The Vandal vs. Phantom debate between VALORANT players will in all likelihood exist until the end of time, with the case for the Vandal propelled by the weapon’s lengthier damage range and headshot potential. Getting a sick headshot with the Vandal sure is satisfying, but that feeling is made even sweeter by the presence of an elite skin.
Since VALORANT’s official release, the devs at Riot Games have had plenty of time to create iconic weapon skins. The cosmetics have various prices, variants, and animations, and they’re the best way for fans to express themselves in the first-person shooter. And with the Vandal being one of the most popular guns in the game, you’ll have more than enough skins to choose from.
Here are the best Vandal skins in VALORANT.
Prime
If there was ever a hall of fame for iconic VALORANT skins, the Prime Vandal would be a first-ballot selection.
As one of the tactical shooter’s first skin lines, the Prime is a certified classic. The Prime Vandal isn’t distracting; it’s smooth, has a clean colorway, and satisfying VFX animations. There are better finishers out there, but a howling wolf is still pretty badass. For players looking for an overall good cosmetic that’s unassuming and crisp, the Prime is your best pick.
Champions 2021
A special mention on the list, the Champions 2021 Vandal is a graceful and incredibly rare skin: only a section of the community proudly owns this skin, which was launched during the prestigious VALORANT Champions 2021 year-end tournament and was available in the store only for a limited time.
Despite featuring near-default firing audio, hitting headshots with the Champions 2021 Vandal feels other-worldly; no other skin will give you goosebumps as effortlessly. Inspecting the weapon plays a delightful rendition of the Champions 2021 anthem—Die For You—while the Champions text flashes gold in tandem with the tune’s beats.
What’s more exhilarating is the skin’s finisher animation, in which the enemy turns into a stony form, as a translucent sphere with the Champions logo appears above them, and disintegrates shortly after. All this, while the iconic Die For You tune plays in the background—mesmerizing, isn’t it?
But that’s not all: Upon approaching the dead enemy’s stone statue, after a short delay, the sky darkens into a red hue and a melancholic picture of Brimstone appears in the sky. This alternate form also comes with a change in the background music, which transitions into an instrumental of Die For You’s ending. And then there’s also the Champions Aura, which rewards players with the best performance with a special curation: a constant golden glow and a golden aura on the skin.
Reaver
The Reaver Vandal offers a dark, introspective look, all while sending enemies to the underworld. What’s not to like?
The Reaver collection features one of the longest histories in VALORANT, having first been released during the closed beta. Those with access to the game’s closed beta were allowed to experiment with the Reaver Vandal and other skins in the collection before Riot decided to shelve the collection for several months.
The collection’s final version was released with significant improvements in November 2020, introducing some of the coolest skins in the game. Its animations are haunting: as if you’re wielding a gun that’s sent numerous souls to the nether realm. And its finisher supports that with dozens of hands dragging your target down to the depths of hell.
The Reaver Vandal is a must-buy if it ever appears in your daily offers section or the Night Market.
RGX Pro 11z
The RGX Pro 11z Vandal feels like an aim-bot, with incredibly satisfying firing and hit audio. Inspired by high-end gaming rigs and the cyberpunk-like genre, its VFX is quite impressive, featuring rotating, colored lamps inside the gun’s transparent barrel, which even changes color upon inspecting the skin. The RGX Pro 11z Vandal is definitely a fun skin to wield in VALORANT, especially if you don’t want to miss your shots.
The RGX Pro 11z series also boasts a killer finisher animation, in which the last enemy killed is trapped between three electrically charged pillars and later, explodes. The skins also feature a fifth, rare upgrade, adding a special kill counter to the guns. If you do get to grab the last kill in a round, the counter briefly displays “EZ,” probably also what you feel after securing the final kill.
Lastly, the RGX Vandal is available in four enticing color variants, but the yellow and red skins are the most popular.
Araxys
Featuring an alluring concoction of mystery, highly advanced technology, and a dark theme, the Araxys Vandal is one hell of a weapon skin to own in VALORANT. Whether you want a sleek-sounding one-shot weapon or just a Vandal with a cool, matte look, this skin is built to impress. The heavy tone and dark nature of the skin are just what players need to satisfy their interests in life beyond the Earth.
One of the most defining characteristics of the Araxys skins is the finisher animation, which pulls all enemies killed with the weapon into the skies through vertical, serene channels, possibly ending in a world beyond Alpha or Omega Earth: undoubtedly beautiful to watch. This is the first finisher animation to affect all enemies killed with the skin, rather than just the last enemy killed.
If you would like your Vandal to feature a heavy, dark tone that is more influential than that of Reaver’s, pick up the Araxys Vandal (the black variant preferably) without any second thoughts.
Sentinels of Light
With a gorgeous base model, an upgrade package that’s flashy but not distracting, and four great color variations, the Sentinels of Light Vandal is one of the most beautiful skins in the tactical shooter.
The Sentinels of Light collection was introduced during the Sentinels of Light event that focused on the return of Viego from League. In the finisher animation, Viego briefly possesses the deceased agent before purifying them. The reload/equip animations also see the crystal relic barrel expand, split apart, then reform, and it looks amazing. All four colors are cool, but the original and the Pink variant are easily the best.
Glitchpop 2.0
The Glitchpop Vandal was included in the second iteration of the popular cyberpunk-themed, colorful weapon collection—Glitchpop 2.0. Besides the much-loved splashy and vibrant Vandal skin, the collection also includes similarly excellent skins for the Operator, the Phantom, and the Classic.
The first Glitchpop bundle was well-liked but featured cosmetics for guns that weren’t that popular. So Riot brought back the design with minor changes that appeased the VALORANT community. The skin has a cyberpunk vibe with bright neon hues and industrial detailing. It’s definitely flashy, flaunting animated holograms, lights, and futuristic advertisements. But it’s fun to wield, has excellent VFX and animations, and offers a new take on the world of VALORANT.
Oni
The Oni Vandal did attract some controversial opinions during its release—mostly due to the collection’s over-priced Katana—but that didn’t stop players from grabbing the demonic skin to spice up their inventory.
If the touch of Japanese folklore on your weapon skins intrigues you, the Oni collection will please you like no other skin collection in VALORANT. The first collection of Oni skins was released in Episode One back in 2020 but didn’t include a Vandal skin. After noting the collection’s success, Riot decided to launch a sequel to the original bundle, which finally brought a highly anticipated Oni makeover for the popular rifle.
With lovely color schemes and an antagonizing Oni Mask right above the trigger, the Oni Vandal features a beautiful look and feel, all thanks to its worthwhile inspiration. Its dark-natured finisher animation also deserves a mention, trapping the last enemy killed—now a ghost wearing an Oni mask—to the ground with samurai blades.
Ion
With its hi-tech glassy design and heavy laser-like firing and hit tones, the Ion Vandal is one-of-a-kind, launched as part of a sequel to the original Ion collection in Episode Five. While the skin does come with a couple of clown-ish color variants which many may not prefer, it’s definitely an exquisite, highly satisfying skin worth grabbing in VALORANT and also has an uncanny resemblance to the fan-favorite Prime Vandal skin.
Like the original sci-fi design, the Ion, Episode Five collection harnesses the power of futuristic ionic energy, indicated by the sparkling ball of energy fitted into the guns. While inspecting the Ion Vandal, you will see a dome of energy, radiating a color similar to the variant you choose, rotating inside the barrel, supposedly to energize the gun.
The intriguing orb also appears when you finish off the last enemy, but this time in a larger form and with animations, and explodes into what looks like rays of ionic energy before disappearing into thin air.
Gaia’s Vengeance
Popularly known as the “Tree skins,” the Gaia’s Vengeance collection, featuring skins for the Ghost, the Marshal, the Guardian, and the Vandal, offers some of the prettiest weapon skins in VALORANT. Adorned with creepers on a shiny stone base featuring tiny leaves, the Gaia’s Vengeance Vandal is a must-pick for nature enjoyers who desire an elegant, reactive skin for their favorite rifle.
The signature feature of Gaia’s Vengeance is its enchanting finisher animation, which locks the last enemy killed inside a divine-looking, fully-bloomed tree; not to forget the tiny leaves which shed from all sides of the tree and the beautiful tone playing in the background.
The inspect animation is also unavoidable, with subtle, pleasing tones radiating out of the gun, as the stone base mildly glows. Naturally, one can fathom how alluring the reset and reload animations are. And if you’re a Skye main, don’t think twice before grabbing the skin from the daily offers section or Night Market.
