Valorant Warden Rifle Stats and Price: Full Weapon Breakdown and Meta Impact

The full-buy economy in Valorant has operated as a strict duopoly since the game launched. Outside of dedicated sniper rounds, your standard rifle purchases have begun and ended with the Phantom and Vandal. Patch 13.06 aims to disrupt that long-standing dynamic by introducing a third primary automatic weapon to the armory: the Warden.

Designed for precision gunplay and cross-map dominance, the Warden bridges the gap between automatic burst rifles and scoped designated marksman options. Below is an exhaustive breakdown of the Valorant Warden rifle stats and price, its damage thresholds, economic feasibility, and how it measures up against the current arsenal.

Valorant Warden Rifle Price and Economic Strategy

The Valorant Warden rifle stats and price profile begins in the in-game buy menu, where the weapon is listed at 2,900 Creds.

By matching the 2,900 Cred cost of both the Phantom and the Vandal, Riot Games has placed the weapon squarely into the full-buy tier rather than relegating it to an eco bridge like the Bulldog (2,050 Creds) or the Guardian (2,250 Creds).

What This Cost Means for Team Economy:

• Full-Buy Rounds: Pairing the Warden with Heavy Shields (1,000 Creds) requires a baseline 3,900 Creds before factoring in agent utility.
• Hero Rifle Buys: If an anchor player survives on a bonus round with leftover cash, dropping 2,900 Creds on a Warden gives site defenders elite single-target holding power without breaking the bank on an Outlaw (2,400 Creds) or an Operator (4,700 Creds).
• The Opportunity Cost: Because it costs the exact same amount as a Vandal or Phantom, buying a Warden is an active stylistic choice, not an economic compromise.

Valorant Warden Rifle Stats: Core Performance Overview

The Warden is an automatic designated rifle designed with heavy single-bullet impact and built-in optics.

Damage Profile: Lethality and TTK (Time-To-Kill)

The primary selling point of the Warden is its consistent, zero-falloff damage curve. Regardless of whether an engagement takes place at point-blank range on Split B-Site or across 50 meters on Breeze Mid, the damage numbers remain completely identical.

• Headshot (All Ranges): 200 Damage (Guaranteed 1-shot elimination against full Light or Heavy Shields)
• Body Shot (All Ranges): 50 Damage (Exactly 3 body shots to eliminate a 150 HP target)
• Leg Shot (All Ranges): 42 Damage (Requires 4 shots to eliminate a 150 HP target)

Headshot Comparison: Warden vs. The Field

Against a fully armored opponent (150 Total HP):

• Warden: 200 Damage at 0–50+ meters (1-tap kill).
• Vandal: 160 Damage at 0–50+ meters (1-tap kill).
• Phantom: 156 Damage at 0–15 meters (1-tap kill), but drops to 140 (15–35m) and 124 (35–50m), requiring a follow-up tag.
• Guardian: 195 Damage at 0–50+ meters (1-tap kill, but strictly semi-automatic).

While the Vandal also provides a universal one-tap headshot, the Warden’s massive 200 headshot multiplier ensures that even if an enemy agent has active overheal buffs (such as Reyna’s Devour or Clove’s Pick-Me-Up bringing health pools above standard baselines), a clean dome shot remains an instant elimination.

Furthermore, its 50-damage flat body profile provides a significant advantage when failing to find the head: three body shots guarantee a frag, whereas a Vandal requires four body shots (40 damage each) to finish a 150 HP target.

The Warden’s Integrated 2x ADS Optics

Unlike the standard 1.25x holographic zoom seen on the Vandal and Phantom, the Warden features a dedicated 2.0x optical zoom.

1. Pixel Clarity on Long Sightlines: Holding angles like Haven C-Long, Pearl B-Ramp, or Breeze A-Cave is significantly easier. Enemy head hitboxes appear larger, lowering visual fatigue for defensive anchors.
2. First-Bullet Spread Reduction: Entering ADS reduces the rifle’s base spread to near-zero, ensuring that the first shot lands precisely where the crosshair rests.
3. Movement Speed Penalty: Operating in 2.0x ADS reduces movement speed noticeably while scoped. Players attempting to swing angles while zoomed will find themselves sluggish and vulnerable to counter-strafing snipers.

Strengths and Strategic Trade-Offs

No weapon can offer lethal high-range damage without mechanical trade-offs. The Warden has distinct weaknesses designed to keep it balanced against the rest of the armory.

Key Advantages

• Consistent 3-Shot Body TTK: At 50 damage per body hit, it punishes chipped or half-bought enemies instantly.
• Uncompromising Range Utility: Completely eliminates the frustration of landing 140-damage Phantom headshots at distance.
• Hybrid Engagement: Provides long-range magnification while retaining fully automatic capability if forced into a chaotic site retake.

Notable Disadvantages

• Small Magazine Size (18 Bullets): With only 18 rounds per magazine, spamming smokes is heavily penalized. If you spend 10 rounds spamming a chokepoint, you are left with just 8 rounds to deal with an executing team.
• Low Cyclic Rate of Fire: In frantic close-quarters engagements, weapons like the Phantom, Spectre, or Stinger will easily beat the Warden on pure bullet velocity. If you miss your opening shot in close quarters, the recovery time between rounds leaves a wide window for counter-fire.
• Recoil Recovery: While the first 2–3 bullets travel tightly on target, sustained automatic spray veers sharply into vertical and horizontal climb, making long spray transfers unreliable.

Tactical Matchups: When Should You Buy the Warden?

Warden vs. Vandal

The Vandal remains the premier choice for aggressive duelists and entry fraggers who thrive on mobile tap-firing and swinging corners. However, for defensive sentinel anchors (like Cypher, Killjoy, or Deadlock) holding narrow, distant lanes, the Warden’s 2.0x optic and 3-shot body-shot threshold make holding passive angles significantly safer.

Warden vs. Phantom

The Phantom retains its throne for controller mains and close-quarters site holds. Its 30-round magazine, hidden bullet tracers through smokes, and rapid fire rate make it superior for stopping fast five-man site hits. Choose the Phantom if your playstyle revolves around close smoke play; pick the Warden if you expect open duels across bombsites.

Warden vs. Guardian

The Guardian costs 650 Creds less (2,250 Creds) and deals high wall penetration, but its semi-automatic nature makes it punishing when swarmed. The Warden justifies its 2,900 Cred price tag by providing comparable long-range precision while giving the player full-auto capability to fight back when an enemy pushes into point-blank range.

Recommended Agents for the Warden Rifle

• Cypher & Killjoy: Anchor sentinels benefit from holding deep, off-angle sightlines behind defensive utility. The 2x magnification allows them to peek off camera or turret tags with pinpoint accuracy.
• Sova & Fade: Initiator recon darts and prowlers expose targets down long sightlines. Lining up immediate, high-damage follow-up shots through the Warden’s optics is fluid.
• Viper: When holding down long approaches on larger maps like Breeze or Icebox, Viper players can use the Warden to pick apart enemies as they filter through decay zones.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the exact damage stats for the Warden rifle in Valorant?

The Warden rifle deals a flat damage profile across all distances with zero damage falloff: 200 damage to the head, 50 damage to the body, and 42 damage to the legs. This allows the weapon to eliminate fully armored targets (150 HP) with a single headshot or three body shots at any range.

How much does the Warden cost compared to the Vandal and Phantom?

The Warden costs 2,900 Credits, which is identical to the purchase price of both the Vandal and the Phantom. It sits in the top-tier rifle bracket and requires a standard full-buy team economy to purchase alongside heavy shields and abilities.

Does the Warden rifle have damage falloff at long range in Valorant?

No, the Warden has 0% damage falloff. Whether you hit an enemy at 5 meters or 60 meters, headshots always deal 200 damage, body shots deal 50 damage, and leg shots deal 42 damage.

How does the Warden 2x optic compare to other scoped rifles in Valorant?

The Warden features a dedicated 2.0x magnification optic when entering Aim Down Sights (ADS). This provides significantly higher target magnification than the 1.25x zoom found on the Vandal, Phantom, and Bulldog, but sits below the high-powered zoom of dedicated sniper rifles like the Marshal (2.5x/3.5x) and Operator (2.5x/5.0x).

How many bullets are in the Warden rifle magazine?

The Warden carries an 18-round magazine with 54 rounds in reserve (72 total bullets). Its smaller capacity compared to the Vandal (25 rounds) and Phantom (30 rounds) means players must exercise trigger discipline and avoid excessive spray spam through smokes.

Can the Warden rifle one-shot kill through heavy shields at any distance?

Yes. Because the Warden delivers a flat 200 damage on a headshot with no range penalties, it instantly eliminates any enemy agent wearing Heavy Shields (150 total health) or Light Shields (125 total health) from any distance on the map.

Is the Warden rifle fully automatic or semi-automatic in Valorant?

The Warden is a fully automatic rifle, but it fires at a lower cyclic rate of fire compared to the Phantom and Vandal. While it can be fired continuously in full-auto mode, its heavy recoil climb makes short 2-to-3 round bursts or deliberate single taps the most effective firing technique.