Believe it or not, there is an actual way to get the elusive Riot cosmetic in Valorant.
In a free-to-play game like Valorant, boasting the flashiest and more exclusive cosmetics is like a calling card to teammates and enemies. You might not know how to hit a headshot with that Elderflame OP you own, but you'll whiff with such style no one will be mad at you.
Perhaps one of the most coveted items in the entire tactical shooter is the seemingly unreachable Riot Games Gun Buddy. Often thought out to be a joke cosmetic, there is in fact a way to earn it, and it's all through gameplay with a dash of luck.
What Will Get You a Riot Games Gun Buddy?
On July 14, Riot Games shared via social media that there could be a way for players to earn the Gun Buddy by following some simple steps while in-game, which are mainly set in place to incentivize good (and legitimate) sportsmanship.
Follow these tips by Riot to earn a Gun Buddy.
- Be a beacon of positivity in-game while a Riot Games employee is in the lobby
- Asking a Riot Games employee for the cosmetic will lower your chances of actually getting it
- The Riot Games Gun Buddy is not for sale, employees are forbidden from selling them
- Each Riot Games employee has a limited amount of Gun Buddies to hand out
Naturally, Riot employees, particularly Valorant devs, play the game on a regular basis. Most don't reveal their identities, so if you want to earn the Gun Buddy you'll have to be on your best behavior on every single match you queue up for moving forward.
In a quick blog post, Riot explained that, as you'd expect, this special offer is being put in place to directly impact player behavior in-game; while this is not the most perfect way to tackle toxicity, it is definitely a measure that will have a big influence on the game, at least short-term wise.
What do they mean by positivity? It can mean plenty of things. Maybe someone on your team is not having a good day, whiffing all their shots, you should encourage them! Perhaps you're on the brink of losing and tensions are high, why not crack a joke, or even better, come up with a plan to skew things in your favor?
In any case, the least you could do is not spread negativity and maybe drop a "gg" in chat after the game is done. We doubt this is enough to give you the Gun Buddy but good sportsmanship should not be tethered to a cosmetic.
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