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Road2Radiant

Rifles

Vandal: damage and tips

The Vandal is the 2,900-credit rifle with constant damage: 160 to the head across the whole range, a one-shot kill, at the price of a spray that's harder to control.

Price
2,900 credits
Vandal

Stats

Price
2,900 credits
Fire rate
9.75 rounds/s
Magazine
25 rounds
Reload
2.5 s
Equip time
1 s
Run speed
80% of knife speed
First-shot spread
0.25°
Penetration
Medium
Fire mode
Automatic
Alt fire
Aim down sights, ×1.25 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 m160 (1 shot)40 (4 shots)34 (5 shots)

How to play it

The Vandal is played by tapping and in short bursts. Every bullet does the same damage from 0 to 50 m, so a headshot always kills, even against Heavy Armor. Its fire rate of 9.75 rounds per second is slower than the Phantom's: don't spray at long range, place your crosshair at head height and fire one shot at a time. Right click zooms 1.25x, reduces spread a little, and lowers the fire rate to 8.8 rounds per second. It isn't silenced: change position after a kill.

When to buy it

A full buy at 2,900 credits, with armor and abilities, when you want a reliable rifle at any range. Avoid it on a force buy. If the team is short on credits to complete, a cheaper weapon keeps more abilities for the next round.

Strengths

  • 160 headshot damage across the whole range: one shot kills a 100 HP enemy, even in Heavy Armor (160 - 50 = 110).
  • No damage loss with distance: the same weapon works for long corridors and tight duels.
  • Very accurate first shot (0.25° standing): a well-placed tap hits where your crosshair is.
  • 40 body damage: three bullets (0.205 s) are enough against an unarmored 100 HP enemy.

Weaknesses

  • The spray stabilizes poorly in sustained fire: the crosshair drifts, so you have to master the recoil.
  • Not silenced: tracers and noise give away your position, so it's poorly suited to a discreet flank.
  • Fire rate of 9.75 rounds per second, slower than the Phantom: a close body duel is riskier.
  • Costs 2,900 credits: a poor choice on a force buy when the team can't complete armor and abilities.

Tips

  1. Fire one shot at a time (tap) and let the crosshair reset: the first bullets are the most accurate.
  2. Counter-strafe before every tap: while running the spread climbs by 6°, and the bullet no longer goes where you aim.
  3. Keep your crosshair at head height before opening an angle: a single shot is enough, so crosshair placement decides the duel.
  4. If you have to spray up close, follow the recoil's sideways drift with your mouse and don't fire more than a few bullets in a row.
  5. Change position after a kill: the shot is audible and the tracer is visible.

The aim to train

The Road2Radiant benchmark subcategories that matter most here.

  • Static

    Clicking on static targets

    The Vandal is played by tapping a stationary target: placing and snapping a flick to the head decides the duel.

    Drills to improve

  • Strafe Click

    Clicking while strafing

    Counter-strafe then shoot: first-shot accuracy depends on your stop, so on clicking while moving.

    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.