The best sidearm in VALORANT is only as good as you are

In VALORANT, players across all ranks have a selection of five different sidearms to use, from the Classic to the Sheriff. Yet one of the best sidearms at the top ranks of VALORANT is also one of the hardest to master, considering its nature as a very short-range weapon. 

The Shorty, a sawed-off shotgun with two shots per reload, has grown in popularity at the top ranks thanks to its cheap price, usability in close-range, and flexibility with specific agents. The VALORANT dev team knows the strength of it, though, and plans to nerf the Shorty in Patch 6.11. That won’t change the fact that Radiants have already improved so much with the Shorty that it has become the most-used sidearm at the rank, with a high 0.8 kills per round and an average of 84 damage, according to stats site Blitz.gg.

Related: Shorty, Frenzy dominance might be over with early VALORANT Patch 6.11 nerfs

Even with the upcoming cost hike from 150 to 300 credits, the Shorty can still be situationally great, which is why it’s grown to its current popularity in Radiant. Out of all situations you could be in, the Shorty is amazing when you’re saving money and trying to take a gun from your opponent. Usually, that revolves around finding an angle where your opponent won’t look and just holding it closely with the shotgun.

Doing that is very high on the risk/reward scale: You can guarantee a kill if someone goes there with a two-tap to their chest and head, but if your opponents go elsewhere, you have a terrible ranged weapon. One thing that Radiant players do to counteract that is to buy the Shorty with their Phantom or Vandal, using the shotgun only in close-range scenarios and then swapping to their main gun for ranged fights. With its pre-nerf 150 credit price, it was very easy to afford it alongside your full shields and a gun.

Asides from that, the way Radiant players get the most use from Shortys is by using them with utility. For example, putting up a smoke at a choke and hiding in it with a Shorty can usually guarantee a kill if the enemies are coming your way. Another great example is with Viper’s ultimate since the Shorty spread is big and the damage will be enough to kill low-health enemies trying to find the Viper within the ult.

Related: Only VALORANT Radiants know how to play one advanced agent

How much the upcoming Shorty nerfs will impact the shotgun’s usage is unclear, but the weapon will likely stick in Radiant players’ minds as a good way to secure a close-range kill.