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Road2Radiant

Sidearms

Classic: damage and tips

The Classic is the free pistol you get every round. Its alt fire shoots a three-round burst, handy at close range.

Price
Free
Classic

Stats

Price
Free
Fire rate
6.75 rounds/s
Magazine
12 rounds
Reload
1.75 s
Equip time
0.75 s
Run speed
85% of knife speed
First-shot spread
0.4°
Penetration
Low
Fire mode
Semi-automatic
Alt fire
Pellet burst

Damage by range

Damage per bullet by body part, and shots needed to kill an opponent with 100 HP wearing: Heavy Armor.

Damage by range
RangeHeadBodyLegs
0 to 30 m78 (2 shots)26 (6 shots)22.1 (7 shots)
30 to 50 m66 (3 shots)22 (7 shots)18.7 (9 shots)

How to play it

The primary fire is semi-automatic: tap one bullet at a time and pause so the first shot is accurate. Right click fires three bullets in a spread, so save it for very close duels, ideally crouched, because it gets inaccurate fast while moving. At 30 m and under, a headshot does 78 damage: two headshots kill, even against Heavy Armor. Past 30 m, damage drops a little (66 to the head) and Heavy Armor takes one more bullet. You have it every round, so it also works as a backup when your rifle runs dry.

When to buy it

It's free, so the question is whether to keep it or replace it. Keep it on eco rounds to put your credits into armor and abilities. Replace it with a Ghost, a Bandit, or a Sheriff once you have spare credits after buying your main weapon, or on pistol rounds.

Strengths

  • Free: you have it every round without spending a credit, which leaves your whole economy for armor and abilities.
  • Up to 30 m, two headshots kill even against Heavy Armor; beyond that, two still do the job against no armor or Light Armor.
  • Accurate when standing still thanks to a good first shot, with a quick 0.75 s equip.
  • The three-round alt fire punishes an enemy who rushes you in melee range.

Weaknesses

  • It takes 4 body shots with no armor and up to 6 or 7 against armor: a duel against a bought weapon is heavily stacked against you.
  • Weak wall penetration: you can't count on shooting through cover.
  • The alt fire gets very inaccurate as soon as you move or jump, so it only works point blank.
  • Modest fire rate (6.75 rounds per second): a missed burst leaves you with no answer.

Tips

  1. Tap bullets one by one and aim for the head: two headshots are enough, while the body takes four bullets or more.
  2. Switch to alt fire only point blank, standing still or crouched, and never while jumping.
  3. Place your crosshair at head height before the angle, since the Classic mostly rewards duels where you shoot first.
  4. Keep it out to reposition quietly or finish a wounded enemy when your main weapon is empty.

The aim to train

The Road2Radiant benchmark subcategories that matter most here.

  • Static

    Clicking on static targets

    Shooting is done shot by shot on stationary heads: you need to place your crosshair fast and fire without correcting.

    Drills to improve

  • Strafe Click

    Clicking while strafing

    The primary fire is only accurate when standing still: counter-strafing before each bullet makes the difference in a duel.

    Drills to improve
Measure these skills with the benchmark

Compare with

Same category

Train the aim this weapon demands

Sources

Updated on October 13, 2026

Data from patch 13.06. Names, art and weapon stats: Riot Games, via valorant-api.com.