How to use the Bulldog: Valorant weapon guide

Valorant’s Bulldog may be the neglected sibling of the rifle category. However, the burst-fire beast can still pack a punch when used correctly. Here’s how you can get the most out of it.

Phantom or Vandal? That’s the age-old debate in Valorant. While the two rifles often dominate the weapon discussion and sit atop the tier lists, the Bulldog is still a respectable member of the class.

It comes in at a much-cheaper price point of 2,050 Creds, 850 less than its superior counterparts. However, when it comes to bang for buck, you’re looking at nearly one-for-one value.

If you’re scraping together a buy and are putting faith in the Bulldog, here’s how you can swing the tides in your favor.

Bulldog damage stats

The Bulldog is the weakest of the four rifles on the numbers. While it’s fully-automatic ⁠— giving it an advantage over the Guardian in some aspects ⁠— it does less damage than the Phantom, Vandal, and the semi-automatic rifle.

It used to feel clunky with its 9.15 rounds per second fire rate, but the Episode 3 buffs to 9.5 bring it closer to the Phantom and Vandal. The Bulldog packs a punch when scoped in, with a rapid-fire burst as its alternate fire.

It also does a lot of work at range. It has no damage drop-off, so no matter if the enemy is close or far, you’ll hit them for the same amount.

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The Bulldog is not a one-shot headshot ⁠— that’s reserved for the Vandal only ⁠— but if you can trace a burst from the chest to the head, you can instantly kill someone with just one click. Works the same, right?

Bulldog spray pattern

The Bulldog spray pattern is pretty consistent in fully automatic form. The first seven bullets require you to pull down and slightly to the left, then it alternates between flicking from left to right and back again every 3-4 rounds or so.

In burst form, it’s basically pin-point accurate. It does get a bit of spread at range, but it’s enough that you can control it pretty easily with just a slight drag down. This makes it pretty lethal if you can track your target with the spray.

Use the Bulldog’s right click, it’s better

In most situations, you’ll want to scope in with the Bulldog rather than hipfire. It may seem absurd ⁠— considering doing so with the Phantom and Vandal isn’t advised ⁠— but the burst fire on the Bulldog is way too strong.

Up close, the rapid fire can take down any enemy if you land one headshot in the mix. From afar, the scope helps you aim a bit better before firing the burst down range.

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If you have a horde of enemies pushing your position, or you are trying to lead the attack, by all means fire from the hip — especially since it got buffed recently. However, you really want to be isolating enemies one-by-one and using the superior burst fire to melt them down.

Great for locking down angles on both sides

Because of the aforementioned, you’ll probably be holding slightly longer sightlines than you’d usually think with the Bulldog. It makes it great for locking down angles, quickly bursting an enemy as they push your sightline.

If you have a Bulldog looking down Haven C Long, you can be sure to land a few shots on your enemy ⁠— just make sure they don’t have an Operator to contest you!

Obviously the Vandal will be slightly more effective than the Bulldog, but for scrapping together a buy, the Bulldog can still give you the fire power you need from afar with a bit more reliability than the Marshal.

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As we mentioned at the top, for 2,050 Creds, the Bulldog is good value for money when it comes to rifles. It’s not the best in-class by far, and if you can, you should always try and push for a Phantom or Vandal.

However, if you’re scraping together a force-buy, having a Bulldog on your side can help. It’s better at taking long-range fights than an SMG or shotgun. Running it alongside a few Spectres, and maybe a Judge or Bucky, can be a formidable buy to stand up to rifles.