Valorant players hopeful new sniper will end current light shield meta
Riot GamesValorant’s new weapon since launch, Outlaw, is set to debut with Episode 8, and some players feel hopeful that the sniper will end the popular light shield meta.
Riot’s tactical FPS is a competitive game where the meta is constantly evolving. This can be either in the form of Agent compositions, economy management, or both.
Not long ago, popular esports teams like NRG and Fnatic started a trend in Valorant where players were buying light shields during buy rounds to have enough cash if things go south and they’re forced to eco. During these situations, a rifle was a guaranteed purchase with light armor.
Now that Valorant is going to have its first weapon since launch, some players are feeling hopeful that Outlaw will end the current light shield meta.
Valorant players feel Outlaw was long “overdue”
Posting on Reddit, a Valorant player initiated a discussion of light armor meta, a popular strat mostly followed by high-ranked and professional players. With Outlaw set to debut as the first weapon since launch, the community is pretty excited to see how this sniper can be a counter to this strategy.
A player upon asking if the Outlaw is like “a double-barrel Marshal”, another player responded, “Yeah. For killing light armor opponents based on the damage numbers. Should be interesting.”
Many other players feel like the new sniper will be an interesting option as it’s “pretty much guaranteed to kill when it shoots.” “A little bit more expensive than bulldog but seems well worth with how meh the bulldog(imo) it feels since it’s a “must headshot” gun that is close enough in price to the guardian that it’s just a better choice,” they continued.
Another player said this weapon was “overdue” and would “force greater variety in guns” as “folks are buying Vandals/Phantoms with light/no shield on eco… so we never see the mid-cost guns.” They also feel, “in higher elo you might see Outlaws pulled out to check the light-shield, but lower elo will likely stay the same… someone who is likely to miss their shots isn’t going to buy a gun with two in the chamber.”
Some players feel Outlaw is going to be “broken, just bodyshot them 140 and use your classic or ghost to kill them.”
The stats of the new weapon were leaked last year and it’ll be interesting to see how the meta shapes up in Episode 8.
