Gear
If you're diving into Valorant's world of slick cosmetics and agent mastery, you've probably stumbled upon the "Gear" system. Think of it as your agent's personal battle pass—a dedicated progression track filled with exclusive rewards. This guide will break down everything you need to know about unlocking Gear, from the basics to the full cost breakdown, helping you plan your Kingdom Credits spending like a pro.
What is Gear?
Gear is Valorant's cosmetic progression system designed for individual agents. It's a ladder of ten tiers, each offering a unique cosmetic item or title. To access an agent's Gear, you must first permanently unlock that agent. Once unlocked, you can start spending a special in-game currency called Kingdom Credits to climb through the tiers and collect the rewards.
You can find the Gear menu by heading to the Agents tab in the main client. It's worth noting that this system was previously known as "Contracts" before a major update in patch v7.0. The old Contracts system used XP or Valorant Points to progress and even unlocked the agent itself at Tier 5 for new players. The current Gear system focuses purely on cosmetics and uses Kingdom Credits as its primary currency.
How the Progression Works
The process is straightforward but requires strategic resource management:
- Unlock the Agent: You cannot access an agent's Gear until you've permanently unlocked them using Kingdom Credits or an agent unlock token.
- Tiered Progression: Each of the ten tiers must be unlocked sequentially using Kingdom Credits. You must purchase the current tier before moving to the next one.
- Bulk Purchasing: You have the option to buy multiple tiers in one go, which is great for saving time. However, you can only do this if the total cost of the tiers you're purchasing doesn't exceed the Kingdom Credits cap that limits how much of the currency you can hold at once.
Tier Breakdown: What You Unlock and How Much It Costs
The rewards and costs vary slightly depending on whether the agent is one of the five original starter agents (Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Sage, and Sova) or one of the agents unlocked later.
For Starter Agents (Brimstone, Jett, Phoenix, Sage, Sova)
These agents have a different reward order in the first few tiers. Here's the full progression:
| Tier | Cost (Kingdom Credits) | Cumulative Cost | Reward Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,000 | 2,000 | Player Title |
| 2 | 2,500 | 4,500 | Spray |
| 3 | 3,000 | 7,500 | Player Card |
| 4 | 3,500 | 11,000 | Player Title |
| 5 | 4,000 | 15,000 | Spray |
| 6 | 4,500 | 19,500 | Buddy |
| 7 | 5,500 | 25,000 | Spray |
| 8 | 6,500 | 31,500 | Player Title |
| 9 | 7,500 | 39,000 | Player Card |
| 10 | 8,000 | 47,000 | Sidearm Weapon Skin |
Total Cost to Complete Gear for a Starter Agent: 47,000 Kingdom Credits.
For All Other Agents
The reward structure for agents released after the initial set is rearranged, but the tier costs from 6 to 10 remain identical. The key difference is in the early tiers and a free tier.
| Tier | Cost (Kingdom Credits) | Cumulative Cost | Reward Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,000 | 2,000 | Spray |
| 2 | 2,500 | 4,500 | Player Card |
| 3 | 3,000 | 7,500 | Player Title |
| 4 | 3,500 | 11,000 | Spray |
| 5 | 0 (FREE) | 11,000 | Kingdom Credits |
| 6 | 4,500 | 15,500 | Buddy |
| 7 | 5,500 | 21,000 | Spray |
| 8 | 6,500 | 27,500 | Player Title |
| 9 | 7,500 | 35,000 | Player Card |
| 10 | 8,000 | 43,000 | Sidearm Weapon Skin |
Total Cost to Complete Gear for Other Agents: 43,000 Kingdom Credits.
As you can see, Tier 5 for non-starter agents is completely free, rewarding you with Kingdom Credits instead of costing them. This makes fully unlocking their Gear collection slightly cheaper overall.
Strategic Takeaways for Your Grind
- Not Just Cosmetics: The ultimate reward at Tier 10 is a sidearm weapon skin (typically for the Classic) exclusive to that agent. This is the main cosmetic prize for completing the track.
- Plan Your Spend: The cost jumps significantly in the later tiers (7-10). If you're working on multiple agents, you might want to get them all to Tier 5 or 6 first to collect the easier sprays and buddies before committing to the more expensive final stretch.
- The Starter Agent Difference: If you're using one of the original five agents, be prepared to spend 4,000 more Kingdom Credits to complete their full Gear set compared to newer agents. Their progression is slightly more expensive.
- Currency Cap Matters: Remember, you can't just save up 47,000 Credits and buy everything at once for a starter agent if that amount is above your account's Kingdom Credit cap. You'll need to buy in batches that fit within the cap.
Summary & Key Takeaways
- Gear is Agent-Specific Cosmetics: It's a 10-tier track unlocked with Kingdom Credits for each permanently owned agent.
- Costs Vary by Agent Type: Completing Gear for the five starter agents costs 47,000 Kingdom Credits. For all other agents, it costs 43,000 Kingdom Credits, thanks to a free Tier 5.
- Prizes Include Sprays, Cards, and a Skin: Tiers unlock a mix of sprays, player cards, player titles, a weapon buddy, and culminate in an exclusive sidearm skin at Tier 10.
- Progress Sequentially: You must unlock tiers in order, but can buy multiple in one go if the total doesn't exceed your credit cap.
- System Evolved: Gear replaced the older "Contracts" system, shifting the focus from XP progression to a credit-based cosmetic unlock path.
Understanding the Gear system allows you to efficiently target the cosmetic rewards you want most for your main agents. Whether you're grinding for that final sidearm skin or just picking up cool sprays along the way, smart credit management is key to building your collection.
