In VALORANT, every shot counts. Though abilities play a crucial role in how the game is played, at the end of the day, VALORANT is still a shooter. While some players may seem naturally gifted with their mechanics, the truth is that great aim is built through practice and good habits. Here are some ways you can improve your aim in Valorant.
Mastering Crosshair Placement
Crosshair placement is one of the most fundamental skills in VALORANT that will take you a long way when mastered.
Crosshair placement involves maintaining your crosshair at head level and pre-aiming it at where enemies are likely to appear at all times. This discipline reduces the need for large flicks, leading to lower downtime when aiming.
Good crosshair placement means that you are:
- Keeping your crosshair at head level at all times, not letting it drift down to the ground
- Preemptively aiming at common angles where enemies are likely to peek from
- Clearing corners and adjusting so your crosshair is already on target
- Letting enemies walk into your crosshair instead of constantly adjusting it
For beginners, crosshair placement can be relatively tricky to get used to. However, over time, crosshair placement will be drilled into your head, and you will start doing it unconsciously. It’s a discipline that takes a lot of time to master, but it will pay off in the future.
Adjust Your Sensitivity Settings
Being comfortable is crucial when trying to improve your aim, and your sensitivity settings have a major impact on your aiming performance. Sensitivity entirely comes down to personal preference, and it is vital to spend time finding the right balance between control and speed.
In general, it is best to start with a lower sensitivity. A lower sens allows for more precise control, leading to more accurate aim. The best players in VALORANT typically use an effective DPI range of 150 to 300, which explains why their aim is always stable.
However, copying the sensitivity settings of your favorite player won’t guarantee improvement in your aim. You’ll have to use aim trainers or The Range to fine-tune your feel. Though you will go through several sensitivity changes, avoid constantly changing it – try sticking to one setting and build muscle memory from there.
Train Your Aim Using The Range or Aim Trainers
Practice makes perfect, but only if it’s deliberate. Every professional player goes through aim training routines, helping them build aim mechanics and muscle memory efficiently.
If you’re looking to practice within the VALORANT client, you can always hop in The Range, which is the game’s shooting range. In this map, you can practice headshot-only bot drills and tracking.
There are also aim training programs like Aim Lab or Kovaak, which can isolate and improve aiming mechanics like flicking, tracking, and speed. When using such applications, make sure your sensitivity settings are aligned.
Overall, it’s best to focus on consistent, short practice sessions rather than long and unfocused ones.
Start Counter-Strafing
In VALORANT, your firing accuracy suffers a lot while moving. Counter-strafing is an advanced mechanic where you instantly stop your movement before shooting. This idea is essential for not only making yourself harder to hit but also for landing clean shots.
In the middle of gunfights, high-level players will “strafe” by moving left and right, making it more difficult for enemies to land shots. Before responding by firing back, a “counter-strafe” happens, where they will tap the opposite key of their current strafe to stop. Once stopped, they can shoot with full accuracy.
Counter-strafing takes a lot of time and skill to get used to, but you can always practice drills in custom games and bot practice until it becomes second nature. Combine this with crosshair placement, and you’ll destroy players in your current elo.
Stay Calm Under Pressure – Build Muscle Memory
No matter how well you can shoot bots at The Range, or hit records on Aim Lab, panic in real-match situations can ruin your aim. Staying composed and trusting your muscle memory is crucial in clutch situations against real players.
When going against actual players, it’s vital to stay relaxed and avoid any panic fire. It’s almost always better to take your time and only fire controlled shots. Spending a quarter of a second adjusting your crosshair is infinitely better than opening fire while moving your crosshair at the same time.
The best way to improve at staying calm is to simply play more VALORANT matches. Playing regularly and deliberately will help you build automatic responses, and the experience will build up over time.
Learn From The Best
Sometimes, the best way to improve is to watch and learn. Nobody plays better than the professionals, so it never hurts to watch them play. Tune into professional matches or watch high-elo streamers and see how great aim is applied in real matches.
Observe how they use crosshair placement, movement, and peeking techniques to their advantage. However, analyzing everything can be overwhelming, so focus on one element at a time. For example, how they clear angles or control their spray.
If you really want to improve, compare their decisions with your own to identify what to improve and work on. Then, gradually apply what you learn in your subsequent sessions and track your progress.
