It’s not easy to decide when to save or spend your money in VALORANT, sometimes it’s even harder than real life. And no, we’re not talking about spending at the Night Market.
In a VALORANT match, the outcome can be determined by a team’s ability to manage their economy round-to-round, not just individual skill or team compositions. Players have credits to buy weapons, armor, and abilities each round, and knowing when to save and when to buy is crucial for success at any rank.
Before deciding to save or spend, it’s important to understand how VALORANT’s round-to-round economy works. The best chance of success per round is if the whole team can “full buy,” meaning everyone has a rifle, full armor, and a full set of abilities. On average, this costs around 4,000 to 4,500 credits, depending on the agent and abilities saved from the previous round.
Don’t worry shoppers, we’re here to help.
When to save credits in VALORANT
If your team can’t afford a full buy and the opposing team can, and it’s not the final round of the half or potentially the match, then your team should consider saving. Force-buying each round instead of saving puts you at a constant disadvantage. You can check the buy menu to see how much money you’ll have next round, and potentially buy a pistol, half-armor, or an ability while still having enough for a full buy next round.
Here are the specific situations for saving:
- After losing pistol rounds
- If the team can’t afford a full buy against a team that can
- The “bonus” round after winning the first two rounds of a half
During save rounds, consider stacking a site if you’re defending or rushing if you’re attacking. A few lucky kills with a pistol could net you an enemy weapon and give you a chance to win the round, or at least weaken the enemy economy for the next round.
If you’ve won the first two rounds, you should have a light buy going into round three, most likely with SMGs or shotguns. The opposing team should have a full buy, but you can keep your economy strong by holding onto the weapons you have. Even if you lose the round, you still have a 2-1 lead in the half and enough money to buy, and winning the bonus round could break the opposing team’s economy early.
When to buy in VALORANT
If your team has around 4,000+ credits per person, you should be buying. Ideally, you should have enough to get all your abilities. But there are situations where it makes sense to buy even if you don’t have all your money.
Here are the situations for buying:
- After winning a pistol round
- The last round of a half
- An elimination round (opposing team is on 12 rounds or in overtime rounds)
After winning the pistol round, you should always buy. You should be able to buy SMGs, armor, and abilities in the second round if you won the pistol round and planted the spike. The opposing team won’t have the same firepower as you in the second round.
Of course, you should buy everything you can if it’s the last round of the half, potentially the last round of regulation if the enemy team has 12 rounds, or if it’s an overtime round. There’s no excuse not to buy when you’re against the wall.
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