So, I’ve been diving deep into Valorant lately, and man, have I been hooked. Not just on the gameplay, but also on all the cool cosmetics you can snag. The one thing that really caught my eye was the Riot Gun Buddy – you know, that little fist bump charm? I heard you can only get it from a Riot employee, so I thought, “Challenge accepted!”
First, I started playing a ton of matches. I figured the more I play, the higher the chance I’d run into a Rioter. I wasn’t just grinding though; I made sure to be on my best behavior in every game. Being respectful, positive, and just an all-around good teammate was my mantra. I even started initiating friendly chats, throwing out “glhf” and “gg” like they were going out of style. It felt a bit like walking on eggshells sometimes, trying to be extra nice, but hey, I was on a mission.

I also did a bit of digging around online about these gun buddies. Apparently, they’re only visible in the first-person view. That’s fine, I guess. To check them out, you gotta go to your collection, pick a weapon (no melee weapons, though), and then hit up the “Buddies” section at the top. It’s a bit of a process, but it’s cool to see all the buddies you’ve collected lined up.
Now, here’s something I learned that’s pretty neat: after each act in the game, you get a gun buddy based on your best rank. And after the third act, Riot hands out ranked gun buddies for the whole episode. It’s like a little badge of honor for how well you did. I made it a point to play my heart out during those acts, aiming for the highest rank I could possibly get. I found that each rank has a different color of gun buddy. The higher the rank, the more beautiful the color of the gun buddy. I like to collect some rare ones, because they are so special.
- Play a lot: The more I played, the better my chances of running into a Riot employee.
- Be a good sport: I made sure to always be respectful, positive, and a good teammate.
- Check out buddies: I learned how to navigate the menus to view my collection of gun buddies.
- Aim for high ranks: I strived to achieve the highest ranks possible during each act to earn those special gun buddies.
After weeks of playing and being the nicest player I could be, it finally happened! I got matched with a Rioter. I played my best, kept the positive vibes going, and guess what? At the end of the match, I got a friend request, and boom – the Riot Gun Buddy was mine! It was such a sweet moment, seeing that little fist bump charm in my inventory. I don’t know if I got picked because of how I played or if it was just luck, but either way, I was stoked.
So that’s my story of how I got the first gun buddy in Valorant. It took some effort, a lot of good sportsmanship, and maybe a bit of luck, but it was totally worth it. Now, I’ve got that shiny fist bump charm as a reminder of my dedication and maybe, just maybe, my ability to be a decent human being in online games. Keep playing, stay positive, and who knows, you might just get your own Riot Gun Buddy!