The Vandal vs. Phantom debate between VALORANT players will likely exist until the end of time. Getting a sick headshot with the Vandal sure is satisfying, but that feeling is made even sweeter by the presence of an elite skin.
What are the best Vandal skins in VALORANT?
With the Vandal being one of the main rifles VALORANT, the devs at Riot Games created multiple Vandal skins, some of which became iconic in players’ eyes. The cosmetics have various prices, variants, and animations, and they’re the best way to express yourself in the first-person shooter.
Here are the 15 best Vandal skins in VALORANT.
Riot Games constantly releases new skin bundles in VALORANT that feature Vandal skins, so expect this list to change and grow over time.
Prime
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Prime Collection
- Release Patch: 1.0
If there was ever a hall of fame for iconic VALORANT skins, the Prime Vandal would be one of the first in line. Prime is one of the first skin lines ever released in VALORANT, and while many other skins have been released since then, you can’t go wrong with the Prime Vandal.
The Prime Vandal is minimalistic without any distracting elements. It has a clean colorway and satisfying VFX animations. The skin’s finisher is a howling wolf, which is simple but still pretty badass. If you’re looking for an overall good cosmetic that’s unassuming and crisp, the Prime is your best pick.
Champions 2021
- Price: 2,675 VP
- Bundle: Champions 2021 Collection
- Release Patch: 3.10
An honorable mention goes to the Champions 2021 Vandal—the first-ever Champions skin in VALORANT. This is an incredibly rare skin, as it was only available during the prestigious VALORANT Champions 2021 year-end tournament.
Despite featuring near-default firing audio, hitting headshots with the Champions 2021 Vandal feels other-worldly. No other skin will give you goosebumps as effortlessly. The inspect animation and finisher play a rendition of the Champions 2021 anthem, and there’s also the Champions Aura, which rewards players with the best performance with a special curation: a constant golden glow and a golden aura on the skin.
Even though you can’t pick up this skin anymore, there’s a new Champions collection every year around the end of August featuring a skin for a Vandal or a Phantom. These skins have incredible detail and even a couple of Easter eggs, so look out for the next VALORANT Champions tournament.
Reaver
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Reaver Collection
- Release Patch: 1.11
Another classic collection in VALORANT is Reaver, and the Vandal is one of the best skins you can pick up from it. The Reaver Vandal offers a dark, introspective look, all while sending enemies to the underworld. What’s not to like?
Reaver Vandal doesn’t have too much VFX, keeping your screen clean during a gunfight. It also has one of the most satisfying gunshot and finisher sounds, making every kill as satisfying as it should be. Pair it with a wide range of colors available, and you have the perfect tool to dominate the match.
Interestingly enough, the Reaver Collection’s final version was released with significant improvements over what was shown during the closed beta. Its animations are haunting, as if you’re wielding a gun that’s sent numerous souls to the nether realm. And its finisher supports that with dozens of hands dragging your target down to the depths of hell.
The Reaver Vandal is a must-buy if it ever appears in your daily offers section or the Night Market.
RGX 11z Pro
- Price: 2,175 VP
- Bundle: RGX 11z Pro Collection
- Release Patch: 3.07
Inspired by high-end PC rigs, the RGX Pro 11z Vandal feels like you have an aimbot (or a very good PC), with incredibly satisfying firing and hit audio. You can look at its rotating parts during the inspect animation, which also changes the RGB lighting color.
Unlike most premium VALORANT skins that have four upgrade levels, RGX weapons have five. The fifth upgrade level unlocks a kill counter displayed on the rear side of the gun. The kill counter counts your total kills in a match and briefly displays “EZ” if you grab the last kill in a round.
The RGX Pro 11z Vandal is definitely a fun skin to wield in VALORANT, especially if you don’t want to miss your shots. It’s available in four enticing color variants, but the yellow and red skins are the most popular.
Araxys
- Price: 2,175 VP
- Bundle: Araxys Collection
- Release Patch: 6.0
Featuring an alluring concoction of mystery, highly advanced technology, and a dark theme, the Araxys Vandal if for those want a sleek-sounding one-shot weapon—or just a Vandal with a cool, matte look. This skin is built to impress.
The pull-out and inspect animations make the weapon look like a futuristic bug, with multiple moving scales around it. It feels like it’s alive, but your enemies sure aren’t. Crisp gunfire sounds from beyond Earth make sure every headshot lands, leaving no one standing.
One of the most defining characteristics of the Araxys skins is the finisher animation, which pulls all enemies killed with the weapon into the skies. It was the first finisher animation to affect all enemies killed with the skin rather than only the last one.
If you would like your Vandal to feature a heavy, dark tone that is more influential than that of Reaver’s, pick up the Araxys Vandal without any second thoughts.
Sentinels of Light
- Price: 2,175 VP
- Bundle: Sentinels of Light Collection
- Release Patch: 3.02
The Sentinels of Light collection was introduced during the event of the same name that focused on the return of Viego from League of Legends. During the finisher, Viego briefly possesses the deceased agent before purifying them.
The animations are “rocky,” with the crystal relic comprising Vandal’s barrel moving and splitting apart every time you pull out or inspect the weapon. The gunshots also sound like the relic, so if you played Senna or Lucian in League, you should find them familiar.
With a gorgeous base model, an upgrade package that’s flashy but not distracting, and four great color variations, the Sentinels of Light Vandal is one of the most beautiful skins in VALORANT.
Prelude to Chaos
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Prelude to Chaos Collection
- Release Patch: 5.0
The Prelude to Chaos Collection is something straight out of DOOM. Aggressive VFX on the weapon and the finisher that chains the enemy and pulls them underground remind everyone who’s the boss on the battlefield.
However, the best part about the Prelude to Chaos Vandal is the loud and clear gunfire sound accompanied by the metal tunes of the kill banner. This is why Prelude to Chaos quickly became one of the most popular Vandal skins after its release, and many pros use it.
Kuronami
- Price: 2,375 VP
- Bundle: Kuronami Collection
- Release Patch: 8.0
Perfect for any Jett main, Kuronami is a ninja-themed skin collection Riot Games released in Episode Eight. Leather straps, sleek design, and glowing symbols near the sight keep the weapon simple but unique.
The skin line is centered around water, as you literally shoot and reload the gun with water droplets. The finisher doesn’t fall behind either: When you get the final kill in the round, the skies turn dark and it begins to rain regardless of the map you’re playing on. The finisher also creates a bubble of water you can shoot.
Jett mains can pick up the white variant of the Kuronami Vandal, but if you play a different agent, this skin also comes in blue (default), black, and purple colors. Quick and deadly; this is what the Vandal is all about, and Kuronami complements that fantasy perfectly.
Oni
The Oni Vandal did attract some controversial opinions during its release—mostly due to the collection’s over-priced Katana—but that didn’t stop players from grabbing the demonic skin to spice up their inventory.
If the touch of Japanese folklore on your weapon skins intrigues you, the Oni collection will please you like no other skin bundle in VALORANT. With lovely color schemes and an antagonizing Oni Mask on the gun’s rear, the Oni Vandal features a beautiful look and feel, all thanks to its worthwhile inspiration.
The quiet gunshots make it even more menacing when the finisher traps the enemy—now a ghost wearing an Oni mask—to the ground with samurai blades.
Ion
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Ion Collection 2.0
- Release Patch: 5.08
With its hi-tech glassy design and heavy laser-like firing and hit tones, the Ion Vandal is one-of-a-kind, launched as part of a sequel to the original Ion Collection in Episode Five. While the skin comes with a couple of clown-ish color variants you may not like, the default look is well worth the VP.
Like the original sci-fi design, the Ion Vandal harnesses the power of futuristic ionic energy, indicated by the sparkling ball of energy fitted into the guns. While inspecting the Ion Vandal, you will see a dome of energy radiating a color similar to the variant you choose, rotating inside the barrel and supposedly energizing the gun.
The intriguing orb also appears when you finish off the last enemy, but this time in a larger form and with animations, and explodes into what looks like rays of ionic energy before disappearing into thin air.
Gaia’s Vengeance
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Gaia’s Vengeance Collection
- Release Patch: 4.04
Gaia’s Vengeance Collection (or the tree skins) features some of the prettiest weapon skins in VALORANT. Adorned with creepers on a shiny stone base featuring tiny leaves, the Gaia’s Vengeance Vandal is a must-pick for nature enjoyers who desire an elegant, reactive skin for their favorite rifle.
While the animations and finishers are enchanting, it’s the crisp gunshot sounds that make the skin so good at landing headshots. It has a similar “rock” feel to the Sentinels of the Light, but much louder and sharper.
The signature feature of Gaia’s Vengeance is its enchanting finisher animation, which locks the last enemy killed inside a divine-looking, fully-bloomed tree; not to forget the tiny leaves which shed from all sides of the tree and the beautiful tone playing in the background.
Imperium
- Price: 2,175 VP
- Bundle: Imperium Collection
- Release Patch: 7.04
At first glance, Imperium Collection skins may look boring. The general design can’t outshine Gaia’s Vengeance, Oni, or even Reaver Vandals, which is a valid point considering the same price, but it’s the finisher that does the heavy lifting for the Imperium skins.
Killing the last enemy in the round summons a magnificent dragon that traps the enemy’s body in jade and dutifully watches over it. The Prime Vandal’s wolf looks like a puppy compared to the size of the Imperium dragon. Depending on the map, it can cover the entire bomb site with its body.
If you want an epic end to every round in VALORANT, Imperium is a solid option with diverse color variants to choose from.
XERØFANG
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: XERØFANG Collection
- Release Patch: 8.02
XERØFANG may not be the most popular Vandal skin in VALORANT, but its design is certainly one of the best. With a sleek design, glass elements, and sporty lighting, the XERØFANG Vandal looks and feels like a supercar.
The finisher is decent, too. It creates a holographic projection of a dragon from multiple pieces floating around. If you want to rush the site in style, XERØFANG is a great Vandal to pick up, especially in its black and gold variant with white lighting.
Forsaken
- Price: 1,775 VP
- Bundle: Forsaken Collection
- Release Patch: 2.08
Another timeless classic is the Forsaken Vandal. The green variant may not be for everyone, but it’s the white one we’re here for. For those of you unfamiliar, white Forsaken Vandal is basically the Sovereign Collection under a different name. It has the signature angelic kill banner sounds and the divine sword striking the enemy down during its finisher.
The Forsaken Vandal doesn’t offer much in terms of VFX, though. The firing sound is almost identical to the default Vandal (with added echo), and so are the inspect and reload animations. If you want a simple skin that still feels premium, Forsaken is the way to go.
Evori Dreamwings
- Price: 2,475 VP
- Bundle: Evori Dreamwings Collection
- Release Patch: 9.0
On the other hand, if you want something overloaded with cuteness and effects, the Evori Dreamwings might be the skin for you. Evori Dreamwings is the VALORANT‘s version of the Star Guardian skin line from League, and the designers certainly understood the assignment.
The Vandal itself has glowing wing drawings on the stock and magazine. Those wings are of your new companion—a cute dream cat that sits at the top of the gun and reacts to your actions. It sleeps when nothing is happening, makes an angry face when firing, and floats when falling. The familiar even helps you reload the gun and comes out of its home when inspecting the weapon.
Don’t see your favorite Vandal skin here? Check out our complete list with every Vandal skin in VALORANT.
Published: Oct 29, 2024 10:27 am