Valorant Agent Guide: Sova

Our Valorant Agent Guide will help you catch up to all the beta players who’ve been playing the game since April. We’re going to give you an overview of each agent’s abilities and how to use them. You’ll get easily digestible guides, one agent at a time. Today we present to you the Valorant equivalent of Hanzo – Sova.

Valorant was officially released on June 2, which was two weeks ago. If you didn’t get the chance to play during the closed beta, chances are you’d want to catch up on all that time. In most games, you won’t be able to play Sage, which is arguably the best agent in the game. This forces you to pick a second favorite character. So why not Sova?

Sova has been available since the closed beta and much like Sage, he can be a vital part of any team composition. Combining recon and offensive skills, Sova favors being an attacker but can also be utilized defensively. Let’s start by going through his abilities.

Sova abilities guide: Owl Drone

Owl Drone is Sova’s first basic ability and it can be used to gather information on the enemy. If you manage to hit someone with the dart they’ll be revealed for a couple of seconds. The drone can be easily destroyed by enemies, so you better shoot that dart fast. The drone can be used to force enemies out of position. Coordinating with your teammates will allow you to sometimes bait enemies to their death.

Compared to Recon Bolt, Owl Drone can take at least a couple of shots before getting destroyed. This guarantees you'll get some sort of information almost every time you use the drone - you'll either locate someone or your opponent will shoot it down giving away their position.

Sova abilities guide: Shock Bolt

Shock Bolt is Sova’s second basic ability and it gives him the option to inflict some extra damage. The damage is anywhere between 14 and 90, based on the distance from the enemy. Furthermore, it can have up to two charges, so in theory, you could get someone really low or barely scratch them, depending on your accuracy. Useful!

This is probably the less popular skill of the agent as it’s often better to get Owl Drone when short on credits. Still, Shock Bolt can deal significant damage when used properly, but hitting someone point blank is a challenge. You can also use Shock Bolt to damage enemies hiding around the corner or clear Cypher’s traps.

Sova abilities guide: Recon Bolt

Recon Bolt is Sova’s signature ability that he gets for free every round. It has a single charge but recharges back up ever 35 seconds. Recon Bolt, much like the name suggests, can be used to locate enemies without risking a corner peek. It can be used in a variety of ways to check out the way ahead or if an enemy is holding a certain position. Use it to check around corners for anyone camping. Sova’s signature skill can often be combined with other agents like Breach, who can anticipate enemy movement and set a blast through the wall. Note that Recon Bolt can be destroyed by enemies with a single shot, so don't place it right at their feet.

Sova abilities guide: Hunter’s Fury

Hunter's Fury is Sova's ultimate. If you’ve played Overwatch, it functions very similarly to Hanzo’s Dragonstrike (Ryuuga wagateki wo kurau!) except it has three shots instead of one. Each of the shots goes through walls dealing 80 damage and briefly marking the enemy on hit. Much like the rest of his kit, Hunter’s Fury can be used to gather info or clear corners. The total interval to make the three shots is 8 seconds, but you can always cancel it early if you find yourself in a sticky situation. Each hit of his ultimate will deal 80 damage so landing all three shots means certain death for your target. That probably sounds good, but if you don't hit the first shot it turns into a guessing game where your opponent might be.

Sova strategy guide

Sova is exceptionally good at clearing corners and applying pressure to the enemy team. Whether you’re on the attacking or defending site will make a difference to your playstyle. As an attacker, you can use your Owl Drone to bait enemies into revealing themselves. They either have to shoot it down or risk giving you even more information. Combine Sova’s recon abilities with damage coming from other agents such as Brimstone, Breach or Viper. To damage or zone out enemy players.

Each map will have some nice spots where you can throw a Recon Bolt and get crucial information on enemy movement. The only way to learn those is through experience or through the magic of the internet.

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Sova Tips

Recon Bolt has its range so shooting it too far up may not reveal a nearby enemy.
Sometimes you might be able to hit a player directly with Recon Bolt. They won't be able to get rid of it themselves.
The damage coming from Shock Bolt isn't instant as it takes about half a second to activate after landing. On the plus side, it ignores line of sight and affects anyone in its vicinity.
Your Owl Drone will last for 10 seconds, while the dart itself has a 5-second cooldown. This makes it impossible to fire more than two darts.
The drone will take several shots before it gets destroyed making it a useful tool to distract your enemies. Use it to give your teammates an open window of opportunity.
Delaying too much before your first shot of Hunter's Fury will prevent you from firing all three! Don't hesitate.
If you want to cancel your ultimate you'll have to tap the same key you used to activate it as switching to a weapon won't do the trick.
The range on Hunter's Fury is pretty long but not unlimited, check your minimap to get a good idea of what you can reach.

This concludes our short guide to the Russian agent. We hope you enjoyed it and we wish you happy hunting.

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