Some of the biggest Valorant stars are known for their skills with the Operator. But it’s not that complicated—it’s just different from all the other weapons in Valorant.
Whether it’s Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker or Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev, good Operator players thrill spectators. So it’s obvious to want to imitate these players – but how? Before you can patch like a pro, there are a few basic rules to follow.
Fire at the hips instead of from the hip
With any other weapon in your hand, you should always keep your crosshairs at head height; with the Operator, it’s different. Each body hit does exactly 150 damage. Therefore, it’s better to aim at your opponent’s hips for a larger hit area.
Through the scope, the distances between opponents are greater than with the Vandal or Phantom. That’s why you have to learn to “flick” – that is, to jerk your weapon to another spot. Depending on your personal preference, you can increase your mouse speed in the settings while you are in the crosshairs.
What helps with flicking and all other aspects of the Operator is practice. Whether in Deathmatch or dedicated aim trainers, no weapon benefits from this as much as the Operator.
An Operator around every corner
If you have an Operator in your hands, your opponents should fear you. This is especially true at the beginning of a round: the goal of an Operator is to create numerical superiority situations early on. The best way to do this is to position yourself aggressively, venture far forward with the help of your initiators, and then cover as much ground as possible with your weapon’s sights.
With the Operator, you always want to remain dynamic and only fire twice from the same location in exceptional cases. At the same time, you benefit from duels, as most hits will take out an opponent.
Therefore, after each shot, immediately find a new location to wait for opponents, fire another shot, and retreat again. These locations should always provide you with enough cover so that you can reload and reposition yourself. This is easier for some agents due to their abilities, such as Jett or Chamber.
You’ll never know who hit them.
As an Operator player, you will constantly be confronted with enemy abilities. Whether it’s smokes, flashes, or grenades, the most popular spots for snipers are well known and will therefore be disrupted early on. Vary your position as often as possible and develop a feel for each enemy team: Where do their smokes land, where do they expect you to be? Avoid these spots.
As always in Valorant, communication is crucial for Operator players: Are you constantly being driven away by a Sova dart or one of Fade’s ghosts? A teammate can shoot them down for you so you can aim undisturbed.
No offensive fireworks with the Operator
The Operator is outstanding defensively, but leaves something to be desired offensively. If you still want to use the most expensive weapon in the game as an attacker, play slowly and patiently. Look for individual opponents and take them out before their team can rush to their aid. Then quickly take over a site, place the Spike, and defend it.
When capturing rooms, information is particularly important for snipers – ideally obtained by jiggle or jump peeking. Your initiators can also help you here by sending flashes or drones ahead. Then you can aim around the corner and take out any enemies.
Whether you want to use the Operator as an attacker depends mainly on your ego: if you are confident that your shots will hit their mark, then the weapon is usually worth the 4,700 credits. But don’t forget that teamwork is also important here, and avoid investing in eco rounds.
The Operator really shines when your opponent wants to overrun you. In this case, it’s not just Chamber or Jett who can use the sniper rifle, because every agent can actually handle an Operator. But only as long as you know how to use the Operator.
