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The Guardian has been a hot topic of conversation in the Valorant community for quite some time now.
In a low TTk fps like Valorant, Agent abilities are not the only thing that the Valorant devs need to tweak and balance, but weapons as well.
And no matter how much they try, Riot is indeed having a tough time in making the Guardian a more viable weapon in the game. Valorant Patch 1.08 brought with a lot of buffs for the weapon (to the point of almost overpowering it), and this is not the first time that the Guardian will be getting so much love from the devs.
Previously in patch 1.03, the Guardian received some major balance changes, as Riot attempted to make it a more viable option during econ rounds.
However, that being said, Valorant patch 1.03 didn't do much in improving the Guardian's popularity and pick rate, and that is precisely why it will be getting the following changes in the latest patch:
- Cost reduced to 2,400 from 2,500
- Rate of fire improved to 5.25 rounds per second, up from 4.75
- Weapon recovery improved to .2925 after three bullets, up from .35
According to the developer's notes, Riot suggests that "We don't think the Guardian can (or should) compete directly with the Phantom or Vanda'. But we'd like it to have a place where players can feel good opting into the gun at the new price, is a competitive purchase in certain economic circumstances or map scenarios, and isn't as punishing when an enemy gets close!"
Why does the Guardian feel so underwhelming in Valorant?
Valorant's Guardian, much like the Bulldog, was always supposed to be a mid-ranged weapon which players would find more comfortable opting into during force buys and econ rounds.
However, in reality, that wasn't the case, and unless you're a Guardian one-trick, it was scarce for a player to pick up the weapon. The majority of the Valorant player base would instead save money for the Operator, Vandal, or the Phantom than go in for this gun, and even if they were forced to make a choice, the Bulldog would always gain priority.
During patch 1.03, Riot had stated that "Up until now, the Guardian has lived in a strange position in the arsenal. Price-wise, it remained close to the premium rifles while not adequately competing with their power, making it too pricey as an alternate economic option, but not powerful enough to be considered as a premiere weapon choice."
And as Valorant patch 1.03 changes, wasn't exactly very successful for the Guardian; however it laid the groundwork for the 1.08 changes, and one can only hope that the weapon finally gains some popularity this time around.
