In Valorant there is the Shorty, the cheapest weapon to buy. But is the small sawed-off shotgun really worth anything? Here you will find out what the short shotgun is all about.
What is the Shorty all about? In Valorant, the Classic pistol is free at the start of each game. This is a solid weapon without many special features. If you want something else, you have to buy it, and luckily you start with 800 credits.
With that, you can buy skills, shields, or other pistols, including an expensive revolver that can achieve one-shot kills with headshots. Or you can spend just 200 credits and get the cheapest weapon in the game, the Shorty. It is actually much better than you might think at first glance.
The Shorty – The cheapest weapon in Valorant
The stats of the Shorty: Here are the properties of the Shorty at a glance.
| Cost: | 200 |
| Magazine: | 2 |
| Wall Penetration: | Low |
| Rate of Fire (Primary/Secondary): | 3.3 shots/second |
| Bullets per Shot | 15 |
| Damage 0 – 9 Meters (Body/Head/Leg): | 12/36/10 per bullet |
| Damage 9 – 15 Meters (Body/Head/Leg): | 8/24/6 per bullet |
| Damage 15 – 50 Meters (Body/Head/Leg): | 3/9/2 per bullet |
| Primary Fire Mode: | Single shot |
| Alternative Fire Mode: | None |
What is special about the Shorty? The Shorty doesn’t look particularly strong, and its stats initially sound weak. But that’s misleading. At close range, the Shorty can inflict up to 180 points of damage with a maximum of 15 pellets! That is absolutely deadly, not even the thickest armor can help. You don’t even need all 15 pellets to hit. It’s enough if 9 pellets connect to take down an unprotected opponent.
This is still feasible at slightly longer distances (up to 9 meters), and you don’t even need to aim well. Just make sure to hit roughly the torso. Therefore, this weapon is optimal for Run&Gun players as it loses very little accuracy through movement.
If an opponent is right in front of the shotgun, just pull the trigger and blast them away. But be careful that the first shot lands. You have at most one shot left to correct, then you have to reload. And at that distance, your opponent shouldn’t let you get that close.
The exact data for lethal body shots, broken down by distance and possible armor, can be found in the following table.
| Distance | Minimum Bullet Hits for Kill (Body) |
| 0 – 9 Meters | 9/11/13 |
| 9 – 15 Meters | 13/16/19 |
| 15 – 50 Meters | 34/42/50 |
You can see: The Shorty excels at close distances up to a maximum of 9 meters. After that, a lethal one-shot becomes increasingly unlikely.
In these situations, you should take the Shorty: Since the Shorty is so cheap, it is an optimal weapon for starting rounds or so-called “economy rounds,” where you can’t or don’t want to afford expensive equipment. With the cheap 200 credits, there is still enough money left for savings or useful skills and shields.
Which agents should take the Shorty? Additionally, the Shorty performs well with the following agents:
- The lightning-fast Jett is particularly good with the Shorty as she can quickly close the gap to opponents or initiate flank attacks.
- Phoenix can confuse opponents with his flash grenades and then quickly finish them off with the Shorty.
- Breach can impair opponents through walls and then rush in quickly to get kills with the Shorty.
- Omen can teleport close to opponents or use his skills for confusion.
- Heroes that create visibility barriers, like Brimstone or Viper, benefit from the Shorty, allowing them to get closer to the opponent.
The Shorty holds a good place in our weapon tier list:
Are you more interested in the most expensive and best weapons in the endgame than a good weapon for save rounds? Then read our article on the eternal question “Phantom or Vandal” and find out which of the two top-tier assault rifles professional gamer shroud prefers in his matches.
