Why Hiko believes Valorant devs must nerf “frustrating” Spectre

100 Thieves Valorant star Spencer ‘Hiko’ Martin has called for some major balance adjustments, outlining how the Spectre SMG, in particular, is in need of ‘fixing.’

As one of the more experienced FPS pros in the competitive Valorant scene, Hiko’s opinion certainly carries some weight. The former CSGO champion has been active for more than a decade, now drawing thousands of viewers to every Twitch stream since his transition to Riot’s tactical shooter.

Never one to shy away from voicing his frustrations, Hiko is often outlining just how he’d try to improve the game. From ranked fixes to weapon balancing, he covers all bases. The latest argument happens to fall in the second category.

While mulling over all 17 weapons in Valorant today, the First Strike winner honed in on SMGs in particular. While the Stinger hasn’t been a popular pick in quite some time, the Spectre is a little too powerful for his liking in the current meta.

Riot Games

The Spectre has long been Valorant’s go-to SMG.

“I think the Spectre is just too good at medium to long-range,” he said during a June 3 broadcast. “Even the Stinger, at close range it’s alright. But it shoots so fast and the recoil is so crazy, that medium to long-range is terrible.”

As a slightly more expensive pick at 1,600 Creds, Hiko acknowledged that the Spectre should come with some added benefits. “One of the SMGs needs to be viable,” he stressed. But as the gun has become more popular in the early rounds, it’s simply too strong “at all ranges.”

“It’s more or less just frustrating to get double or triple headshotted across the map. You’re just dead. ”

• Read more: Why Valorant still doesn’t allow 5-stacks in ranked

Hiko doesn’t want Riot to ruin the gun, however. After all, “you have to have a viable option other than a pistol or a shotgun. He just wants to see “nerfs without making it useless. If they’re going to nerf both of them to be useless, just delete them.”

While he didn’t offer any specific changes he’d like to see, Hiko believes Valorant can be just fine with the current slate of weapons. 

• Read More: When is Valorant Mobile coming out? 

“I don’t think Valorant needs to add another SMG,” the 100 Thieves star added. “I just think they need to fix the current SMGs.”