Eco Weapon Guide

The Stinger costs 1100 credits and is the most misunderstood weapon in Valorant. At close range, its right-click burst deals the highest DPS of any weapon relative to its price point.

• Cost — 1100 credits. Half-buy territory.
• Fire Modes — Automatic (left-click, 18 rounds/sec) and Burst (right-click, 4-round burst at 20 rounds/sec).
• Damage — 27 body, 54 head. Must hit headshots to be effective.
• Run-and-Gun — Excellent running accuracy. The Stinger is one of the few weapons where you can sprint and spray.

The Stinger Right-Click Meta: At 0-10m, the burst right-click fires 4 bullets almost instantly. If you aim at chest level, recoil carries the last 2 bullets to the head. That's 2 headshots + 2 body shots = 162 damage — a kill in one burst. No weapon in the game has better damage/credit ratio at close range.

Best Buy: 2nd round after winning pistol. Buy Stinger + heavy shield (2100 total) and play close angles. You destroy enemy Spectre/light shield users.

The Spectre costs 1600 credits and is the undisputed king of half-buy rounds. It combines SMG mobility with surprising accuracy at mid range.

• Cost — 1600 credits. The standard half-buy weapon.
• Damage — 26 body, 52 head close; 22 body, 44 head at range.
• Magazine — 30 bullets.
• Run-and-Gun — Best-in-class running accuracy. The Spectre is accurate enough while walking to challenge rifles at close-mid range.

Half-Buy Strategy: On round 3 (after losing pistol), your team should full save or semi-buy. The ideal buy for non-savers: Spectre + light shield (2000 total). Play close to site, use utility to close distance, and let the Spectre's mobility work for you.

Why It Works: The Spectre kills in 4 body shots (104 damage = 4 x 26). Combined with a flash or smoke, you can close distance to 15m where the Spectre's DPS rivals a Vandal. The silenced firing also means enemies can't trace your position from tracers.

The Bucky costs 850 credits and is the eco round shotgun. Its defining feature is the right-click airburst that deals full damage at a short range with wide spread.

• Cost — 850 credits. Pure eco.
• Left-Click — Tight slug. One-shot kill at 0-8m. Falls off fast.
• Right-Click — Airburst shell. Wide spread, same damage. Perfect for clearing corners and smokes.
• Magazine — 5 shells. Reload is slow (2.6s).

Anti-Eco Dominator: When you know the enemy team is on eco (they lost pistol, you won), buy Bucky + light shield (1250). Hold tight corners or smoke edges. Right-click into smoke as enemies push through. The Bucky one-shots light shield at close range, and eco enemies can't afford to trade effectively.

Tip: Jump + right-click at head height. The airburst hits the head for 1-shot kill even at 10m. Practice this in the range — it's the Bucky's hidden mechanics.

The Shorty costs 300 credits — the cheapest non-Classic weapon in Valorant. It's the ultimate close-range panic weapon.

• Cost — 300 credits. Pocket change.
• Damage — 11 per pellet x 15 pellets = 165 total. One-shot at 0-4m.
• Magazine — 2 shells. You get two chances.
• Best Use — Holding corners, clearing smokes, anti-eco jump-shots.

Jump-Shot Shorty: Jump around a smoke or corner, fire the Shorty mid-air. The wide spread ensures you hit something at close range. You survive because enemies expect a shoulder-peek, not a jump-peek. It's cheesy, but it works in 80% of close-range eco duels.

Best Buy: Shorty + full utility + light shield on pistol round if you're playing a close-angle agent (Raze, Reyna). Clear a corner with utility and one-tap with Shorty. You save 500 credits over a Ghost while getting the same 1-shot kill potential at close range.