VALORANT player showcases how to skip equip animation of a gun by tapping Spike plant

VALORANT fans may have some new tech to toy around with.

One savvy player discovered a way to skip the equip animation when pulling out a gun by tapping the Spike plant key, posting their findings in a video yesterday. And while there are instances where it can come in handy, it does seem to be situational.

Equipping your main weapon begins an animation that prevents you from shooting for a brief second, which can sometimes cost you your life if done at an inopportune time. But attackers armed with the Spike can skip that animation with ease.

If you have your melee weapon out, for example, players can simply switch to their main weapon and then tap the plant button. Your main gun should then equip considerably faster, giving you the opportunity to shoot down any opponents that might peek you.

While this interaction may give attackers a slight edge, it does seem situational. Players are more likely to keep their weapon out when planting or faking the plant so they’re ready for a gunfight. But if you don’t have a lot of time to plant and you’re running onto a site with your melee out, it may be a quick way to take the head off an overzealous defender.

This tactic appears to only work for attackers planting the Spike. Defenders who tap the defuse key are better off keeping their gun out since there’s no equip animation.

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