When and How to Use VALORANT’s New Gun the Outlaw: A Guide
Episode 8, Act 1 of VALORANT has introduced the game’s first new gun in four years: the Outlaw, a sniper rifle with a gritty, high-damage profile. The weapon’s stats and mid-level price point have already shaken up the VALORANT meta and made it a preferred choice for force and half-buy rounds. The Outlaw is a fearsome firearm, but players must use it correctly to ensure maximum success. Today, let’s explore Outlaw statistics, the best Outlaw agents and maps where Outlaw users will dominate.
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Riot Games Reveals VALORANT Episode 8 Act 1 Outlaw, Battle Pass, Kuronami Skin Line
What is the Outlaw?
VALORANT’s newest weapon, the Outlaw, is a Sniper Rifle. The weapon has high wall penetration and deals significant damage in even body shots. It is more expensive than the Marshal but is cheaper than the Phantom and the Vandal. Players can use the Outlaw with a scope. Uniquely, the Outlaw can kill any player with light shields in one shot.
This addition probably intended to combat the ‘light-shield meta’ popularized by FNATIC, in which players previously would buy a Vandal and light shields since they had little incentive to avoid body damage and would die to headshots anyway. Because of its affordable price point and high damage output, it is vital to note that the Outlaw is efficient in the right hands and a wise buy for half-buys and forces.
What are the Outlaw’s stats?
These are the Outlaw statistics players need to know:
- Cost: 2,400 credits
- Fire rate: 2.75 bullets / second
- Run speed: 5.4 meters/second
- Equip speed: 1.25 seconds
- Reload speed:
- One bullet: 2.3 seconds
- Two bullets: 3.8 seconds
- Magazine size: Two bullets
- Reserve size: Ten bullets
- Damage:
- Head: 238
- Body: 140
- Leg: 119
- Scope zoom: 3.5x
- Scoped move speed: 4.32 meters/second
Which VALORANT agents are best for using the Outlaw?
Jett
Jett is already well-known for being the ideal Operator agent. Her Updraft means she can access unpredictable vertical angles that make picks convenient. In addition, Jett's Tailwind dash allows her to escape punishment for over-extension or whiffed shots. Since Outlaw mechanics are similar to Operator mechanics, using the gun should come naturally to Jett mains. It is easy for her to updraft on top of a crate, hit the Outlaw one-tap, smoke herself off and dash away.
Chamber
Similarly to Jett, Chamber’s teleporter allows him to use the Outlaw without immediate punishment and softens the effect of the gun’s long reload time once it’s out of bullets. The primary use of a sniper on defense is to aggressively deny space and serve as a ‘stopper’ against pushes. Chamber’s kit with the Outlaw deals a double whammy since he can place a Trademark trip while holding an angle. As a Sentinel, he can deny double the space another agent would and still lurk to make aggressive plays.
Omen
Sniper users have one weakness: close-range combat. Luckily, Omen has Paranoia to blind any enemies who dare to take him by surprise while using the Outlaw on a long-range angle. In addition, Shrouded Step allows Omen to hold unexpected angles, giving him an advantage against other snipers who may cross his path. Omen mains can also use Shrouded Step defensively to escape Outlaw combat before using Dark Cover smokes to block off the enemy’s line of sight and prevent them from securing a trade.
Which VALORANT maps are best to use the Outlaw on?
Like any sniper rifle, the outlaw relies on open pathways and extensive line-of-sight. Thus, the best maps to buy the weapon on are ones with classic, unavoidable long angles: Breeze, Ascent and Lotus.
Breeze
Breeze is the most open map in the entire VALORANT competitive pool. Even with successful smokes, the map is chock-full of long angles – for example in mid, A-Site and B-window. Outlaw and Operator users will have a field day on attack and defense. It is impossible to play Breeze theory-wise without a competent sniper hard-denying space correctly and looking for picks on your team.
Ascent
Ascent makes the list for two reasons: its sniper-friendly long A-main and B-main angles and its vital mid-map space. Securing the wide-open middle space of Ascent is crucial to ensure a win for your team. Losing mid at any point provides four flank pathways to the enemy team, denies your team half the map space and prevents fast rotates. The way to keep this territory secure is to use a talented sniper. The Outlaw will be handy to hold top-catwalk and tiles on defense and tree room and market on offense. Since players fight for mid even on pistol and eco rounds, Outlaw users have a higher kill likelihood as enemies will often contest this area with no shields.
Lotus
Lotus is great for Outlaw users since using a sniper can cut off access to both A and C plant sites. A-Main and C-Long are optimal sniper angles. Cutting off access to C-mound or A-rubble is crucial to ensure enemies can’t use either of the connector doors to rotate. Proper Outlaw use can effectively secure ownership of 2/3rds of the entire map and make pushing and retaking sites a hassle.
After implementing the correct strategies, make sure to practice your aim. Deathmatch is a great way to get comfortable with snipers if you’ve never used them before. Aside from scoped aim, practice no-scopes and different peek techniques. Once you feel comfortable, queue up some comp and enjoy the Outlaw – you too can strike fear into the hearts of light-shield users!
Gabby is a Marketing major at DeSales University and a member of the DeSales University Varsity Valorant team. Aside from Esports, she loves painting, cooking and writing.