Valorant wall bang analysis reveals why damage is so inconsistent

Alan Bernal

A breakdown of wall penetration shots in Valorant shows how hit registration and damage output can be inconsistent across the various maps or weapons in the game.

Since the title’s official launch on June 2, there’s been a ton of experimentation from players trying to understand all of the mechanics inside of Riot’s new tactical shooter. So far people have figured out the best ways to play on Bind, use Agents like Cypher, and more.

But one concept that still throws players in a loop is the “janky” wall penetration that can sometimes be of use but doesn’t always happen when expected – and when it does, the inflicted damage can be errant as well.

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Taking a closer look into the issue, YouTuber ‘quarkez’ tested out different weapons while taking note of factors such as wall materials, bullet damage, degree of penetration, and more.

Through the trials, they found that glass and wooden barriers in Valorant need a low amount of bullet seepage to break through while stone or brick is considered medium, leaving metal as needing a high amount of penetration power to hit.

Wall bangs in Valorant have been found to be inconsistent.

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Quarkez noted that the type of material a wall is made of as well as the angle it’s hit, the thickness of the object, and the type of gun being used all influence the outcome.

“From what I learned, wall penetration in Valorant is very janky,” they explained. They found that the damage output from the same shot can be different, meanwhile the penetration of a bullet can change if a single wall is made of two different materials on either side.

Adding to their concerns was the difficulty of measuring how strong the bullet will hit depending on the thickness of the wall and the angle of the shot since there are some circumstances that negate the projectile.

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Finally, there are walls that do not give an indication that a bullet has penetrated its hull, but the Agent on the other side gets hit nonetheless.

Playing around bullet penetration is a crucial mechanic that players of all competitive levels aim to master, but Riot might need to fix some of the finer details with it to make it more consistent.

About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?