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Road2Radiant

Shotguns

Judge: damage and tips

The Judge is a 1,850-credit automatic shotgun that fires 12 pellets per shot. It crushes very close duels, especially against several opponents.

Price
1,850 credits
Judge

Stats

Price
1,850 credits
Fire rate
3.5 rounds/s
Magazine
5 rounds
Reload
2.2 s
Equip time
1 s
Run speed
75% of knife speed
First-shot spread
2.5°
Penetration
Low
Fire mode
Automatic
Alt fire
None

Damage by range

Damage per pellet, 12 pellets per shot: shots to kill depend on how many pellets land.

Damage by range
RangeHeadBodyLegs
0 to 10 m341714.45
10 to 15 m20108.5
15 to 50 m1475.95

How to play it

The Judge fires 12 pellets per shot automatically, at 3.5 shots per second, with 5 shells and a 2.2 s reload. Under 10 m, a pellet to the head does 34 damage and 17 to the body: one shot is enough if enough pellets hit. Beyond 15 m, damage collapses to 7 per pellet to the body. Crouch to reduce the spread, especially when holding an angle. It's played in a corridor, inside smoke, or on a retake, when the enemy comes at you. It moves slowly (75% of run speed).

When to buy it

The Judge is bought on a full buy or a comfortable half buy, when you're defending a site on short angles. At 1,850 credits, it needs a decent economy and a plan close to your team. Avoid it on an open attack against rifles, or when you have to cross long lines of fire.

Strengths

  • Under 10 m, a pellet to the body does 17: 6 pellets out of 12 are enough to kill an enemy with no armor.
  • Automatic fire rate of 3.5 shots per second: you chain two nearby opponents much faster than with a Bucky.
  • Excellent inside smoke or in a corridor, where the enemy has to enter at short range.
  • Handy for holding a fixed angle on defense: an enemy who runs into you takes a big share of the pellets at once.

Weaknesses

  • At 1,850 credits, it weighs on your economy and leaves little for protection.
  • High spread (2.5° at the start, 4° at most): past 10 m, a lot of pellets are lost.
  • With no alt fire mode, it does nothing at medium range: beyond 15 m, a pellet only does 7 to the body.
  • Slow movement (75% of run speed) and only 5 shells: you get punished if you miss.

Tips

  1. Crouch while holding the angle: the spread shrinks and more pellets land in the same area.
  2. Shoot under 10 m: beyond that, the head goes from 34 to 20 per pellet and the body from 17 to 10.
  3. Use your team's smokes to get inside them and shoot without being seen from afar.
  4. Stop before the shot: running adds 2° of spread and walking 1°, which makes a large share of the pellets miss.
  5. Don't empty the magazine in one go: keep a shell or two if several enemies are coming.

The aim to train

The Road2Radiant benchmark subcategories that matter most here.

  • Static

    Clicking on static targets

    You need to place the crosshair on an enemy appearing at a corner and fire cleanly: the accuracy of the first shot decides.

    Drills to improve

  • Dynamic

    Clicking on moving targets

    When the enemy moves at short range, you have to follow their direction so most pellets hit them.

    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.