Skins or cosmetics have a long history of controversy. Some players debate whether in-game cosmetics should be free or ‘farmable’ because it might be a greedy practice.
In Valorant, people always question whether the skins are worth it or not.
It is a free-to-play game, so they have to make money somewhere. For those who love to play and support Valorant, here are all the mechanics involved in buying skins.
Store Mechanics
Valorant has an obvious ‘FOMO’ or ‘fear of missing out’ strategy with their store. When you open the store, you’ll see one or two bundles available for a significant amount of time. These bundles usually last for three weeks.
Once the timer runs out, they’ll introduce a new bundle. You might not see them again if you miss out on buying the skins.
Apart from the bundle offerings, four random skins will also appear in your store. These four random skins aren’t bundles, and you won’t be able to get discounts on them.
These skins reset daily. If you missed out on some of the bundles you wanted before, you have a chance to buy them here again.
However, there are some skins that will never show up again. These are your exclusive bundles that are tied to events.
Events such as the ‘Arcane’ bundle, when Riot released their animated series, Arcane, are now unattainable unless they change it.
Champion skin bundles tied to the VCT or Valorant’s major tournament are also exclusive bundles. These skins will never show up in the store anymore.
It is also worth mentioning that weapon buddies and player cards are available in the bundle, but they’ll never be sold outside the bundle.
Night Market
The Night Market is a seasonal event where Riot gives you six random skins at a discounted price. Each account will have a different skin available to them so that you won’t get duplicates.
The discount percentage is also random, but you can expect an average 25-40% discount on each skin. Some can go lower or higher.
The Night Market is only available for a few weeks. If you miss out again, you’ll have to wait for the next one.
There should be about 4 Night Market events per year, so you can wait until you find a skin you want before you buy it.
Some players choose to wait for the Night Market because they want to buy a specific skin, apart from the bundle, at a discounted price.
Battle Pass
The battle pass is the most efficient way to get skins. If you see any skins you want in the battle pass, you should consider buying the pass and grinding the levels for it.
The battle pass weapon skins don’t have any special VFX or animations. They are what you probably call ‘normal’ or ‘basic’ skins.
You’ll get many of them, including sprays, buddies, and some much-needed Radianites. The whole battle pass is cheaper than a single skin from a premium bundle.
It is perfect for those who want to have skins for each weapon without spending too much on the game.
For those who buy a ton of skins, the battle pass will be your source of Radianite.
Valorant Points and Radianite
Valorant Points are priced as follows:
- 475 Valorant Points for $4.99.
- 1000 Valorant Points for $9.99.
- 2050 Valorant Points for $19.99.
- 3650 Valorant Points for $34.99.
- 5350 Valorant Points for $49.99.
- 11000 Valorant Points for $99.99.
These prices are different for each country or region. Some countries have a much cheaper price, while some are priced higher.
To purchase Radianite, you’ll need to spend Valorant Points to buy them.
- 20 Radianite Points for 1600 Valorant Points
- 40 Radianite Points for 2800 Valorant Points
- 80 Radianite Points for 4800 Valorant Points
In a way, Radianite Points also have regional pricing because it costs the same amount of Valorant Points per country.
However, Radianite is just too expensive compared to farming them on the battle pass.
Buying Skins
You’ll have to purchase the correct amount of in-game currency to buy the skins. Once you have the right amount of in-game currency, you can purchase and buy the skin you want.
Once you have the skin, it’ll deduct the price from your overall Valorant Points balance.
Go to your ‘collection’ tab and look for the skin you have purchased. You can equip it immediately and attach the buddies you want to it.
Some of the skins have different variants, VFXs, and animations. You’ll have to upgrade each skin using Radianite.
Once you have purchased the upgrades, re-equip the skin in your collection. Sometimes the interface bugs, and they don’t take effect in the game.
