It’s the most impactful decision you can make when playing VALORANT. Yes, more important than agent selection, the decision between the Vandal or Phantom, or the decision to mute the toxic Jett after the first time they used their microphone. Should I save this weapon or go for a retake?
Going for a save effectively means giving the round to the other team, choosing to hold onto your weapon for the next round rather than risk losing it. On the other hand, pulling off a successful retake means moving one round closer to the 13 needed for victory while delivering a massive blow to your opponents. But going for it and failing means you lose the round and your weapons.
As you can imagine, every situation is different, so allow me to run you through my checklist of things to consider when deciding whether to save or go for a retake when playing VALORANT.
1) Consider the players and agents still alive on both sides
This is the first thing I instinctually think about when considering a save or a retake. The different combinations of player numbers, agents still alive, and abilities available make the process less straightforward, but I have a couple of rules to think about.
- If you don’t have a controller alive or smokes available, strongly consider saving. Unless you have a sizable player advantage like a four-vs-one or a five-vs-two, going for retakes without a deployable smoke is very hard. Taking away the attackers’ sight of the spike during their post-plant makes my retake attempts much more doable, as it puts pressure on the attackers to either push the smoke or try their luck with spam.
- If you have a two-player deficit, save. If you have a two-player advantage, go for the retake. The numbers don’t lie most of the time, and the advantage of having more players alive usually wins out. If you have fewer players, though, consider waiting around the site for a very short time to see if you get a free pick or two before running to hide. If those picks come early enough and potentially activate an ultimate, then a quick pivot to a retake might be in the works.
Related: When to save and spend credits in VALORANT
2) What ultimates are available or in use?
The ultimate abilities in VALORANT are designed to turn the tide of a single round, and certain ones being available or already in use can make the decision to retake or save easy for you.
- If Viper’s Pit is active or Brimstone has his Orbital Strike, save. Viper’s Pit is a massive obstacle to overcome during a retake, given how hard it is to find attackers while also being decayed. Additionally, the Orbital Strike is the biggest post-plant cheat code in the game.
- If your team has a Cypher, Breach, Fade, Skye, or Killjoy ultimate, go for the retake. This handful of ultimates are really excellent tools for retakes. All five either clear out a ton of space or provide some critical information about the attacker players’ whereabouts.
3) What’s the economy situation?
Money rules everything in VALORANT, and it’s critical to making the key decision between saving and retaking. The whole point of saving is so that you don’t have to spend extra money next round.
- If successfully retaking already seems unlikely because of player numbers or ultimates, and saving means a full buy next round, then definitely save. Make sure to check on your teammates’ money to ensure you have enough.
- If your team has built a large round lead and a sizable economy, then it’s OK to sometimes go for risky retakes. Even if you don’t successfully pull off the retake, any damage you can deal to the enemy team by taking guns away while their economy is on the ropes is a positive. You also can get closer to an ultimate for yourself, which can be crucial in the next round.
Related: Phantom vs. Vandal: Which is the best rifle in VALORANT?
4) What round is it?
The reason this is so far down the list is because the choice should be obvious given the situation.
- If the other team is on 12 rounds already, then you have to go for a retake. I feel stupid writing this, but I’ve felt even stupider watching a teammate run to save their weapon on match point.
- Always go for a retake on pistol rounds. Saving a pistol or half armor from the pistol rounds is pointless.
