Valorant Weapon Guide - Part 9: Judge

Valorant judge
The Judge - the better shotgun in Valorant? (Image credit: Riot Games)

Valorant has agents with abilities, but weapons are still the most crucial aspect. Take a look at today's Valorant weapon guide, as we explore the Judge.

At the moment, there are 17 weapons in Valorant, but we can expect Riot to add even more in the future. The variety is there: From the sniper to the shotgun, to the assault rifle. The tactical shooter lives up to its name, but which weapon is suitable for which agent? Which strategy should one pursue with which weapon and what is the spray pattern, damage, and the rate of fire? Read on to find out.

The Judge - sentence your opponents

The Judge can be pretty harsh on an opponent if you know how to use it. Unlike the other shotgun in the game, the Bucky, this gun reloads quickly and as a fully automatic, fires significantly more shots. Take out an entire enemy team? Yeah, you can do that with a Judge.

Dot exe judge valorant
Image credit: Riot Games

Damage, fire rate, spray pattern

The shotgun dominates in-game with its magazine of seven shots, each of which shoots 12 pellets. With a rate of fire of 3.5 per second, the shotgun rattles quite well in one piece and thus also does a lot of damage, especially in close combat. Up to ten meters, a shot in the head causes 34 damage, a shot in the body 17 and in the legs 14. Between 10 to 15 meters, the values drop to 26/13/11 and between 15 to 50 to 20/10/9. It should be noted that the Judge loses its accuracy during continuous fire - at medium to long distances, the mouse should not be held down because the opponent will hardly be damaged. In addition, after a few shots there is already a pattern to the upper right or left. However, this is slow and can be compensated for by moving the mouse in the opposite direction. Nevertheless: Continuous fire should only be used at enemies that are really close to you.

Judge strategy

It's a wonderful weapon for defenders, that can take out an entire opposing team given the right circumstances. Since the Judge is designed for close combat, it will rarely end up in the hands of the attacker. Sometimes you'll get kills with one shot but for the most part, you'll need more than one tap. Using a run and gun strategy is viable with this weapon and this might surprise some opponents. Usually, not a lot of weapons remain accurate while moving. It also allows you to keep enemies at a distance or kill attackers from a hidden angle when they run around a corner. If you like camping there's no better deal than the Judge.

When should you buy the Judge?

With 1,500 credits, the Judge is cheaper than any rifle and also well suited as a weapon for beginners - simply because it has many shots and can be reloaded quickly. It doesn't leave you defenseless for a long period of time it's great to finish off kills. For 1500 credit, it's worth the investment. If you're up for it you can even buy it to get one kill and then instantly swap it for your opponent's weapon. The Judge is a good pick in most circumstances if you hold a position as a defender. While you're on the attacking side there are certainly better options.

The Best Agents for the Judges

As a defender weapon, it is also advisable to use it with defense-oriented agents. The best ones for the judges are probably Sage, Cypher and Sova. They can hold a point well alone, especially with a loyal companion like the Judge. On the attacking side, the Judge is best suited for an agent that can close the distance like Jett. The only problem is, Jett is bad in general, so choose wisely. You'll usually be better off picking the shotgun on the defending side and camping for kills.

Until next week when we will continue with the next part of our Valorant Weapons guide. Until then we have lots of Valorant news and more tips & tricks about the weapons in Riots tactical shooter:

Tasho Tashev

Law graduate from Sofia University turned gaming journalist. Gaming has always been a passion of mine since I was a kid (shocker I know) so it was only a matter of time before I started writing about it. My high-school...