In any competitive FPS title, having a sharp aim is a necessity. Although necessary, it’s not easy to have a crisp aim.
Climbing up the rank ladder requires a good combination of game sense, aim & consistency. Having all three of them will boost your performance and assist you to reach your desired rank. VALORANT itself is a very demanding game in terms of raw aiming expertise. Besides that, Riot made the game in such a unique way that players are sometimes unable to borrow their knowledge from other titles to VALORANT.
Even though Valorant requires precise aim, game sense, and other qualities, it’s still easy from some aspects. Unless you are trying to improve, none of the basic skill sets are actually useful in lower ranks. The scenario is totally different in Platinum and above. Players are generally cautious, calm & thoughtful of their actions in higher ranks. Nevertheless, having a crisp aim provides a serious advantage in both low and high ranks of VALORANT.
Aim settings
Basics
If your aim is to sharpen your aim, then it’s better to be consistent about the little details that most players commonly ignore. Things such as table hight, monitor height & tilt, mousepad adjustments & sitting position are actually crucial for achieving a decent aim.
First of all, review your equipment and find out the flaws you need to take care of. Some players might have their own unique ways of playing the game, but it’s better to find your own comfort zone. Set up your table height, monitor height, and sitting position according to your comfort, these things will improve your aim and gameplay in the long run.
Consistency
Other than that, chose a mousepad that gives your the best performance and consistency. Typically, players end up choosing either hard surface or short surface mousepads for FPS titles. If your sensitivity is high then it’s better to pick a soft surface mousepad with good friction. However, if your sensitivity is lower than that of the average, a hard surface mousepad with less friction will be more beneficial. Don’t cheap out on a mousepad, it’s a key component to improving your gameplay and aim.
Sensitivity
Choosing the right in-game sensitivity is a crucial task. A huge number of VALORANT players often tends to switch between sensitivity on a regular basis. Such practice will only lead to more unstable aim & gameplay.
In-game sensitivity is strongly related to your muscle memory, and building a consistent muscle memory takes months if not years. So, it’s best to settle on a particular sensitivity. Choosing the perfect sensitivity will require you to invest some time in the game. For example, simply playing Deathmachtes can help you decide on a good sensitivity.
DPI
Professional players tend to maintain one or two sets of in-game sensitivity. In most cases, the sets are very similar to each other since having two very different sensitivity doesn’t make any sense.
Most professionals, however, strongly maintain a single set for sensitivity. Additionally, adjusting your mouse DPI is also vital for improving the aim. Unless you are Hiko, DPI values between 400-800 are considered normal.
Crosshair
Just like choosing a suitable sensitivity, settling on a single crosshair is equally important. In our last guide, we have analyzed and dissected multiple crosshair types and sorted them in a tier list.
Based on your playstyle, you might end up choosing a Dot Crosshair or the legendary crosshair from Olofmeister. However, experimenting with crosshair might not produce the best results as it’s also related to your peripheral vision, reflex & aim in some ways.
HRR Monitors
Aside from these settings, having a high refresh rate monitor will deliver a massive in-game performance boost. Starting 144Hz, HRR (High Refresh Rate ) Monitors are able to make you see things better. Which ultimately improves your reflex and accuracy.
It’s absolutely fine if such monitors are out of your budget as most pros started their pro careers with 60Hz displays. Although, if your ambition is to become a pro in the current VALORANT esports scene, an HRR monitor is a requirement, not a luxury.
Grind Smarter
Crosshair Placement
Most players in low ranks tend to lose track of their crosshairs. As a result, their crosshairs are often pointing towards the ground or other irrelevant places. Your enemies are never going to appear from the underground or through walls, so losing track of your crosshair might get you eliminated even before you know it.
So, it’s crucial to keep your eyes fixed on the display, and especially at the crosshair. The crosshair should be exactly where you are expecting enemies to come from. It’s okay to brainstorm and precede your enemy’s movement but make sure that your crosshair is staying at a head level. Paying attention to your crosshair placements will make you win gunfights easier.
Recoil Control
All weapons in Valorant come with their own recoil patterns, and sadly, the patterns are random. Memorizing the patterns like CSGO is not an option here, but the patterns aren’t far too random either. Familiarize yourself with the recoil patterns by practicing in the Range.
Shooting at random walls from different distances will grant you some ideas about the recoil patterns of multiple weapons. For starters, practice and observe the recoil pattern of Phantom and Vandal. Comparatively, Phantom’s recoil pattern is easier to handle whilst Vandal has a really unpredictable pattern with a higher damage rate.
Aimlabs, kovaak 2.0 & The Range
Aimlab and Kovaak feature multiple aim-related challenges and short missions. Upon finishing those tasks, it’s expected that you might see improvements with your aim. Results might vary depending on the player, but generally, Aimlab is worth trying out. However, spending too much time on either of these platforms might affect your aim in a negative way.
If you’re not willing to try Aimlab or Kovaak, then Riot’s own solution, The Range is a default destination for all VALORANT players. The Range is actually quite good for practicing movement and aim. There are also short missions available inside the Range where new players can accommodate themselves with the game.
Taking Aim Duels
In most scenarios, it’s better to let the fight come to you. Thus you can easily predict and oversee the situation while dealing with the enemies at the same time. Such upper hands are vital for winning aim duels against your opponent.
Knowing when to take aim duels is more important than having a crispier aim. Unnecessary aim duels hurt the entire team and its economy badly. Sometimes, such aim duels can cost you the entire match. So, being smart about aim duels can multiply your chances of winning it. Confidence is the key to win aim duels, but overconfidence will only bear bad news.
Phantom Vs Vandal
Don’t stretch too thin when it comes to weapon selection. Deciding on Phantom or Vandal is not easy, but it’s always better to stick one weapon and improve at a steady pace. Obviously, none of them are clearly superior to each other, so trade-offs are inevitable.
Vandal delivers more damage per shot than Phantom while Phantom is more accurate and controllable. Besides Phantom and Vandal, getting your grip tight on other weapons like the Spectre, Guardian, and Bulldog will grant you an easy way out during eco-rounds. In short, being consistent on one gun will make your aim better at a faster rate.
Movement penalty
A common sight in the lower sphere of Valorant is the tendency among players to shoot while moving. Yes, once during Valorant’s infancy, such traits were beneficial as the game almost gave no penalties for Run and Gun playstyles.
Now that Riot has fixed it, trying to shoot while moving won’t provide any huge benefits anymore. To gain a steady and accurate aim, learning movement is necessary. Gaining better positions to take your shots is mandatory to get confirmed kills, and superior movement skills will assist you in the process.
Confidence & Consistency
Professional players often take short breaks between games to regain composure. Such breaks are required to maintain focus in the game. Having a bad day doesn’t necessarily mean your performance is going downhill. It’s totally normal to have a dull aim occasionally. To avoid such circumstances, building a regular aim warmup habit is essential. The warmup time may vary depending on the person, but generally, 15-20 minutes of warmup is a common duration.
Confidence is definitely something you want to have during your match as it’s undeniably a driving factor in achieving a decent aim. However, overconfidence will lead you nowhere. So, smart decision-making is a huge skill. Along with that, developing a good game sense will support your already existing aiming proficiency.
