The biggest debate in Valorant: Phantom vs Vandal. With these two rifles being the most commonly used in the game and for good reason, riot has actually balanced them really well, to the point where its nearly impossible to pick out one rifle from the other since they’re essentially neck and neck. We’re going to break down the unique features of each weapon to determine which one is the best for you to use.
| PHANTOM | VANDAL |
 |  |
| PROS | PROS |
| Fast fire rate. Silenced. Thrives in close to medium range encounters. Controllable spray pattern. Large magazine. Suppressed fire. No bullet tracers. Better spray transfer. | The better of the two guns in terms of range. One-shot, one-kill at the 50m mark. Perfect for tapping. |
| CONS | CONS |
| Damage falls off at 15 to 30m mark. Damage reduced again at 30 to 50m range. | Slow fire rate. Erratic spray pattern. Difficult to control. Small magazine. Unsuppressed. Worse spray transfer. |
DAMAGE COMPARISON: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
At all ranges, the vandal will 1 shot headshot the phantom, but the phantom will fall off at longer ranges. Many people thought the vandal was better when it originally came out because of this. Many players came from Counter-Strike, where the AK47, like the vandal, had a one-shot headshot and was superior than the M4A1, which had a 92-shot headshot and was similar to the Phantom.
When we first think about it, we’re like man, all that hard work to get the headshot and it doesn’t even kill. Clearly, the vandal is better because it rewards you more for your headshots right? Well, this is where things get dicey. Yes, the phantom will only do 140 damage at 15-30 meters and 124 damage at 30-50 meters to put this into perspective of how far 15 meters it, the engagements that you’ll have around a short are greater than that. This is a pretty close distance and as a result, in a large number of scenarios, you’re probably going to be dueling enemies at distances where the phantom isn’t going to kill in one shot. Not to mention that phantom also will have damage drop off for chest shots and leg shots the further the enemy is from you.
To get the most out of the phantom, you should strive to engage in closer range duels to avoid having to cope with the damage drop off. This is in contrast to the vandal, where you’ll be rather adaptable and able to play at any range.
FIRING RATE: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
The Phantom has a firing rate of 11 rounds/sec, while the Vandal has a firing rate of 9.75 rounds/sec. The phantom wins out here, and the extra 1 or 2 bullets that can be shot over the vandal can be HUGE to being the difference maker between the two weapons.
This is the key reason why the phantom’s damage drop off isn’t as awful as it appears. Yes, you won’t be able to kill fully armoured opponents with a single headshot, but those extra bullets you shot with the increased firing rate can certainly be used to finish them off with a body shot.
Players that aren’t as skilled at hitting headshots can benefit from this. If you tend to hit more body or leg shots, the phantom’s greater firing rate will undoubtedly help you win more duels than the phantom, who will shoot slower.
This is one of the main reasons why, as a novice, we advocate using the phantom since it allows for more room for error with the firing rate.
The vandal is less forgiving in that each missed bullet has a big impact, whereas the phantom can get away with missing an extra round.
When it comes to firing rate, the phantom wins hands down over the vandal, and helps to compensate for the vandal’s lack of damage reduction.
POSITIONING: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
Positioning is really key to using the phantom and vandal properly.
The phantom has a damaging drop off, therefore it’s best suited to aggressive players who prefer to get into close quarters with their opponents. This helps you prevent damage drop-off and get the most out of your shots.
There is no drop off on the vandal, so you can play it from any position. Close range, mid range, and long range are all viable options for the vandal.
Long range is where the vandal shines, especially if you’re fighting against phantom players who will have a tougher time killing you owing to the damage drop off. The vandal’s adaptability lets you to be more versatile in your positioning and play. You can be more aggressive or defensive without consequences, which is a significant advantage the vandal has over phantom.
SPRAY PATTERNS: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
Both the phantom and vandal have pretty similar spray patterns, where the recoil will go straight up, then to the left, and then to the right.
While the recoil patterns appear to be similar, one significant difference is that the vandal has more vertical and horizontal spread. In comparison to the phantom, this makes it more difficult to control. This minor change has no effect on experienced first-person shooter gamers. For those new to the FPS game, however, that added bit of recoil can make the spray much harder to control, making it more difficult to strike your targets.
The phantom appears to be on the verge of escaping, but there’s something you should be aware of. Because the phantom’s recoil is lower, spraying is considerably more forgiving, and we advocate it for this weapon. Despite the lesser recoil, spraying great distances with the phantom isn’t going to be very successful. When compared to the vandal, the recoil is only slightly higher. Single fire and bursting is usually the major way to properly unlock the vandal’s potential, and with the vandal having no damage drop out, those that are confident in their first sprays of up to 10 rounds won’t notice it.
The recoils are different, however when you consider that, coupled with the fire rates, the phantom is better for spraying while the vandal is better for bursting and single tapping, the recoil difference is negligible if both weapons are utilised correctly.
BULLET TRACERS: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
You’ll leave behind markers that the opponent can see when shooting with the vandal. This shows your location and makes it easier for other players to retaliate, especially if you’re shooting through smoke.
When compared to the Phantom, which has no bullet tracers and a silent feature that prevents adversaries beyond 40 metres from hearing your bullets. This allows the phantom to be much more stealthy, your position to remain disguised, and you may be able to shoot from greater distances without your foes noticing.
MULTI-KILL POTENTIAL: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
Because the phantom’s recoil is lower, it’s much easier to move your spray from one enemy to the next at close ranges. You’ll be set up to try to get these multi-frag kills if you’re playing in the ideal position, as we stated with the phantom. Yes, the phantom has running and gunning skills, making it considerably more dangerous in close-range back-to-back encounters.
This isn’t going to function well at long ranges, where the vandal has the advantage in terms of multi-killing. You can string frags a lot easier long range with the vandal thanks to its ability to one shot headshot. Because the burst potential is significantly higher, it’s easier to burst down an enemy, wait for the recoil to reset, and then go on to the next adversary. With a single tap on the head, you’re on your way. Because of the vandal’s increased recoil, it’s impossible to spray transfer with it, thus long-range bursts and taps are the way to go. The phantom excels at multi-killing at close ranges, while the vandal excels at longer ranges.
MAGAZINE SIZE: PHANTOM VS VANDAL
The phantom can hold 30 bullets per clip, however the vandal can only hold 25. This may not seem like a big deal, but it has an impact on how you use each weapon and what each gun is suited for.
You’ll have more discretion and tolerance for error with the phantom, allowing you to go for greater and longer spraydowns. The vandal does not have this luxury, and those who place a premium on precision are rewarded handsomely.
With the vandal, quality trumps quantity, which is why aiming for taps and short bursts is preferable over a full spray, where your recoil will be all over the place and you’ll most likely run out of ammo before the adversary is finished.
So if you’re a player that really goes for the spray and needs more bullets to hit your shots, the phantom is 100% the weapon to go for. If you want to become known for your juan taps like ScreaM and feel more confident with your accuracy, the bursty style of the vandal is going to be the better weapon of choice.
PHANTOM VS VANDAL: WHICH IS THE BEST RIFLE IN VALORANT?
To be honest, neither rifle is superior to the other in terms of performance because they serve different reasons. If you play the phantom in the appropriate way, the phantom will be a better fit for you. If you play a style that is more conducive to vandalism, that is the preferable option for you. Use the advice in this article to figure out whatever characteristics of the Phantom and vandal appeal to you. After that, choose your weapon of choice.
