A Stinger buff is potentially coming in Valorant patch 5.06, according to the patch notes for the latest Public Beta Environment.

The Stinger is already enjoying something of a resurgence at Valorant Champions 2022, with players managing to find ridiculous value from the 950 credit submachine gun.

It has emerged as the weapon of choice for low buys, and teams like Leviatán have shown an uncanny ability to make the weapon work against far pricier Phantoms and Vandals.

As a result, many were expecting the weapon to be nerfed in the next patch. Instead, Riot Games is going in the opposite direction, buffing the gun to make it even more accurate.

The Stinger buff will make the gun even more lethal

The Stinger was designed as a short-range weapon. But unlike the Spectre, it is even more limited in range with a spray pattern that can get seriously unwieldly.

Riot wants the gun to feel “controllable and appropriately lethal at short ranges,” and it thinks that the spray is currently too “out of control” even in close quarters. To address that, it is lowering the top spread in order to make the gun feel more reliable up close.

The ADS fire is also been tweaked to be more accurate, and Riot is reducing the first shot variance, which should make the weapon more viable at slightly longer ranges when in ADS mode.

Here’s a look at the changes:

Primary Fire error adjusted from 1.6 error after 7 bullets to 1.3 error after 6 bullets
Alt Fire first shot error adjusted from 0.5 to 0.35

At only 950 credits, the Stinger is already one of the most value-for-money weapons for a low buy, far eclipsing guns like the Bucky.

With pros already showing how good the weapon can be in the right hands at Champions, the buffs look set to usher in a terrifying new Stinger meta.

The Stinger is likely getting buffed in the next Valorant patch

The Stinger buff will make the gun even more lethal