The age-old conundrum of Phantom or Vandal has perplexed players ever since the beginning of Valorant. While both the weapons went through a series of changes over the patch updates, players still find it difficult to select a clear winner.
The Phantom and The Vandal are two Assault Rifles in Valorant which cost 2900 each. Both of them are designed to help players get the better of their enemies. But their functionality varies in specific ways.
Vandal Or Phantom?
The best weapon for a player depends entirely on their gameplay style. For instance, if a player likes to lurk around corners and clear angles at close range, then using a gun with high recoil isn't the proper idea.
Thus, to answer this long-standing question, we have planned to give a comprehensive assessment of these two guns in Valorant. To start, let's look at the stats of both these weapons.
Phantom
- Fire rate - 11 RDS/sec
- Run speed - 5.4 m/sec
- Equip Speed - 1 sec
- 1st shot spread - 0.2 (HIP Fire)/0.11 (ADS)
- Reload speed - 2.5sec
- Magazine - 30 rounds
ADS
- Zoom - 1.25x
- Fire rate - 9.9 rounds/sec
- Move speed - 4.104 m/sec
- Slight reduction to spread and recoil
- Crosshair follows the recoil pattern.
Special features - Suppressor
- Bullet fire/tracers are not visible to the enemy.
- Firing sound can only be heard in the direction of fire, and cannot be heard at 40+ m.
Damage
The Phantom has different damage for Head, Body and Legs at three specific distances.
- For 0 to 15m, the Phantom deals 156 damage with headshots, 39 with body shots and 33 with leg shots.
- At 15 to 30m, it deals 140 damage with headshots, 35 for body shots, and 28 with leg shots.
- At 30 to 50m, the Phantom falls short of the Vandal. It deals 124 damage for headshots, 31 for body shots and 26 for leg shots.
Vandal
- Fire rate - 9.5 RDS/sec
- Run speed - 5.4 m/sec
- Equip Speed - 1 sec
- 1st shot spread - 0.25 (HIP Fire)/0.157 (ADS)
- Reload speed - 2.5sec
- Magazine - 25 rounds
ADS
- Zoom - 1.25x
- Fire rate - 8.775 rounds/sec
- Move speed - 4.104 m/sec
- Slight reduction to spread and recoil
- Crosshair follows the recoil pattern
Damage
Reigning supreme, the Vandal has a constant damage consistency from 0 to 50 meters. This quality alone makes it the top Assault Rifle for one-tap aim experts.
The Vandal deals 160 damage with headshots, 40 with body shots and 34 with leg shots.
Which gun to use?
It is suggested that players use the Phantom to start their journey in Valorant, as this will teach them how to use Assault Rifles in the game. As they progress, they can switch to the Vandal. However, this switch will depend on how the player is taking a fight.
For instance, using the Phantom at long range to spray down an opponent is as bad as doing the same at close range with the Vandal. Both these weapons are crafted to fit a specific purpose.
Players who can rely on their raw mechanical aiming skills can always choose the Vandal over the Phantom. It requires a higher skill ceiling to master, but in the right hands, the Vandal becomes a beast.
Similarly, players who are not gifted with pro-like aiming skills should use the Phantom. This is because the Phantom will have a reduced spray, and it wouldn't reveal the shooter's position.
After the patch 3.0 update, players have reported that the Phantom is a much better choice in the current meta. Players should use the weapon they are most comfortable with and try to adapt they playing style around that.