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Road2Radiant

Sniper rifles

Operator: damage and tips

The Operator is the most expensive sniper in the game, at 4,700 credits. A body shot kills any opponent, at the price of a very slow fire rate and reduced movement.

Price
4,700 credits
Operator

Stats

Price
4,700 credits
Fire rate
0.6 rounds/s
Magazine
5 rounds
Reload
3.7 s
Equip time
1.5 s
Run speed
76% of knife speed
First-shot spread
5°
Penetration
High
Fire mode
Semi-automatic
Alt fire
Aim down sights, ×2.5 zoom
Feature
Dual zoom

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 50 m255 (1 shot)150 (1 shot)120 (2 shots)

How to play it

The Operator is played from an angle you hold, on defense or to lock down a corridor. A single body or head shot kills, even against Heavy Armor: so you need to hold the angle and react to the first appearance. It fires 0.6 times per second and slows you down when equipped. After a shot, change position, because the enemy knows where you are. Its high penetration also lets you hit through thin walls. Its zoom alternates between 2.5x and 5x.

When to buy it

On a full buy, when the whole team can gear up and you have 5,100 credits to add Light Armor. One Operator per team is usually enough, bought by the player who holds the angle. Avoid it on attack if the plan requires a fast entry, and when the economy is fragile.

Strengths

  • A body or head shot kills anyone at 150 HP, Heavy Armor included: a single shot can win a duel.
  • It forces the enemy to change how they play: long angles are hard to cross without smoke.
  • High penetration: you can kill through thin cover when the enemy is revealed.
  • The dual zoom (2.5x and 5x) lets you choose between a wide view and precision at long distances.

Weaknesses

  • 4,700 credits: a death when the team can't rebuy the same weapon wrecks the next round's economy.
  • Fire rate of 0.6 shots per second: a missed shot lets the enemy punish you with any weapon.
  • Movement is slow: 5.13 m/s versus 5.4 for a rifle, and 72% of that speed when scoped (3.7 m/s): rotations are hard.
  • Poorly suited to attackers who have to rush: its weight and slowness hold back the site entry.

Tips

  1. Hold one angle at a time, scoped in: at 0.6 shots per second, the first shot counts, and moving your aim mid-duel delays it.
  2. Shoot standing still or right after a counter-strafe: on the move, shot accuracy drops.
  3. After a shot, change position, the enemy knows where you fired from.
  4. After a missed shot, don't count on a weapon swap to save you: pulling out the Operator takes 1.5 s on a normal equip (0.9 s on a fast one), too long in a duel.
  5. Without the scope, spread is 5°: at very short range a shot can still hit, but don't count on it.

The aim to train

The Road2Radiant benchmark subcategories that matter most here.

  • Static

    Clicking on static targets

    You hold an angle and shoot at a stationary target that appears: crosshair placement is everything.

    Drills to improve

  • Reactive

    Reactive tracking

    The enemy reveals themselves suddenly and you have to correct onto them before they get back to cover.

    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.