Valorant Gunfight Guide — Gunfight Hygiene

Key Takeaways

• Losing gun fights may not always be the fault of your aim, and you need to pay attention to the best practices for each weapon.
• Our gunfight guide will cover the best practices for Gunfight Hygiene, a term that has recently become very popular.
• Each weapon in Valorant, from Vandal to Specter and Operator shoots differently.
• You want to mainly use rifles for burst tapping and machine guns for spraying.

Since Valorant is a highly-accurate competitive shooter, it takes over a dozen mechanics to get good at the game. A strong mechanic popularized by Radiant coach Woohoojin, is gunfight hygiene, which plays an essential role in landing more frags in the game. In this guide, we will discuss how to develop good gunfight hygiene in Valorant and win more duels. Here’s our breakdown of Woohoojin’s tips.

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Why Are You Losing Your Gunfights in Valorant?

When playing Valorant, if you think you have correct positioning and crosshair placement but still end up losing your fights, your aim may not be the problem. A lot of the time, you may lose to the enemy because you aren’t using your weapon correctly. The art of shooting your weapon accurately, depending upon the gun and the range of your fight, is called gunfight hygiene.  

How to Practice Gunfight Hygiene for Each Weapon?

Take a quick look at our notes that you should consider when shooting each weapon. Keep in mind when we talk about close range, we refer to the in-game distances of less than 10m, while medium range is from 10m to 20m. Anything beyond 20m is long-range. Moreover, while practising each weapon, be sure to turn on the Shooting Error graph to check your accuracy.

1. Assault Rifles

Phantom	The best way to shoot Phantom is to spray at close-range and burst shoot at medium-to-long range. However, try to avoid long-range fights with Phantom.
Vandal	Ideally, you should always burst tap with Vandal. You could get away with spraying a couple of bullets at close range, but for medium-to-long range, always burst shoot 2 bullets and strafe.
Bulldog	Spraying will bulldog only works at close-range. From 10m onwards, it is best to use burst-fire mode with ADS.
Guardian	Since you can’t spray Guardian, avoid using this gun at close-range. Try tapping with strafing with it from mid-to-long range.

2. SMGs

Stinger	Stinger is a terrible gun at long range. However, you should spray with it up to 20m distance. At close range, make sure you run and gun with it.
Spectre	Just like Stinger, use run and gun with Spectre at close-range but avoid long-ranged fights.

3. LMGs

Ares	The best way to use Ares is to spam it with ADS. Burst shooting with Ares isn’t viable.
Odin	Odin is another great gun for spamming with ADS, especially for wallbangs. Avoid long-range fights with it, and try to move constantly when spamming at close-range.

4. Sniper Rifles

Marshal	Marshal works at all distances, and it’s highly accurate even when scoped out. You can spam this gun for quick shots.
Operator	Operator is a pretty straightforward sniper. Use it on agents with mobility, allowing you to re-position after taking one shot.

5. Shotguns

Bucky	Up to 10m, use the left-click mode while for distances greater than 10, use right-click. Avoid Buncky at long distances.
Judge	Judge is only viable at close-range. Make sure you’re moving or jumping while shooting it.

6. Secondary

Classic	At close-range, use run-and-gun and jumping right-click burst. While tap strafe at medium range with Classic.
Shorty	Only use Shorty at close corners.
Frenzy	Avoid using Frenzy at medium-to-long range. However, run-and-gun spray with it at close-range.
Ghost	Just like Ghost, tap and strafe with Sheriff. Don’t spam Sheriff, rather, take your time while shooting.
Sheriff	Just like Ghost, tap and strafe with Sheriff. Don’t spam Sheriff. Rather, take your time while shooting.

We’re sure as you develop these gunfight hygiene habits, you will quickly see a progression in your rank grind. If you’re interested in more, check out our list of the best skins and bundles to purchase in Valorant.