Valorant

Valorant: Mastering the Economy (Money)

In Valorant, winning isn’t just about shooting well; it’s also about managing your money, called Creds. Every round, you use Creds to buy guns, armor, and your Agent’s powers. Knowing when to spend a lot, when to save, and how to hurt the enemy’s money is super important for winning matches!

1. How You Earn Creds:

• Win a Round: 3,000 Creds
• Lose a Round: 1,900 Creds (this goes up if you lose many rounds in a row, up to 2,900)
• Get a Kill: 200 Creds per kill
• Plant the Spike (Attackers): 300 Creds for the planter, and 300 Creds for all teammates (even if you lose the round!).
• Defuse the Spike (Defenders): 300 Creds (if you succeed).
  

2. What to Buy (The Buy Phase): At the start of each round, you quickly buy your gear.

• Weapons:
  • Pistols: Cheap guns for early rounds or when you have no money (e.g., Ghost, Sheriff).
  • SMGs: Good for close fights (e.g., Spectre).
  • Rifles: The main guns for most rounds (e.g., Phantom, Vandal). These are expensive!
  • Snipers: Very expensive, but powerful if you have good aim (e.g., Operator).
• Armor (Shields):
  • Light Shields: 400 Creds (gives you 25 extra health).
  • Heavy Shields: 1,000 Creds (gives you 50 extra health). Always try to buy Heavy if you can!
• Abilities: Some of your Agent’s powers need to be bought each round (100-300 Creds each). Your special “Signature” ability is usually free, and your “Ultimate” charges over time.

3. When to Buy and When to Save: This is the most important part of money management! Your team needs to decide this together.

• Full Buy:
  • When: When your team has enough money (around 3,900-4,700 Creds per person) to buy a strong rifle (Phantom/Vandal), heavy armor, and all your important abilities.
  • Goal: This is your strongest round, so you want to win it!
  • Communicate: “Full buy!” or “Heavy shields, Vandal!”
• Save Round (Eco Round):
  • When: When your team has very little money (less than 2,000-2,500 Creds).
  • Goal: Don’t waste money! Buy only a cheap pistol (Classic or Ghost) and maybe one important ability. The goal is to save money so you can do a “Full Buy” in the next round.
  • How to Play: Play very carefully. Try to sneak up and get a kill to steal an enemy’s good gun, or just focus on planting the Spike for extra money.
  • Communicate: “Eco!” or “Save, just pistols!”
• Half Buy (Force Buy):
  • When: When your team has some money (around 2,500-3,500 Creds), but not enough for a Full Buy.
  • Goal: Try to surprise the enemy with a slightly better gun (like a Spectre or Guardian) hoping to win the round and mess up their economy.
  • Risk: If you lose a Half Buy, you might have to Eco again.
  • Communicate: “Half buy, Spectres!”

4. Smart Money Tips:

• Pistol Round (Round 1): Winning the very first pistol round gives your team a huge money advantage for the next few rounds.
• After Winning Pistol: If you win Round 1 (pistol round), you’ll often buy SMGs (like Spectres) and light armor for Round 2. This is called a “Bonus” round.
• After Losing Pistol: If you lose Round 1, you’ll usually Eco for Round 2 and Round 3, then do a Full Buy in Round 4 (thanks to the loss bonus).
• Break Enemy Money: If you win a round against an enemy who bought expensive guns, it really hurts their money for the next round.
• Drop Guns for Teammates: If a teammate doesn’t have enough money for a good gun, and you have extra, you can buy one and “drop” it for them! This keeps your whole team strong.
• Ultimate Money: Don’t forget your Ultimate ability! Sometimes it’s worth saving a little money to make sure your Ultimate is ready for a big fight.

Mastering Valorant’s economy is like playing a game of chess with money. It adds a deep layer of strategy to every round, and smart money decisions can win you the match!