Is Valorant latest Weapon Outlaw Broken?
Riot’s first-person tactical hero shooter, VALORANT has been making waves for its amazing agents, innovative maps and over-the-top cosmetics. Adding new maps, agents/characters and skins isn’t anything new. But with the upcoming Patch 8.0, VALORANT plans to introduce a new weapon to the game.
Games and publishers usually steer away from such changes, because tactical FPSs are games that work on delicate balance. Introducing a new weapon in the mix, requires a lot of work and leads to balancing issues.
But Riot has always taken risks and followed them up with good results more often than not. The latest addition to VALORANT’s arsenal, the ‘Outlaw’ is a similar risk.
Understanding Valorant Outlaw
The latest Valorant weapon is the third sniper to be added to the arsenal. The complete information for the Outlaw is as follows:
- Price - 2400 Credits
- Fire Rate - 2.75 Rounds / Seconds
- Run Speed - 5.4 m/s(HIP) 4.32 m/s(ADS)
- Equip Speed - 1.25 sec
- 1st Shot Spread - 3.5/0 (HIP/ADS)
- Reload speed - 0.3 sec (faster if not empty)
- Magazine size - 2 rounds / 10 reserve
- Damage output
- HEAD - 238
- BODY - 140
- LEGS - 119
The weapon also has high bullet penetration and can fire both the rounds without scoping out. Additionally, there is no recoil and only the initial spread to every round.
The movement speed matches that of the marshal and the hip fire is fairly accurate, especially at close range, for a weapon that is targeted on bonus rounds.
Is Outlaw actually broken?
The major concern for the weapon isn’t the movement speed or the 1st shot spread as they are trade-offs for the weapon’s fire rate and reload speed.
The problem is the weapon’s damage output. Headshot damage output aside, the 140 damage body shot and 119 damage leg shot can change rounds instantly.
Especially since the price range of the weapon targets the bonus, anti-bonus and force buy rounds, the 140 and 119 damage heavily impacts a round’s outcome. These rounds usually feature players with half shields and in such cases, the outcome will be tipped heavily in an ‘Outlaw’s’ favor.
With the Outlaw, there remains no incentive to go for other weapons such as Guardian, Bulldog or Marshal. The sheer power output of the new weapon eclipses that of the aforementioned guns.
The current double-barrel sniper can easily turn force-buy rounds around and might ruin the delicate balance of VALORANT’s arsenal. Its potential can be easily observed in Derke’s Episode 8 Act I showcase.
If the Outlaw is as broken as testers are claiming, Riot will hotfix the weapon. Irrespective, the weapon will receive damage nerfs in the consecutively following patch.
Read all the changes coming with Patch 8.0 here.
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Featured Image Credits: Screenshot via Valorant YouTube // Riot Games
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