Why are Valorant players buying the Ares in anti-eco rounds?

The Ares has risen up over the Bulldog and Spectre as the gun to buy on half-buys, anti-ecos, and even eco rounds in Valorant. We’ve broken down why you should be picking it up too.

Valorant’s weapon meta is still getting solved. The game hasn’t even been out for a month yet, and while some guns have emerged as top-tier over others, when it comes to the best bang for your buck, things are still getting figured out.

Knowing what to buy when you are forcing, or in an anti-eco situation, can be tough. While it might be easy to fall back onto an SMG or a shotgun, the pros have started taking one weapon over all ⁠— the Ares.

Originally, Valorant players started buying the Spectre when they were strapped for cash. It was great in close ranges against unarmored opponents, and had a suppressed fire sound.

However, pros and high-ranked players started picking up the Ares after the T1 Valorant Invitational. It’s easy to see why. While heavy weapons are considered a meme in games like CS:GO, in Valorant, the Ares should be feared.

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It has an extremely high rate of fire, coupled with a large magazine designed to spray through smokes and walls. It’s got a super simple spray pattern ⁠— just pull down ⁠— although its bullet spread isn’t ideal. It’s effective at both short and long range. And it only costs 1,800 creds.

Watch EliGE get a 2k with the Ares to win the half-buy in the T1 Invitational Grand Final.

The main competitors to the Ares are the Bulldog and Spectre. It sits in between the two on cost ⁠— with the Bulldog on the high side at 2,100, and the Spectre sitting at 1,700.

However, the Ares can outshine both of them in different ways. The Ares has a magazine over twice the size (50 vs. 24), better wall penetration, and a faster rate of fire (10-13 rounds per second vs. 9.15) compared to the Bulldog.

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Up against the Spectre, an extra 100 creds gets you higher damage at all ranges, better penetration, and a larger magazine. The Ares does less damage to the head, but it’s great for a spray down.

While the Ares is by no way a substitute to rifles like the Phantom or the Vandal, or a sniper like the Operator, you’ll be getting more bang for your buck in anti-ecos, half-buys, and other money-strapped situations.

It’s dead easy to use, and its stats are remarkably good. If you can look past the “Heavy” tag, the Ares is one of the strongest ⁠— if not the best ⁠— cheap weapon in Valorant, and using it could be the difference between victory and defeat.