What is Thrifty in Valorant and what does it mean?

Valorant uses a variety of words to display commendations at the end of a round, and Thrifty is such a word. Although other commendations are well-known and pretty straightforward, like Flawless and Ace, Thrifty is unique to Riot Games’ juggernaut. For this reason, many players in the community are left baffled about the term’s meaning. Stick with us, and we will explain what Thrifty means in Valorant and how it’s achieved. 

What does Thrifty mean in Valorant?

Thrifty commendation is awarded for winning a round in Valorant while using a loadout drastically cheaper than the enemies. This means that the worse your team starts, the greater the chance to achieve thrifty if you win a round. Most commonly this term is seen after a win on an ECO or half-buy round, and it’s a great way of celebrating the team’s perfect use of available resources.  

Knowing when to spend or save credits in Valorant is one of the key parts of winning. From time to time, teams will have to save resources to have a better chance in future rounds. Winning an ECO round against fully armed opponents is an uphill battle but it can be done. Once accomplished, hearing the Thrifty announcement at the end makes it even better. 

How to get Thrifty in a round?

As mentioned before, to get the Thrifty commendation, your team will have to win a round by spending less on your loadouts than your opponents. The average difference in the team’s loadouts should be around 2500 credits, meaning that No big guns should be purchased. However, picking a fallen enemy’s gun and continuing a round using it will not negatively affect the Thrifty outcome. 

Moreover, even though your weapon choices are limited to Pistols, SMGs, and Shotguns, they can all be devastating. For only 800 credits, the Sheriff offers players with good aim one-tap potential across all ranges. Similarly, using close corners and flash abilities or smokes to surprise enemies with a Bucky or Shorty can guarantee a kill or two. Once the first kills land, picking up enemy guns will make the rest of the round easier to secure.  

To find out more about Valorant make sure you check out our other articles and guides here: How to improve Game Sense in Valorant, How to play Clove in Valorant, and Valorant Best Support Agents.