Leak shows price increase for Judge, other guns get cheaper

Fariha Bhatti Published 08/06/2021

A few weapons in Valorant have always been a thorn in the players’ sides since the game’s release. A recent leak suggests that one of the most irritating weapons, the Judge, has finally landed on the developer’s nerf radar.

ValorLeaks is a reputable source for Valorant updates, and the data miner has recently dropped a massive leak regarding weapon prices. According to them, many guns in Valorant will become much cheaper after incoming patches, while the Judge shotgun will see its price increased.

Future Weapon Price Changes | #VALORANT
~ Frenzy : 500 >>> 450
~ Stinger : 1100 >>> 950
~ Bucky: 900 >>> 850
~ Judge: 1600 >>> 1850
~ Bulldog: 2100 >>> 2050
~ Guardian: 2400 >>> 2250
~ Marshall: 1000 >>> 950
~ Operator: 5000 >>> 4700
~ Ares: 1600 >>> 1550
— Mike – Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) June 7, 2021

Valorant’s arsenal doesn’t require many changes, but players have been demanding nerfs for the ACS-12 Judge shotgun. This cheap weapon can be deadly at short range, as it requires minimal mechanical aptitude and costs next to nothing. At close range, the Judge can annihilate a healthy armoured enemy in just nine bullets, and any shot that hit the head deals double the damage.

Is the Judge overpowered in Valorant?

While it’s still the most expensive shotgun in Valorant at 1600 credits, the damage makes it worth every penny. Many players save tons of money by rolling with a cheap Judge, even in full buy rounds. This tactic can ruin the quality of games for some players, as competing players with pricey Vandal and Phantom get shot down in close-range duels. Both professional and casual Valorant players lament how Judge is overpowered and is ruining their games, and it seems the developer is taking notes.

Twitch streamer Shroud wants shotgun Judge deleted from Valorant

Leak shows that Judge’s price will rise in future updates. The shotgun will cost 250 more creds after its nerf. While most weapons will see a considerable decrease in their rates, the Judge will get the much-needed nerf via its price increase. Mechanically, the gun works like any other shotgun while being more effective, so it makes sense that the developer will balance the meta by boosting the price.

The Operator’s price will see a drop, as will the Frenzy, Stinger, Ares, Bucky, Bulldog, and Marshall. The updates to the price range will heavily impact the game’s economy and the overall pace of the game. However, the update eludes the primary rifles: the Vandal and Phantom. These two guns will be available for the same price of 2900 Creds.

It’s still unknown when these shifts will come to fruition. Patch 2.11 just dropped and it didn’t include price changes for guns, so the player should expect a weapon update in Episode 3.

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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