In VALORANT Patch 1.07, Riot Games is making some significant adjustments to all shotguns in terms of their aimpunch and tagging, while sending some buffs to the Vandal as well.
When getting headshot by a shotgun, the aimpunch will be lower than all other weapons. Additionally, if a player is hit from more than 10 meters by a shotgun, they’ll be affected by a different tagging value than if they were shot from a closer distance.
The aim of these changes is to ensure that the shotgun remains a deadly weapon when used up close and personal but isn’t as threatening at range. Before, the shotgun could still provide plenty of utility by slowing a target at range while another teammate could finish the job with a longer-ranged weapon.
The Shorty, which increased in use throughout the past patch due to its power for its price, has seen its effective range nerfed to make sure that its users are forced to get close to pick up kills. The Judge also saw a 100 credit increase in price to see if this “moves the needle when playing against this gun.”
Meanwhile, the Vandal is getting an increase to its fire rate from 9.25 to 9.75 and a one-point increase in its damage from 39 to 40. The goal of these buffs is to push the rifle into closer competition with the Phantom, which has been one of the more popular weapons in VALORANT.
Patch 1.07 also saw huge changes to agents like Sage, Breach, and Viper. You can learn more about these alterations in the full patch notes.
