The guide on Sova — one of the best agents to explore space
Elen StelmakhSova is another signature agent who appeared in VALORANT with the release of the beta test. His skills allow players to explore space on a map and locate opponents in hidden places. Besides, Sova is one of the most popular agents among initiators because his skills make a lot of impact in team play.
Despite minor buffs and changes, Sova is still among the agents that are popular on the professional scene. So it is worth talking about Sova in detail, explaining the agent’s skills, and giving a few pieces of advice about the appropriate play.
The list of Sova’s abilities
Recon Bolt
It is a signature ability that is given to a player at the beginning of every round. The skill allows you to shoot a bolt that ricochets from the walls and finds enemies in certain positions.
In other words, the ability provides understanding and information about the location of the enemy team. The advantages of Recon Bolt include the safety of the use because Sova can shoot a bolt from the far part of a map and, using the ricochet, hit the necessary spot.
The ability is free every round and has 40 seconds of cooldown. In such a way, a player can scan the desired positions a few times per round and find the enemy’s location or his absence. However, it is important to understand that an enemy can destroy a bolt and stop your scanning.
How to control: Press LMB to send the recon bolt forward. Having hit the wall, it is activated, revealing opponents. You can regulate the bolt range by pressing LMB. Also, press RMB to change the number of ricochets.
The key characteristics:
- Price — free
- Quantity — one
- Cooldown — 40 seconds
- The number of impulses — 3
- Duration — 5 seconds
- Health points — 20 HP
- The number of possible ricochets — 2
Shock Bolt
The ability is similar in terms of use but it has a drastically different purpose. As soon as Sova finds out the enemy’s location, a player can shoot “Shock Bolt”, which will deal damage over at the landing spot.
The closer the bolt hits an enemy, the bigger damage he will get from the electric strike.
The interesting fact is that the working principle of the ability is similar to the previous skill. A player can change the bolt range and adjust the number of ricochets. The only exception is the fact that Shock Bolt does not cooldown during a round and you will have to buy the ability.
However, a player can buy two bolts and use them as he wishes, scaring an enemy and making him leave hidden corners.
How to control: Press LMB to send the bolt forward. When the bolt hits something, it activates the electric charge that deals damage to opponents. You can change the bolt range by pressing LMB. Also, press RMB to change the number of ricochets.
Key characteristics:
- Price — 150 credits
- Quantity — two
- The dealt damage — 10-75
- The number of possible ricochets — 2
Owl Drone
This is the next ability, the main function of which is the exploration of the areas. Like Reckon Bolt, a player can activate an Owl Drone and control a flying drone that explores corners and shoots a dart that reveals the position of one opponent.
Besides, Sova can shoot a few darts while controlling the drone from the first-person perspective, however, it is worth considering the cooldown time.
In such a way, a player has to pay attention to his accuracy and speed because Owl Drone stops flying in 7 seconds. Also, it is worth remembering that an opponent can always “cancel” the ability by shooting the drone down.
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How to control: Press LMB to send a drone and control it. Exploring corners, a player can shoot a dart at an opponent and get temporary data about his movements.
Key characteristics:
- Price — 400 credits
- Quantity — one
- Flight duration — 7 seconds
- Dart cooldown time — 5 seconds
- Health points — 100 HP
Hunter’s Fury
The ultimate ability becomes available for a player after earning 8 points. Selecting the ability, Sova activates three strong impulses that deal heavy damage to an opponent, hitting through the walls. Besides, an impulse also reveals an injured opponent, allowing you to aim more accurately for another shot.
Hunter’s Fury is an extremely useful skill in post-plant situations when a player knows the spike’s location. However, an opponent sees the trajectory of the shot, so it has time to change position.
A player has three shots in total, each of which deals 80 HP damage to an opponent after hitting.
How to control: Press LMB to shoot the bolt forward. Hitting through the walls, the bolt deals damage to an opponent and temporarily reveals his location.
Key characteristics:
- Price — 8 points
- Quantity — three shots
- Duration — 6,5 seconds
- Range — 66 meters
- Damage — 80 HP
How to play as Sova well?
Sova is good for the players who do not look for shootings and are ready to spend time on the exploration of the areas. His abilities help to detect enemies without risking revealing his location.
The remarkable thing is that the agent fits well in attack and defense because his set of abilities is useful for both sides.
The main advice that can help to play as Sova right:
- It is important to understand that intelligence abilities do not always help to detect an opponent. For example, Reckon Bolt might not reveal a player who has hidden under a canopy. So it is worth considering that if the bolt does not show the enemy’s location, it does not mean that he is not there.
- Try to use ricochets as effectively as possible, they help to go through uncomfortable corners. However, it is not worth forgetting that a bolt will be falling while flying forward.
- Use Shock Bolt if you are sure about the enemy’s location. Play as a pair to smoke out your opponent and eliminate him during the shift.
- Orientate on the mini-map when using the ultimate ability, directing the impulse toward an opponent.
Thus, Sova is an irreplaceable agent if a team has a cautious approach to its play and builds its tactic for a round, using the available information.
With the help of Sova’s abilities, a player can effectively scan dangerous corners and provide a team with important information about the enemy’s location. Also, his ultimate ability helps to deal with difficult post-plant situations, dealing heavy damage and receiving information about the location of an injured opponent.
Summing up, Sova is a nice agent who is a core of the team and a nice assistant in a slow match. Besides, the agent’s abilities can be combined well with other players, allowing a player to create interesting tactics. It appears that Sova is still a key agent after so many years, being highly popular both on the professional scene and in matchmaking.
Elen Stelmakh is a creative individual dedicated to advancing gaming culture through articles and visual design. As a full-time EGamersWorld author and designer for a gaming website, Elen not only creates content but also infuses it with energy and creativity.