How To Get Better At Valorant With Our 18 Tips (2023)

If you feel your learning curve in Valorant has been static for a while and you haven’t been able to pull off those clutch plays in the game, worry not! We all are on the grind to be the best as quickly as we can, and sometimes we lose sight of the basic fundamentals of Valorant.

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So either if you’re new or hardstuck in your rank and looking to amp up your gameplay, dive into our guide to check out 18 simple tricks that’ll help you get right back on track! 

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Tip #1: Optimizing Your Game Settings

Before we get into what you need to do to improve your gameplay, let’s talk about optimizing your game settings. A smooth gameplay without any stuttering and lag plays a pivotal role in making those micro plays that can help you come out on top during 1v1 duels. A general rule is that your FPS output should be at least double your monitor’s refresh rate.

Here are the settings that can get you the most FPS during a match:

Setting	Value
Material Quality	Low
Texture Quality	Low
Detail Quality	Low
UI Quality	Low
Vignette	Off
VSync	None
Anti-Aliasing	1x
Anisotropic Filtering	Off
Improve Clarity	Off
Experimental Sharpening	Off
Bloom	Off
Distortion	Off
Cast Shadows	Off

Also, another thing to ensure is that your Display Mode in Settings is set to Fullscreen. This allows your PC to produce the maximum number of frames for Valorant.

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Tip #2: Be Nice To Teammates

When solo queuing, you’ll come across a plethora of players with different playstyles and attitudes. Some will be nice and willing to cooperate with you, while others don’t care at all and just want to play their favorite duelist and run down a site. Rather than arguing with them in the match about their gameplay decisions, the best course of action is to be nice to them, even if you don’t feel like it.

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If you complain too much, there’s a likelihood that they’ll just invest their time writing or talking back to you and start throwing the game intentionally. So instead of creating a toxic environment, focus on racking up those kills and be supportive of your teammates no matter what. 

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Tip #3: Communication Is Key

Whether you’re playing with your friends or solo queuing, remember that without any sort of communication, your probability of winning a game goes down drastically. Giving accurate and quick callouts to your teammates is essential since one wrong piece of intel can cost you an entire round. 

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It’s also pretty simple to learn callouts in the game if you’re new. Simply head over to a custom game by yourself, choose the map you want to learn callouts for, and press the “M” key (default key bind) on your keyboard. This will expand the minimap and you’ll be able to see the names of all the places around the map. 

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Take your time, learn them all, and return to the battlefield again. You’ll feel more useful after you’ve died by keeping your allies updated with fresh intel, so even if you couldn’t complete the job, they can pick up from where you left off. 

Moreover, if you’re playing a game and in the middle of a round, you can also see the name of the location where you’re standing in the top left corner of your screen. 

Tip #4: Learn How To Peek For Intel

As you climb the ladder in Valorant’s rank system, you’ll meet players either with you or against you who will be jump-peeking to gain intel. While knowing how to jump peek isn’t mandatory, it’s a great tool to have in your arsenal, especially when you don’t know where your opponent might be. 

How To Jump-Peek

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide you can follow to learn the jump-peek:

1. Jump-peek with your knife instead of your weapon since it will be faster. After you’ve equipped your knife, approach the angle from 45 degrees you want to peek from.
2. Suppose you want to peek from the right side of a wall. Go towards the edge as soon as you’re near it, jump and use W to move forward.
3. After you’ve jumped and gained momentum ahead, look a little to the left (if you’re peeking right) and press A and S to get back in cover.

This can be useful if you’re trying to make Chamber empty out his Tour De Force or looking to annoy an enemy player who’s using an Operator. 

Tip #5: Know The Difference Between Spike Sound

Many players don’t know this, but a spike that is half-defused has a different audio cue than the one which isn’t defused at all. This can come in handy, especially in a post-plant situation where mind games matter more than gunfights.

If the defuse sound is slightly high-pitched than usual, this means that it’s already half-defused. At this point, you don’t want to wait too much before peeking at your enemy since they could end up completely defusing the spike before you know it. 

Tip #6: Watch Pro League

The best way to learn Valorant is by watching the best in the business play against each other. While some people aren’t into watching the professionals play, truth be told. it does allow you to learn a lot since they usually come up with tips and tricks that no one has ever seen before. You’ll also notice their sleek movement and mechanical skills, which you can try to implement in your gameplay.

You can watch professional Valorant matches on Twitch. You can also search for other pros playing competitive games, and implement their playstyle in your matches. 

Tip #7: Learn How To Strafe

Movement is an essential part of any FPS shooter, especially Valorant. Your movement helps you become a difficult target to kill and allows you to make plays that open up spaces for your team to aggress into. In a gunfight, try to move as much as you can sideways, so the enemy has a hard time sticking their crosshair on your head.

However, the thing you’ll need to bear in mind while strafing is that you need to shoot your bullets after a short delay, so to allow your recoil to reset. Moreover, if you’re moving too much, your shots won’t be precise. To counteract both these things, it’s recommended to stand stationary for about half a second before you shoot again. 

How To Strafe

If you’re looking to master the art of strafing, here’s what you need to do:

1. Go to the range and change your Settings to Eliminate 100, Strafe, and then shoot on Start
2. Once the drill starts, try to kill as many strafing bots as you can without moving
3. After you’re done with the initial drill, play another. This time, move your agent as well and try recentering your crosshair along the bot’s heads as you move

Tip #8: Bunny Hopping

Bunny Hopping is another advanced strafing technique you can learn to get to your designated location faster and avoid enemies from sticking their crosshair on you. Bunny Hops make your movement unpredictable to the enemy and allow you to make less sound than walking normally. 

The key to Bunny Hopping is making successive timed jumps which can be hard to do so if not practiced in the range. However, before you learn how to Bunny Hop, you’ll need to add Mouse Wheel Up as an extra bind to your jump control to make things simpler.

How To Bunny Hop

Here’s how you can Bunny Hop to annoy the enemy team:

Step 1: Press the W key to move forward and then jump

Step 2: As you’re in mid-air, release the W key

Step 3: As you’re about to land, use your scroll wheel up to jump. Also, press W + A or D to strafe in mid-air. Repeat the process until you’ve mastered it. 

Tip #9: Keep Track Of Enemy Abilities

Keeping track of your opponent’s ability is a great way to read their moves in the game. It can also help you know when to initiate fights with your enemy and whether you’ll have an advantage over them or not. 

For example, suppose you’re in a 1v1 with an enemy Pheonix who’s taking cover around a corner, and you know he’s used both his flashes in the game. In that case, you can charge at him with confidence, knowing he can’t blind you mid-way.

Similarly, if you’re playing Kayo, you can save your ultimate and only use it to nullify Chamber or Neon’s ult against you, which renders them useless, especially if it’s their save round. 

Bonus tip: You can check how far an enemy is from their ultimate through the scoreboard.

Tip #10: Play Your Role

It is essential that you fulfill the role you’re playing in a match. If you’re playing an entry duelist, it would be pointless to go solo and lurk alone when your team needs you to help them enter the site. Similarly, if you’re playing a Sentinel, your job is to watch your team’s back so they can focus on what’s in front of them. 

So coordinate with your team to see what they require. If they want you to lurk, then lurk or if they want you to enter, then enter with them. But playing solo on another side of the map won’t do you anything good since you’re stronger together than alone. 

Tip #11: Don’t Crouch Too Much

While crouching can be a handy mechanic to have at your side, overusing it isn’t a sign of a good player. When you crouch in a gunfight, you’re basically committing to the gunfight, and that means there’s no way out of it. You restrict yourself, and your probability of winning the gunfight also drops significantly. So the question arises: when and when not to crouch?

When To Crouch

While instant crouching isn’t the best thing to do, you can crouch in a gunfight if you’ve whiffed the first 5-6 shots in a duel. The enemy’s crosshair placement will also get thrown off this way, and since crouching provides your gun more stability, you might just come out on top in that fight. 

Moreover, when you re-peek a corner, it’s also sometimes a good idea to crouch and shoot since your enemy will be waiting to shoot at your head level. Not only will this simple trick throw off their aim, but if you spray correctly, you’ll be able to kill them off before they even get a chance to re-adjust their crosshair.

It is also recommended to crouch if you’re using a machine gun like an Odin since its high fire rate and stability will help you devour down targets in no time.

When To Not Crouch

Crouching is a bad idea if you know there are a couple of opponents ahead of you. If you initiate a gunfight with one, it is quite probable the other will come to trade you off.That is because when you do, you’re impeding your movement and won’t be able to move back quickly after killing the first person, letting the other finish you off as a sitting duck. 

Tip #12: Have A Small Crosshair

While Valorant offers you a lot of options to customize your crosshairs, it is recommended to have a smaller crosshair since it improves your aim’s precision. You’ll be able to land more bullets on the enemy with a smaller crosshair even if your aim isn’t the best, helping your team secure the kill.

Here are some of the smallest crosshairs recommended that will improve your aim and help you crack some heavy heads in the game:

Dot Crosshair

Dot crosshairs are the most commonly used crosshair in Valorant. Standard dots are the easiest to set up, despite the fact there are many variations. Dot crosshairs are also used by many pro league players since they improve precision and accuracy. 

Crosshair Code: 0;P;o;0.7;d;1;z;1;0b;0;1b;0

Four-Line Crosshair

The four-line is another handy crosshair you’ll encounter while playing Valorant. Many of the best pro league players, including TenZ, use this crosshair in the Valorant community. This crosshair has a small opening in the middle that makes it easy to locate and tap the enemy’s head.

Crosshair Code: 0;s;1;P;c;7;h;0;m;1;0l;3;0o;2;0a;1;0f;0;1b;0;S;c;4;o;1

Plus Crosshair

The Plus Crosshair is another option which you can switch back and forth to if you’re bored of your current crosshair. While its quite similar to the four-line one, the plus crosshair doesn’t have an offset in the middle. However, it still works great, and you’ll see many players acing games with it.

Crosshair Code: 0;s;1;P;c;5;h;0;0l;4;0o;0;0a;1;0f;0;1b;0;S;c;0

Bonus tip: If you like the crosshair of a teammate you’re spectating, type “/cc” in the chat and the crosshair will automatically be added to your game. You can head over to Settings and equip it later on. 

Tip #13: Warm Up Before Going Into Ranked

If you’re into sports as well, you’ll notice that before a match starts the athletes take a fair bit of time to warm up before going into the real game. That is because warming up helps to open up their joints which in turn helps them perform better in the game.

The same concept applies when playing Valorant or any other FPS. Having a warm-up routine or even playing a couple of deathmatches before queuing a competitive revitalizes your muscle memory and heats up your aim. Many players have a warm-up routine before queuing, and if you’re looking to adopt one as well, here’s what we suggest:

In the range, select the Strafe and Eliminate 50 option with No Armor.Then, get a Ghost and click Start to begin your routine. After you’ve killed all the bots, keep replaying it until you feel your aim is starting to get a little crisp. Next, repeat the same routine, but this time with a Vandal in hand.

Once you’re done in the range, play a Deathmatch. Play it with the weapon you’re more comfortable with (Vandal or Phantom). Then queue up another Deathmatch and practice with your secondary choice gun, like a Sherrif. 

Once the routine’s done, you’ll be pretty warmed up and are bound to perform better than you normally would’ve without the practice. 

Tip #14: Don’t Spray And Pray

Valorant is all about controlling your gun’s recoil. Most players make the grave mistake of just spraying their gun, hoping that they’ll get lucky and one of the random bullets of their gun will hit the enemy’s head. While this method has a 50% chance of being successful, what if you could increase the odds of it?

The best way to use a Vandal or Phantom is through small bursts of fire. Not only will it make both weapons more controllable, but you’ll be bound to whiff less in gunfights. So if you haven’t been getting on top of the scoreboard, it’s probably because you need to revamp your style of using your gun.

Relax, take a deep breath, and when you see an enemy, tap instead of just holding your right click. While it may feel a little overwhelming at the beginning, throw in a little practice and you’ll be annihilating everyone in no time. 

Tip #15: Play In A Party

Ranking up while solo queuing in any FPS shooter is a challenging task. We recommend you find a five-man party or the very least, a duo with a friend. Even playing in a duo lobby will help you rank up more quickly than solo queuing since you can coordinate with your partner to make plays that complement the styles of both of you.

For instance, you could hold down a site together and you won’t have to worry about watching multiple angles since you can depend on your partner. With random team members, you’ll have to ask them to hold down certain spots on the map and there’s the likelihood of them just not listening or leaving their positions unexpectedly without giving a callout. 

Tip #16: Master A Handful Of Agents

Don’t play different agents all the time. Rather only play a handful of agents that you’re comfortable with. Many people make the mistake of filling their roles while solo queuing. While filling a role is definitely a noble task, only do it if you’re comfortable enough to play a role that is completely different from yours. 

We recommend spamming an agent first in competitive to master it and its abilities, and then when you’re satisfied with it, switch to another. Also, fill a role only if it’s your secondary and given you know the fundamentals of it. Since chances are, if you end up playing an unknown role, you’ll be damaging your team more than when playing a role that was already picked.

Tip #17: Manage Your Economy 

Knowing how to manage your economy is a crucial difference between high and low-ranked players in Valorant. Most of the time, it’s a better option to save one round and play with a pistol and then play the succeeding round with a full buy and Shield rather than keep playing with half buys and substandard weapons. 

If your team saves, remember not to let your credits go below 1500. Even if you lose the round, you’ll have 3900 credits at the beginning of the next round, which is enough to buy a Phantom/Vandal with full shield (given you aren’t purchasing any abilities). 

Also, most players make the mistake of not handling their economy in the first couple of rounds. If you’ve lost the pistol round, then it’s recommended to completely save the next round so you can have a full buy in the third. 

Similarly, if you’ve won the pistol round, then get yourself a Spectre/Stinger with a Full/Half Shield. If you then win your second round as well and don’t die, then play the third round as a bonus round, without buying anything extra.

It’s also recommended to match your economy with your team. Communicate with your team and initiate eco rounds if you’re low on funds, and if they are full buying, match up with them. Your full buy won’t be of any use if the rest of your team doesn’t have the weapons to match up for it, and you’ll probably end up losing the round and your hard-earned economy. 

Bonus tip: You can see how much you’ll have next round by opening the shop and looking at the top left of your screen, right next to “MIN NEXT ROUND:”.

Tip #18: Don’t Aim Down Sight 

If you’ve shifted from other FPS shooters such as Rainbow Six Siege or CoD, you’ll be pretty accustomed to aiming down sights most of the time. However, that is not a good idea in Valorant since aiming down slows the fire rate of most guns and also makes it difficult to keep tracking enemies with your crosshair. 

The only time you should aim down sight is if you’re enemy is really far away, and you know that shooting without the additional zoom won’t help you land your shots accurately. We recommend Aiming Down your sights only with the Operator, Odin, and Guardian since they can provide you with more value and precision that way. 

Final Thoughts

Valorant isn’t a piece of cake to master. However, following some essential tips does help speed up the process. We hope our guide helped you in improving your gameplay and rising through the ranks. Is there still something that confuses you about Valorant? Let us know in the comments below!