VALORANT: Patch 6.02 – Stinger Nerf Guide

An SMG moonlighting as a Phantom for 950 Credits.

The next VALORANT Patch is just around the corner and the community is probably excited to know what the current round of updates brings to VALORANT.

Riot Games didn’t leave much for the fans’ imagination, though, as the VALORANT devs themselves already spoiled the changes coming in the next Patch.

We have outlined everything you need to know in the upcoming Patch 6.02 in this guide.

Stinger History

The Stinger hasn’t seen too many changes ever since the game launched back in 2020. But to better understand where the Stinger sits right now and how it got to this point in the game, we need to take a quick look at the gun’s update history.

Patch 2.03

• Price increased 1000 >>> 1100
• Primary Fire
  • Fire rate reduced 18 >>> 16
  • Point when max spread reached decreased from 6th bullet >>> 4th bullet.
  • Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoil curve, recoil climbs more aggressively past the 3rd bullet.
• Alt Fire
  • Recover time decreased .45 >>> 4
  • Adjusted pitch (vertical) recoil to be more aggressive after the first burst
  • Added more error on bursts after the first one
  • Fisrt shot spread for alt fire increased from 0.4 >>> 0.5

Patch 3.0

• Walking inaccuracy increased from .3 >>> 1.0
• Running inaccuracy increased from 2.0 >>> 2.5
• Price decreased 1100 >>> 950

Patch 4.07

• Now delays firing inputs while bringing up the weapon to ADS
  • Prevents you from getting burst mode accuracy improvements before you finished raising your weapon.

Patch 5.06

• Primary Fire error adjusted from 1.6 after 7 bullets >>> 1.3 after 6 bullets
• Alt Fire first shot error adjusted from .5 >>> .35

The first changes to the Stinger came in the form of firing mechanics and price changes in Patch 2.03 and Patch 3.0, as the devs found the gun too powerful relative to its price.

Episode 4 is by far the most interesting period for the Stinger, and you probably remember the time when players spammed the weapon and its ADS firing mode. It is in this patch where streamers and pros found an exploit to the Stinger’s ADS which gave it 100% first-bullet accuracy. Fortunately, Riot Games quickly fixed the exploit by Patch 4.07.

Finally, we’ve come to the most recent change to the weapon in Patch 5.06, where the Stinger’s Primary Fire error was adjusted to make the gun more accurate. Alt Fire was also adjusted slightly to mimic the changes made to Primary Fire.

It took quite a while, but players have started to unlock the hidden powers of the Stinger brought by Patch 5.06 in-game. The reduced firing error made the gun more accurate which meant the gun’s spray pattern was also much easier to control as well.

Pro players and streamers such as TenZ have shown what the Stinger can do in the right hands. Check out this quick clip from TenZ’s stream uploaded by AT Meraki on YouTube.

Why is the Stinger getting nerfed in Patch 6.02?

As you can see from the clip, anybody with decent spray control can put the Stinger to great use in just about any round in VALORANT. This is due to a combination of the Stinger’s decent damage at longer ranges and the improved firing error brought to the weapon in Patch 5.06.

Clips like these are enough to convince Riot Games that the Stinger is broken and is in urgent need of updates for the next patch, which is why the devs are rolling out the following changes for the Stinger come Patch 6.02:

The Damage fall-off numbers might not seem too serious at first glance, but some quick maths should give you a better idea of how these changes affect the Stinger moving forward.

Previously, at ranges 0-20m, you only need to land 5.5 bullets on enemies to kill them if they were at full HP and armor (150). After the change takes effect, you’ll need to land 6.5 bullets on enemies if they’re at 20m or beyond. In simpler terms, the reduced effective range and reduced damage at longer ranges should make the Stinger less effective in long-range engagements, something that it is uncannily good at right now.

Add the insanely cheap price of 950 credits and you’ve got a “Phantom replacement” as some players call it. This is why the devs have also opted to increase the weapon’s cost (again) from 950 >>> 1100.

These changes make the Stinger tougher to justify as an eco purchase since other guns such as the Marshall are insanely good for eco rounds at a comparatively cheaper price.

When will Patch 6.02 come out?

Patch 6.02 is scheduled to go live on February 7, so it won’t be too long before players can finally try out the Stinger for themselves and see how the changes affect the gun’s viably.

The Official Patch Notes should come out by then as well, which might include some routine bug fixes and other changes. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what Patch 6.02 brings to the table when it comes out a few days from now.

Lost Some Sting

The devs are already putting the clamps on the Stinger before it disrupts the meta in a way the devs didn’t intend to when they gave the gun improved accuracy back in Patch 5.06.

Other guns such as the Spectre remain a very popular pickup for anti-eco rounds and the Marshall remains an affordable but very effective gun in eco rounds, which means the Stinger just might end up in an awkward place once again in VALORANT’s weapon roster.

That said, we will just have to wait and see how the gun shapes up in-game when Patch 6.02 goes live in February 7.