There are many weapons in VALORANT, the tactical first-person shooter made by Riot Games. In order to become a master of the game, it's pivotal that you learn to master the weapons in it. That's why we've made a series of weapon guides for VALORANT weapons discussing the weapon cost, the weapon damage, and controlling the weapon's recoil. In this guide, we'll be talking about the Classic pistol.

Cost

The Classic is the default pistol in VALORANT. Upon spawning at the start of the game, or respawning at the start of a new round after dying in the round prior, everyone is given the Classic for free. If, later on in the match, you want to swap from another pistol back to the Classic, it'll also cost you exactly zero credits: the Classic is free at all times.

Damage

The Classic does a medium amount of damage with its bullets when compared to other pistols in VALORANT. Each individual bullet does as much damage as a bullet of the Frenzy does, though the Classic has a slower fire rate with less recoil. An individual bullet of the Shorty's pellet does less damage than the Classic, and both the Ghost and the Sheriff deal more.

Below you can see a table of the damage dealt by the Classic at various distances in VALORANT:

At close to medium range, you'll need to hit the enemy with two bullets in the head to take them down if they're at full health, whether they've bought shields or not. In the worst-case scenario, when you're at long range and manage to only hit your opponent's legs, it'll take you nine shots to take them down. The Classic can fire twelve bullets before you need to reload it.

Recoil

Like every gun in VALORANT, the Classic has recoil when you shoot it. The Classic has a fire rate of 6.75 bullets per second when fired at top speed. At close range, firing rapidly doesn't impact your aim with the Classic a whole lot. However, from about twenty meters, the recoil starts to become noticeable. In the video below, you can see the Classic recoil, unmitigated, at various distances.

As can be seen, the recoil spreads upward following random patterns. The best way to control the recoil of the Classic is by so-called 'tapping': shooting individual bullets at a reduced fire rate. This allows for your crosshair to reset to its original position. Trying to mitigate the Classic's recoil by slowly dragging down your mouse to counter the upwards trend isn't as useful, as the spread of the recoil is unpredictable.

Alternate fire

The Classic is one of the few guns in VALORANT with an 'alternate fire' mode. When you right-click with the pistol equipped, it shoots a burst of three bullets at the same time. It is, however, more inaccurate; it effectively works like a mini shotgun. Each of the three bullets does as much damage as a bullet fired using the Classic's primary fire.

The alternate fire of the Classic has another big upside: it doesn't lose accuracy when moving. If you jump or run while using the alternate fire, the three bullets will land in the same position as they would if you were standing still from the same position.

To summarize:

The Classic might as well have been named the 'Basic' in VALORANT, as it is average in about every way. Its damage and fire rate are all mediocre—there is no trade-off of damage, fire rate, or accuracy, as there is with other pistols in the game. Still, it's definitely a pistol worth mastering. If you're down in money and choose to hold off on buying equipment so you can purchase more expensive guns next round, you'll have to make the Classic work.

Other weapon guides:

For more VALORANT content including guides, patch notes, and news, check out our dedicated VALORANT section!

Images via Riot Games