMGs:
  • Stinger: A cheap weapon for just 1000 Credits. A small magazine size coupled together with low damage are not points in favor for this weapon. In most cases unviable.
  • Spectre: The Spectre is a strong option after a successful pistol round. Relatively easy to control it still deals strong damage especially with headshots. At the affordable price tag of 1600 Credits the weapon of choice if you are unable to afford a rifle.
Shotguns:
  • Bucky: Decent damage per round, but low rate of fire and range. 900 Credits are a cheap price but the Judge is in most cases superior.
  • Judge: Deals slightly less damage than the Bucky. Compensates that by having a much faster rate of fire and longer range. The Judge is a lot more flexible and therefore justifies it’s price of 1500 Credits.
Rifles:
  • Bulldog: The Bulldog is the rifle for a low budget with a pricetag of 2100 Credits. Although it cannot kill with a single headshot, the weapon is decent for it’s cost. The secondary fire mode allows you to zoom in but also forces you to use burst mode.
  • Guradian: A decent option if you are just short of a full buy. One taps are possible but in most cases you will lose a spray battle. The weapon is locked in it’s semi-automatic mode and “only” costs 2700 Credits.
  • Phantom: The first of the two main rifles. The Phantom can only oneshot over short distances, but compensates with a high rate of fire and forgiving recoil. If you do not value precision as much as flexibility the Phantom is your weapon of choice for 2900 Credits.
  • Vandal: VALORANT’s resident AK-47. A headshot instantly eliminates opponents but in comparison to the phantom the Vandal has alower rate of fire and harder to control recoil.
Snipers:
  • Marshal: The sniper weapon of choice on a low budget. The Marshal can kill enemies without armor in one body hit. To deal with armored opponents you need to hit the headshot. Very affordable at 1100 Credits.
  • Operator: The Operator costs 4500 Credits but allows you to kill opponents with a single hit. The weapon is also slower than the Marshal.
Heavy
  • Ares: Lots of bullets, moderate damage and low precision. The pricetag of 1700 Credits is hardly justified as the cheaper Spectre is in most aspects the superior weapon of choice.
  • Odin: The Odin will remind CS:GO-players of the M249. Although it has a high rate of fire, the weapon is too slow and inaccurate to really be worth the price of 3200 Credits.

Die Waffen in VALORANTDie Waffen in VALORANT

Besides the weaponry you can spend your Credits to buy abilities and armor.

Will VALORANT be ported to consoles?

Riot has only confirmed a PC-Release so far. Considering Wild Rift, the mobile and consol port of League of Legends, that is currently in the works, a console version of VALORANT might arrive in the future. The developer has said that ports to consoles and mobile are possible, but not high on the priority list. It remains to be seen if Crossplay will be part of a potential port.

As soon as more information is revealed we will update this article to keep you in the loop.

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Pictures via Riot Games
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