How to Use Valorant’s Buy Phase Effectively (Weapons, Armor, & Abilities)

Emerging as a seemingly overnight success, Riot’s Valorant, has taken over the competitive First-Person Shooter market. The game combines two of the most popular titles to ever grace the genre, the first being the Counter-Strike series and the second being Blizzard’s Overwatch. What makes Valorant such a unique experience is its masterful combination of both the realistic and brutally difficult qualities of Counter-Strike with a cast of loveable and unique characters. Both of its inspirations have been huge successes in the genre, so the combination of the two would have to yield some success. Combined its incredible gameplay with arguably the most intelligent marketing campaign for a major competitive online game, and you have the recipe for astronomical success. The only way for players to gain access to the title in its beta was to watch popular Twitch Streamers play the game in hopes of gaining access to a “dropped” key. This in turn with its incredible gameplay has made the game an incredible success on the platform, clocking in numbers over 100k at its peak. And with the recent release of the game, this momentum has continued into its “formal” release as a full-fledged title. Providing fans a blissful blending of competitive FPS and Hero-shooter.

One of the largest learning curves found in either Counter-Strike  or Valorant, is the rather complex “economy” of buying key weapons, items, and abilities in the buy menu. These buy menus allow for players to purchase crucial items, in order for their team to win the next round. Of course, Valorant rewards players based on their performance in the last round and will award a set amount of money. However, knowing what to do with either no money or a surplus of money, may be the determining factor in if a team wins or loses a match. Here are some general tips and tricks to assist players in the buying phase of Valorant. 

The Biggest Tips for the Valorant Buy Menu

When deciding what they should spend money on, a player must factor in their supply of items, cash, and weapons they have. This will determine their decision on what to or not purchase during the buying phase.

Arguably the highest priority when purchasing items in a match of Valorant, is the buying of Shield. Armor can be a life savior in certain combat encounters and should be the top of any player’s list to buy. During the early phases of a match, or if a player is struggling to acquire money, purchase a Light Shield, for 400 and provides 25 points of armor. However, if a player has accumulated a lot of money then a Heavy Shield is a much better investment for 1,000 and 50 points of armor.

A general rule of thumb when deciding what to buy is to examine how your team is doing throughout the course of a match. If you just lost the last round, then save your money, but if you won the last round buy as much as you can afford to keep your lead. Of course, every purchase is dependent on a player’s character, circumstance, and other factors. Such as, if your character has a powerful combat ability, that can even the playing field of a large purchasing power disparity, then certainly buy that ability. But if you are in a substantial lead and can afford a more expensive gun then buy it to maintain your lead. If you are on a 2 or 3 round losing spree, buy as many expensive guns and items as you can, in order to maybe steal a win from your opponent.

Buying in Valorant, is up to a player’s preference, situation, and ability, and it will be a person to person difference. However, the given tips are some solid general ideas that ease the pressure of buying weapons, items, and abilities.

Valorant is available on PC.