What does ‘thrifty’ mean in VALORANT?

VALORANT‘s economy system is a crucial part of its tactical gameplay. With weapons and abilities locked behind a credit system, depending on how you manage your economy, you may either have a surplus or run out of money—which is where a “thrifty” round comes in.

In rounds when you don’t have enough money to afford all your abilities, a high-tier gun, and full shields, you’d be better off saving resources as a team. Saving ensures you have decent loadouts in the next round and it also gives you the chance to score impressive thrifty rounds.

If you are wondering what thrifty exactly means in VALORANT and how to get more of them, you’ve come to the right place for an answer.

What does ”thrifty” mean in VALORANT?

In VALORANT, your team can earn the “thrifty” commendation by winning rounds where you spent less than your opponent and, therefore, had an objectively weaker loadout. More precisely, your team should possess loadouts of at least an average of 2,500 credit value less than the enemy team’s—for example, win with three Frenzys, a Marshal, and a Stinger against a squad with Vandals, Operators—to get a thrifty.

If you lose the first round of a VALORANT match, chances are you’ll save in the second for a full buy in the third. This scenario offers the highest chances for your team to score a thrifty as your enemies will likely not invest in a rifle—and even if they do, they won’t have full armor or abilities. But alas, sometimes teammates just won’t agree to save, am I right? This brings us to the question: Are save rounds and thrifties really worth it?

Should you save for a thrifty round in VALORANT?

Unfortunately, though, there’s no prize for earning a thrifty in VALORANT, except for a boost in economy that comes as a result of saving. But let us tell you, it’s definitely worth it.

The logic behind this is straightforward. Why would you continue to buy subpar weapons with a poor chance of winning every round due to how much stronger your enemies’ guns are when you could just accept one (likely) lost round and carry your credits into the next?

Learning how to score thrifty rounds is a key aspect of improving your VALORANT gameplay. Of course, you won’t be expected to win 100% of them, but being able to beat the odds with less powerful weaponry is a sign of effective strategy, better aim, or both.

Saving is about winning the war, not the battle, and every tactician knows that a perfect win rate isn’t achievable. It may not feel the best for the more competitive of the bunch, but learning how to play save rounds wins games. Believe it or not, thrifty rounds are uncommon, but not rare—all it takes is a thoughtful approach and lots of patience.

How to win thrifty rounds in VALORANT?

If you’re wondering how to win save rounds to earn that sweet, sweet “thrifty” commendation, we have some effective strategies for you to consider.

For starters, you can camp your side of the map and play extremely defensively, trying to catch any over-aggressive enemies off-guard. Alternatively, you can also gather your entire team to rush one site on attack, or five-stack towards one side on defense in order to overwhelm the other team with numbers. If this doesn’t work on defense, you’re left with your team together to retake the other site as five players. The trick is to stay together and act together.

Always aim to have at least 2,000 credits in your bank when choosing to save. You can go for a light buy instead, but it may decrease the chances of getting a thrifty. If you do choose to go for a light buy—in which you don’t exhaust your entire economy, but don’t save 2,000 credits either—make sure you make the most of your investment. Only go for a Sheriff if you are great with it, or just go for a Bucky or Ghost otherwise.

As far as weapon choices are concerned, it’s pretty simple. If you’re used to tapping heads with a Vandal, try buying a Sheriff on a save round. If you like spraying with a Phantom, try saving some credits with a Stinger. And if you always go for the Operator when you can, try using a Marshal instead. If you are saving after losing the pistol round, go for a Classic and if you have some more credits to spare, light shields. You can also opt for a Sheriff or Ghost but don’t forget the 2,000 limit to ensure a full buy-against bonus.

Either way, the most important thing is to pick up the dropped weapons of the players your team killed at the end of the “thrifty” round. This not only gives you better guns to carry into the next round but also helps your economy because you didn’t even need to buy them yourself.

Though it sounds like an ideal scenario, you’ll need some smooth maneuvers to get the “Thrifty” commendation in VALORANT.