How Valorant’s in-game currency works: A guide to Radianite & Valorant points

Riot has always leaned towards a free to play model and their new tactical shooter, Valorant, is no different.

There are two in-game currencies in Valorant - Valorant Points (VP) and Radianite Points (RP) - the former is used to purchase skins, cosmetics, Agent contracts and Battle Passes, while the latter is a special currency with a sole purpose: to upgrade specific weapon skins, giving them an enhanced their visual style.

VP can only be obtained by purchasing them, while RP can be purchased with VP, or earned throughout the Battle Pass.

How much do Valorant Points cost?

(Note: The prices mentioned below are in British Pounds, but the prices and VP points are almost 1=1 when it comes to US$.)

They certainly are not cheap, in the UK the lowest purchase point is £4.99 which gets you 525 VP which is just over half the cost of the Episode 1: Ignition Battle Pass or just under half of this, admittedly very nice, Galleria Guardian skin which costs 875 VP.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Now Riot does offer a small amount of VP as a bonus when you purchase more, so for instance, if you spend £9.99 on 1100 VP, you get 50 VP points for free.

• Read more: Valorant Ignition Battle Pass: Skins, cost, tier list and more

If you spend £99.99 on the highest purchase point which is 12000 VP points, Riot will send a further 1500 VP points your way.

(Picture: Riot Games)

It should be mentioned that for anyone who is purchasing VP points for the first time, should always go for at least the £9.99/1100 option, as there is no weapon skin or battle pass that you could currently purchase with 525 VP.

What can I use Radianite Points for?

Radianite points are used to “upgrade” certain weapon skins in the game, these upgrades will give you unique reload animations and at the very highest level death animations, that are activated when you take an opponent out with a headshot. 

In the video in the Tweet below you can a fully-upgraded Guardian from the Sovereign skin bundle.

Each Radianite upgradable weapon has seven tiers, which the first upgrade taking you to tier two. The first three tiers cost 10 RP each, while the last three cost 15 RP each for a total cost of 75 RP.

You can purchase 80 Radianite Points for 4,800 Valorant Points, which the latter costing £45. So upgrading a weapon fully will cost in the region of £40.

How can I get Radianite Points?

Currently, RP points can be acquired in two ways first by purchasing them using VP aka real money, or you can unlock a certain amount through the Battle Pass.

In the Ignition Battle Pass, you can unlock as much as 80 RP if you complete 49 of the 50 tiers, 80 RP points will give you enough to completely upgrade one Radianite skin.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Additionally, Valorant Points can be exchanged for Radianite Points for upgrades. The exchange rates including approx real-world value are listed below:

• 1,600 VP =  20 RP = £15
• 2,800 VP = 40 RP = £25
• 4,800 VP = 80 RP = £45

How much do skins cost in Valorant?

The cost of skins in Valorant has become something of a sore point for many in the community, with some feeling that there cost is far too expensive for what you get in return. Of course, what you value a weapon skins at is a decision only each individual can make and we need to remember the ultimately the game is free to play and this is RIot's monetization strategy. Take away: If you think weapon skins are too expensive, don't buy them.

However, that is not to say they aren't expensive - they are. Take for instance the Sovereign Collection, buying the complete collection costs 7,100 VP or approx £65, the bundle contains five skins, two gun buddies, a spray and a player card.

The complete cost of a weapon collection can be eyewatering. (Picture: Riot Games)

Then you have the cost of upgrading each weapon to its final the state, the Ghost isn't a Radianite upgradable weapon, and the knife only has one tier so there is some money saved there but the cost soon adds up.

The total cost in upgrading every weapon in the collection is 235 RP, which is approx £135.

So that Sovereign Collection could ultimately set you back as much as £200. Sovereign indeed.

Radiante upgradeable weapons purchased one gun at a time cost 1,775 RP or approx. £20 while standard skins cost 875 or £7.50.

Is there any other way I can get skins?

If buying them outright isn't your style there is, of course, the battle pass, which contains 13 weapon skins and a host of other cosmetics and costs just £10, or 1050 VP. You will also unlock 80 RP points if you complete the full pass, however, it has been calculated to take over 100 hours to unlock every tier so be aware that playing once a week probably won't get you the skins you are after.

There is another way to earn skins and that is through the Agent contracts, each contract ends with a weapon skin, these are unique non-purchasable weapon skins and are all based on the Agent that they assigned too.

For instance here is former U.S commando Brimstone's sheriff, with military green camo finish and yellow highlights this think looks pretty good in our opinion.

(Picture: Riot Games)

Looking to get better at Valorant? A big part of the game is learning the correct composition of your team, too many chefs and all that, so why not check out our team composition guide and learn what you need to have a successful and balanced squad.