Valorant devs heavily nerf the classic pistol, no more burst-firing like before

With the arrival of Valorant Patch 2.0, the devs have heavily nerfed the only free gun available in the game: the classic pistol.

The classic weapon is a go-to during an eco round. While many might prefer the ghost or frenzy due to its high damage, others prefer using the free classic. Not only does it have a default single shot option, but it also features an alternate burst fire of three bullets.

The devs clearly feel that the single-shot feature is viable, but the same isn't true for the alt-fire option. The devs have realized that the classic was overperforming, considering it's a free gun and available to everyone.

Here are the changes:

• Jumping error increased: .4 >>> 1.0
• Increased input queue on right-click: 0.065 >>> .225
• Firing consecutively now jumps in error, starting at 1.9 for the first burst, 2.5 for the second. The third/fourth burst will be at a 6.0
• Alt-fire now has a recovery curve starting at .1s

This is what the Valorant devs had to say:

"The Classic is proving to be a master-of-none choice in pistol rounds, with the exception of jump right-clicks and spamming right-clicks. The spread changes aim to pull the effective range of the jump bursts and the firing error/recovery aim to put some more finesse into how effective you can be while spamming it out. Input queue will help shots between bursts come out more smoothly."

New Episode, fresh updates. Yoru, Controller balance, a slew of Competitive changes, and the rest. Read the full Patch Notes 2.0 here: https://t.co/FAzu8TSfbV pic.twitter.com/fAKDYRnRzP

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) January 12, 2021

Changes to the Classic will affect the eco rounds heavily in Valorant

Classic was the only free gun available in the game, and now that it is nerfed, a lot has to be reconsidered during eco rounds.

A notable change in the game with this nerf might be the economy of a losing team. Most players in the team won't prefer having a classic during the eco, and these nerfs might shift their preference towards a frenzy or a ghost. This might force a player to find a ghost or frenzy to hide with during a save round.

The classic's burst fire mode was also insanely accurate, even when shot mid-air.

This unique burst fire mode gave classic an edge over other weapons that had to be bought. There were many instances where the classic could perform lethal headshots in close range with its burst fire.

Using classic made players check the corners and helped generate an accurate shot to the head. With these changes, the rate of winning an eco round in Valorant will drastically decrease.

Another notable feature of the classic was its spamming power. It was never common for a Valorant player to perform a headshot with a classic on their first attempt but considering its low recovery time, the player could easily go for a second try.

Classic post patch: pic.twitter.com/W3bYQrLKM4

— Ronin (@TheRowdyRonin) January 12, 2021

This spamming ability has been changed deliberately, with an increased spread of the bullets after every try.

A similar weapon nerf will follow for the rifles in the upcoming Valorant updates. The devs are gradually increasing the skill ceiling of the game.