There are many weapons in VALORANT, the tactical first-person shooter made by Riot Games. In order to become a master of the game, it's pivotal that you learn to master the weapons in it. That's why we've made a series of weapon guides for VALORANT weapons discussing the weapon cost, the weapon damage, and controlling the weapon's recoil. In this guide, we'll be talking about the Frenzy pistol.

Cost

At a cost of 400 credits, the Frenzy sits right in the middle when it comes to the cost of sidearms in VALORANT. It's more expensive than the Classic, which is free, and the Shorty, which costs 200 credits. However, the Frenzy is slightly more expensive than the Ghost, and only half the price of the Sheriff. The Frenzy can be bought in the first round of each half in addition to a Light Shield, if you're opting to buy no abilities for your agent, or paired with a few abilities.

Damage

The Frenzy's bullets deal damage almost identical to the Classic. Up until 20 meters, both guns deal exactly the same amount of damage. The Frenzy's damage falls off more quickly, however. Whereas the Classic's threshold for damage falloff is at thirty meters, the Frenzy deals less damage to its target starting at twenty meters. Not only does it have a shorter range before the damage starts to drop, but the bullet damage is also reduced.

The Frenzy does have an upside though: it's fully automatic, and fires rapidly. The fire rate of the Frenzy is ten rounds per second, meaning it bursts opponents down in quick fashion. With that in mind, the Frenzy does a lot more damage per second than the Classic, especially up to twenty meters away from the target.

Recoil

The Frenzy's high burst comes at a price: it has quite some recoil. After the first two bullets, the Frenzy accelerates upwards, where it stabilizes for the final few shots. At short range, the recoil isn't too bad. However, from medium to long range, the Frenzy's recoil is quite severe and difficult to control.

There are two ways to mitigate the recoil of the Frenzy. The first one is simply shooting in short bursts: shoot two bullets, let the crosshair reset, and shoot again. This is the best tactic to apply when you're trying to hit an opponent from a longer distance. In closer combat, the best way to counteract the Frenzy's recoil is by dragging your crosshair down to counteract the upward trend.

To summarize:

In the end, the Frenzy still is a sidearm. You buy it in rounds where you're low on money to spend but are willing to bet on rapid fire to turn the round in your favor. At the starting rounds of each game, you can opt to purchase the Frenzy alongside an ability or a Light Shield, depending on the play style your agent supports best. If you want to trump your opponents with the Frenzy, mastering its recoil should be your focus point.

VALORANT weapon guides:

For more VALORANT content including guides, patch notes, and news, check out our dedicated VALORANT section!

Images via Riot Games