Here is how to unlock free weapon skins in Valorant

Fariha Bhatti Published 16/06/2021

Default Valorant skins can be dull to play with but buying extravagant bundles isn’t cheap either. You can get your hands on select Valorant skins for free through a long but worthy process.

Riot Games has made Valorant free for all, but certain perks are reserved for those who have cash. Weapon skins with unique sound animations come off at hefty rates that not everyone can afford. However, it’s not all dark, with no stars for broke players. You can grind your way through levels and unlock pistol skins for free.

How to get free skins in Valorant?

Each agent in Valorant has a lengthy contract that is worth unlocking if you want exciting cards, stickers, gun buddies, and pistol skins. You will have to play through five levels anyway to unlock an agent, but the real grind starts after level six.

Each agent comes with 10 tiers of contracts that, when completed, reward you with all kinds of unique items. But most importantly, a new agent. For the agent contract, you can either grind or purchase your way to tier 5 (directly to the agent). Beyond that, through tiers 6-10, you’ll have to earn purely through play.

Players can begin opening agent-specific cosmetics by earning as much as 825,000 XP. Completing the XP target may be impossible for strictly competitive players, but if you have some free time on your hands, you can boost up your XP rather quickly. Try playing deathmatches, unranked games, and missions to garner more XP and unlock items.

While this is a massive number to achieve, it’s also the only way to grab free goodies. The unlocked pistol skin will have an agent-specific theme and can be equipped in exchange for zero money. Here’s how you can do it.

Open Valorant and go to main menu
Choose the Agents tab from top bar
Click on your favourite agent
Select Activate

Wait for the yellow bar to fill up. A half-full bar means that you’ve completed chapter 1, which includes the agent itself as the main prize. A complete XP bar warrants a new skin, gun buddy, and spray. You can also keep track of your progress from the view contract tab next to the activation option.

Once you have completed all ten tiers, you’ll be able to equip your pistol skin. While this skin may not be as lavish as princely bundles, it will add oomph to your tedious Valorant inventory without costing any hard cash.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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