How to use the Classic: Valorant weapon guide

The Classic is the gun in Valorant you’ll see in every round. Why? Because you’ll spawn in with the free pistol. That’s why it’s a Classic. However, just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, it can do some serious damage if used correctly.

You have to be wary of things you get for free. Usually in gaming, it means it’s the worst equipment out there. Valorant’s Classic is no exception ⁠— kind of.

The starting pistol which everyone gets (until they buy a new gun) isn’t meant to be a world-beater. However, it does do its job well in a pinch. Here’s how you can get the most out of the Classic, and when you should look at getting that upgrade.

Classic damage stats

We’re not going to sugar coat it, the Classic’s damage stats are pretty poor. It takes two headshots to kill a target, and can take up to eight body shots. Given the fact it’s semi-automatic and not fully-auto like the Frenzy, that’s a lot of shooting.

However, there is one big upside to the Classic, and that’s the right-click. The three-round burst can instantly kill someone if you get a couple of dinks, or a dink and two body shots. At range though, its spread is pretty far, so you’ll want the reliable one-tap.

Classic spray pattern & movement accuracy

The Classic has a pretty straight and narrow spray pattern if you left click as fast as possible. However, the one thing to be worried about is the spread. As you click faster, the overall spread becomes larger, making it less likely to hit your target. You have to find the happy medium between speed and accuracy to be effective.

• Read More: The best weapons to use in Valorant

As for accuracy while moving, it’s basically one-to-one. This makes it very handy against other guns, where you can run and jump around corners and right click with minimal accuracy loss (although less so since the patch 2.00 nerfs).

Left-click at range, right-click up close

The Classic used to be a right-click only gun basically. The alt-fire burst used to be just as accurate as the left-click, just with more bullets at once to nail down a target. Now though, you have to be selective with your fire type.

Left clicking is the most accurate at range. You can basically get it pinpoint accurate even while moving around, as long as you don’t move too fast. Up close, you’ll want the burst. If you can take down a target and pick up their gun, you’ll be able to swing out and get more kills.

Don’t stop moving with the Classic

We’ve brought it up many times, but it has to be said. With low damage and very few other redeeming factors, there has to be one upside to the Classic, and that’s its movement accuracy. You can move around with very little penalty.

• Read More: The best Agents to play in Valorant

This means to get the move out of the gun, you’ll have to constantly run around. It’s not going to be perfect by any means, but if you’re a bit more mobile, you can dodge enemy bullets to try and get a bit closer for the right-click execute.

---

The Classic in Valorant is free, so we don’t need to tell you about when to buy it. Instead, you should look at upgrading your pistol in two situations.

The first is if you have the economy to do so. If you’re about to cap out, or have a spare 5,000 Creds, you can drop that money into a Frenzy, Ghost, or Sheriff to have by your side instead.

The second is if you are force-buying. If you want to try and win the round, buying Sheriff-Armor could swing the battle in your favor for a relatively small investment of 1,400 Creds.

Valorant’s Classic isn’t made to move mountains or dominate the meta. However, it’s a handy little sidearm that if you do find yourself out on bullets you can rely on. Just be sure to click the correct mouse button: left at range, right up close.