Pocket Guardian: VALORANT players discuss best ways to use Chamber’s Headhunter

If you’re wondering what the fuss is around Chamber’s Headhunter in VALORANT, you might be missing out on a lot. The French gunslinger may have received some of the most brutal nerfs in the game’s history, including a few to his gilded pistol, but those haven’t exactly eliminated the advantage of having some ‘headhunting’ bullets in your pocket.

When u/Commercial-Ad6896 asked Reddit why they should use a Headhunter over any other VALORANT weapon, the community took the opportunity to highlight the pistol’s underrated perks.

While some refer to it as a ‘Pocket Guardian,’ Chamber’s Headhunter is mostly known for being a potent alternative to the high-cost pistol, Sheriff. Unlike the Sheriff, the Headhunter comes equipped with a 1.5 times ADS zoom and has no damage falloff. It’s the absence of damage falloff (the reduction in damage with distance) that makes the Headhunter comparable to the Guardian.

Besides the strengths of having a scope on a head-hitting pistol, a player named u_slashh made an excellent point: “If you die, you don’t lose Headhunter bullets, making them better for eco. The enemy also can’t take your Headhunter.”

It’s worth noting that the Headhunter isn’t meant to be an alternative to rifles. You can best utilize its benefits in eco rounds when you’re saving for a buy next round. Stinger, Spectre, Judge, and Bucky aren’t the best for ranged fights, but if you are forced to pick such weapons, Chamber’s scoped one-shot pistol comes in handy. 

That said, there are disadvantages to it too. Each Headhunter bullet costs 150 credits, and you can buy up to eight with no reserve to reload, making it seem like Sheriff is a safer pick. But in reality, both have their individual strengths.

Players also stressed why the Headhunter’s fast equip time is a win for sniping experts. It’s an excellent weapon to use to finish an enemy off when you run out of bullets in your primary weapon.

Pair it up with the Operator, and you can easily take down an enemy if they catch you off-guard at close range or when you miss a sniper shot, thanks to its equip time, which is lower than all other VALORANT weapons, and high damage potential. You can’t get the same results with a Sheriff or any other sidearm.

Personally, I think it’s a hero weapon for aggressive Chamber mains who love taking risks for first blood—with their Teleport anchor up and active, of course. It’s incredibly satisfying to scope into a lengthy lane, snap a poor, unsuspecting enemy’s head, and say “Goodbye” or “Away” before teleporting out of there.

With Riot dumping two huge nerfs on him in the past few Acts, it’s natural to underestimate Chamber’s kit in its current form. But his Headhunter continues to stand strong in its domain as one of the best fragging utilities in VALORANT.