Sova: a guide to Valorant's popular Initiator

Every agent in Valorant has unique abilities, but no one else goes as old school (while at the same being technologically advanced) as Sova. A Russian archery expert, Sova is an invaluable initiator. His abilities to scout upcoming areas and make callouts for his team can be game-changing in combat.

So let’s give the best tips on how to play the blond bowmaster, Sova.

In combat, Sova uses his archery skills to help give his teammates information and push points. With electrified arrows and top-tier scouting tech, he can do damage and help his team control combat situations.

Sova pulls out his bow and equips an electrified bolt. Shooting the arrow forward, he can do 14-90 damage, depending on Sova’s proximity to the enemy. While it’s not his most popular move (players tend to lean on Sova for his scouting abilities), it still can give Sova an advantage around corners and in some close-quarter situations.

This ability costs 100 credits and a player can only keep two in their inventory per round. Since he can carry two, Sova could shoot off both arrows in one confrontation and, in theory, kill an enemy on sight. If Sova lands two outstanding shots, he can down even a fully-shielded enemy.

Sova equips a drone and can release it to explore a nearby area to scan for enemies. If the enemy doesn’t manage to destroy it on sight, you can also shoot a locator dart into enemy agents that broadcasts their location until they remove it. Even if a player doesn’t get to shoot the locator dart, though, the Owl Drone does either give vital information or forces the enemy to reposition quickly (which can get them caught out when Sova’s team advances).

This ability costs 300 credits, but a player can only keep one in their inventory per round. So choose carefully when to use the Owl Drone.

Sova’s signature move is Recon Bolt. Recon Bolt can be instrumental in identifying and approaching the enemy. Even if it gets destroyed before it can identify anyone, the bolt’s radar still gives Sova’s team a good picture of enemy positioning. Someone had to shoot it, after all.

Unlike Sova’s other abilities, Recon Bolt has a 35-second cooldown, so it can be used multiple times in a single round.

Sova pulls out his bow and equips a unique, ethereal arrow. This ability can create up to three different blasts during a short time period. Hunter’s Fury can go through walls and reveal enemy locations if they’re hit, but also has the ability to one-shot enemies with headshots. Hunter’s Fury can be particularly lethal if following a well placed Recon Bolt.

This ultimate ability costs 7 points and should be used to clean up enemies on the other side of a wall, especially if the player can see where the enemies are located.

Sova’s abilities are fantastic at helping the team gather information about defending or incoming enemies. Recon Bolts and Owl Drones can scout out chokepoints and spike points to give Sova’s team a definitive informational advantage.

Also, with Sova’s Shock Bolt and Hunter’s Fury, he can apply a swift and dreadful attack to the enemy once they’re identified. The threat of his effective scouting (and his ability to follow up with it) can really make the other team think twice about staying in their current positioning.

While Sova is best with his team, working on his own can work, too. He can still do a great job of giving himself information to clean up nearby areas or he can identify sneaky lone hunters trying to catch out his other teammates. Between his scouting skills, bow, and a well-picked sniper rifle, Sova could sit at a common choke-point and headshot incoming enemies all by himself.