There are many weapons in VALORANT, the tactical first-person shooter made by Riot Games. In order to become a master of the game, it's pivotal that you learn to master the weapons in it. That's why we've made a series of weapon guides for VALORANT weapons discussing the weapon cost, the weapon damage, and controlling the weapon's recoil. In this guide, we'll be talking about the Bulldog rifle.

Cost

The Bulldog is the cheapest rifle in VALORANT, but that doesn't mean you can easily afford it anytime you want. It still costs 2100 credits; a significant chunk of your budget, most of the time. The Bulldog is in a bit of a limbo when it comes to buying weapons. It's a bit too expensive to purchase as you're ramping up your money, but when you do have a lot of money to spend, you often would prefer to buy one of the more expensive rifles. That said, if you want to combine the purchase of agent abilities and a shield, don't want to go all-in with your money just yet, the Bulldog is a good option.

Damage

If you're buying the Bulldog as an upgrade to your SMG, you're in for a happy surprise: the weapon does significantly more damage. Three bodyshots or one headshot are enought to take down an opponent without a shield. The fire rate is lower than that of SMGs: the Bulldog fires at a 9.15 bullets per second rate. In total, the magazine of the Bulldog holds 24 bullets.

The table below shows the exact numbers for the damage the Bulldog does in VALORANT:

As can be seen, the Bulldog has another nice asset: its bullets don't lose their damage over large distances. A shot landing at your target at the other side of the map will do as much damage as when they're standing right in front of you. Pretty important when your teammates tell you how much damage an enemy has already taken, as you can deliver the final blows from a safe distance then

Recoil

A drawback of the Bulldog is the quite significant recoil it has. After firing three shots, the weapon starts dragging upwards quickly. After a short while, the upwards drag stops but is replaced by a left-to-right sway.  This, in particular, is very difficult to control, as the back-and-forth is inconsistent in its timing.

The best way to try and mitigate the recoil at the start is by dragging your mouse down, countering the upward trend of the Bulldog. Once it starts swaying back and forth, you'll have to think quickly. Once you notice the Bulldog is changing its course, you have to counter its movement. This takes a lot of practice, however.

Alternate fire

Thankfully for those who aren't too keen on controlling recoil, VALORANT offers an alternate fire mode for the Bulldog. When you toggle it, with a click of your right mouse button, you'll be in ADS (Aim Down Sight) mode. It not only offers a 1.5x zoom, but the fire rate is also different. Instead of 'endlessly' spraying its bullets, the Bulldog shoots out three bullets in one short burst.

The targets above show how much more precise the Bulldog gets when you're using its alternate fire mode. It's an excellent option for long-range battles. It does suffer from some recoil, though, so it's often best to let the crosshair fully reset before triggering the next burst of bullets.

To summarize:

While many players might default to other rifles in VALORANT such as the Vandal or the Phantom, the Bulldog has its niche. It provides a large amount of damage and flexible gunplay for a much lower price, leaving you with room to buy utility during the round. If your opponent is low on money and is forced to save a round, the Bulldog is a great weapon to pick up and safely defeat your enemies with while keeping expenses low. Its recoil is something that needs to be mastered, however, so make sure you invest the time.

VALORANT weapon guides:

For more VALORANT content including guides, patch notes, and news, check out our dedicated VALORANT section!

Images via Riot Games