Players who love close range VALORANT battles and epic multi-kill spray downs look no further to the small, but large and in charge SMG, the Spectre.
VALORANT offers 18 weapons (including the knife) to take down enemies, but each one has their particular area where they shine.
For long range battles Operators, Marshalls, and even the Vandal reign supreme. Whereas close range battles are scrappy, relying on a quick rate of fire and fast movement to spray down rushing opponents.
For low-buy rounds, or situations where players cannot afford a Vandal/Bulldog, the $1600 SMG is incredibly effective in turning your enemies to dust.
What type of weapon is the Spectre?
The Spectre is the more expensive VALORANT SMG, overshadowing the Stinger in more ways than one. This $1,600 weapon is super effective in close-range battles, and is incredibly ineffective at long range.
Using this SMG on maps like Fracture and Split (RIP), where there are plenty of tight angles to hold, is a very impactful way to use this weapon. Attempting to control your weapon’s spray down long hall-ways will not get you very far. (Granted, it is not impossible at all).
Spectre weapon stats
The Spectre has a very high rate of fire, almost rivaling its cheaper but less accurate VALORANT counterpart, the Stinger. With a fire-rate of 13.33 rounds/sec, the Spectre doesn’t take long to put at least 5 bullets into an enemy.
As with most guns, aiming at the head is the quickest way to end the round for an enemy. The weapon’s damage stats deteriorate as players move further in distance, only with headshots remaining lethal.
Headshots provide a solid 78 damage, and as enemies get towards 20-50m away, it drops to 68 damage.
This essentially means that close range is your best bet.
Stats:
- Magazine Size: 30 Bullets
- Reserve Ammo: 90 Bullets
- Fire Rate: 13.33 rounds/sec
Primary Fire – Time to Kill
- Image via Valorant.Fandom
Alternate Fire – Time to Kill
- Image via Valorant.Fandom
The Spectre has an easy spray pattern initially, however, as you get past 10 bullets it starts to get a bit wild.
Aiming down sights isn’t anywhere near as impactful. ADSing is only effective in certain circumstances where opponents have low health, but even then, this is not that effective.
The initial part of the magazine sprays directly up, so pulling your crosshair down to compensate will be effective. The next phase of the spray starts to switch from left to right, almost randomly.
Spraying at close range will be a lot easier to control, and as soon as players start to shoot at distances longer than 15-20m, that’s where some burst control will have to be implemented in order to get a successful kill.
Why buy the Spectre?
Buying the Spectre on low-buy rounds in an effective way to take a weapon off the opposition. It’s also incredibly useful in anti-eco (rounds against opponents who are on an eco buy), however, VALORANT players in games tend to play closer angles and get overrun by attackers, so always have an escape route.
The Spectre is a silenced weapon, meaning tracers won’t be visible and the firing sound won’t be audible for enemies at a distance of 40m. This gives you the opportunity to flank and get the jump on unsuspecting players.
The SMG is only 1,600 credits. Buying the Spectre is useful in a lot of situations. The weapon is one of the smallest in the game, meaning your gun barrel won’t protrude out of most corners, unlike the Phantom or any other large weapon.
How to use the Spectre
There are several VALORANT characters who would be suited to the Spectre. Agents like Jett, Chamber, Reyna, Raze, Neon or even Phoenix are some of the names on that list.
Characters who can make a quick escape and avoid getting traded after a kill. Using choke points with 90 degree angles, or sneaky off angles can be useful in finding that initial frag on the defensive side.
Playing aggressive and entrying with a Spectre isn’t the worst idea either, because if the entry dies with a Spectre, it’s a cheaper weapon and you’ve provided information to the rest of your team.
Pairing this weapon with a Brimstone Stim Beacon is super effective as it increases the already fast rate of fire, making it especially deadly. This is one of the only weapons recommended for running and gunning on occasion.
