The graceful Sona is a talented musician from Demacia. Respected by the country’s nobility and judged by others for her powers, she prefers the company of close friends. However, her enchanting melodies can be heard across all of Runeterra!

Sona’s in-game abilities enable her to protect and buff allies. As a support, she typically spends the early game in the bot lane with her Attack Damage Carry (ADC). Afterward, she roams the rift or accompanies her allies into team fights. Sona’s playstyle is easy to learn for beginners while offering room for mastery!

LoL champions can activate one of their abilities at the start of every game. As the game progresses, they unlock more abilities when they level up. The early poke damage from Sona’s Q synergizes well with her starter item. Therefore, unlock this ability right off the bat. Next are her Q and E. You can activate her Crescendo at champion level six. Once all abilities are ready, prioritize her W, Q, and then E.

Sona is a Mana-hungry champion, making Mana management key in the early game (laning phase). During later stages of the game, she can spam her abilities thanks to low cooldowns and high mana regeneration. Furthermore, all her basic abilities leave temporary areas of effect. Therefore, Sona excels in late-game team fights.

 Sona gains non-Ultimate ability haste permanently for her basic abilities as she uses her abilities well, up to a cap. Beyond that cap, further successful uses reduce her ultimate’s remaining cooldown instead.

 Every few spellcasts, Sona’s next attack will deal bonus magic damages in addition to an additional effect based on what basic Ability Sona last activated.

Accelerando adds a fun mini-game to Sona’s kit! She gains stacks of ability haste for hitting specific abilities. Simply put, ability haste allows Sona to cast her abilities more often. The stacks can be accumulated with successful uses of her Q and W. However, they do not increase when hitting minions. Instead, Sona can gain up to two stacks when damaging opponents with her Q. Similarly, she can obtain up to 5 stacks for healing her team with her W. A maximum of 120 stacks can be gained this way.

Sona’s second Passive, Powerchord, activates after every third basic ability. Sona’s next attack will then deal additional magic damage. In addition, another effect will be triggered depending on the last song Sona played. These are the possible effects:

Q: The attack deals 98 magic damage instead.

W: The target deals less damage for three seconds.

Sona plays the Hymn of Valor, sending out bolts of sounds, dealing magic damage to two nearby enemies, prioritising champions and monsters. Sona gains a temporary aura that grants allies tagged by the zone bonus damage on their next attack against enemies.

Hymn of Valor is great in the laning phase, as it can be used to gain stack for your starter item and apply pressure on the enemy bot laners. Combined with an enhanced attack from her Power Chord, Sona can effectively punish early enemy aggression.

Sona plays the Aria of Perseverance, sending out protective melodies, and healing Sona and a nearby wounded ally. Sona gains a temporary aura that grants allies tagged by the zone a temporary shield.

Aria of Perseverance is a straightforward ability. In the laning phase, you mainly use it to protect your ADC, whereas it serves as protection for your entire team in large fights.

Sona plays the Song of Celerity, granting nearby allies bonus Move Speed. Sona gains a temporary aura that grants allies champions tagged by the zone bonus Move Speed.

Song of Celerity has various uses during a game:

Spam it during team fights in the late game.

Sona plays her ultimate chord, stunning enemy champions and forcing them to dance and dealing magic damage to them. Each rank reduces the base cooldown of Sona’s basic abilities.

Sona’s ultimate ability is excellent when engaging in a fight. It will immobilize opponents, making them vulnerable to your attacks. However, Crescendo can also be used defensively. For example, use it to escape from an enemy encounter you would lose otherwise.

Summoner spells are equipped before the start of a game. They are like additional abilities with long cooldowns. The most common summoner spells for Sona are 

 teleports your champion a short distance toward the direction of your cursor. Use this spell to get out of precarious situations or when being chased by enemies. Target an enemy champion to 

 them. When exhausted, opponents deal less damage and move slower. This is a great spell when you or your teammates are pressured by the enemy. It can also help to focus down strong opponents.

. Spellthief’s Edge awards you with Gold whenever you do damage to an enemy. You must accumulate 500 Gold to transform the item into its advanced version, 

. Thus, it encourages you to poke enemies in the early game. Frostfang provides you with three wards whenever you visit your spawn. In contrast, the Stealth Ward grants up to two wards with fixed cooldowns. Use them in the laning phase to illuminate your bot lane. Health Potions ensure your survival during the early game. But keep in mind that they regenerate health over time and not instantly.

Once you have gained Frostfang, switch out your Stealth Ward for an 

. When this item is off cooldown, it can be activated to reveal hidden enemy wards and traps in an area of effect around you. This sweeping aura lasts for six seconds.

 are next. This item increases your Move Speed while reducing your cooldowns. Next, buy Sona’s best mythic item, the 

. Its effects strengthen the effects of healing and shielding. Finally, the 

 boosts Sona’s ability power based on her maximum Mana.

 to reduce the healing effectiveness of opponents and the 

 to further enhance your heals. In case of a long match, buy the 

 to buff allies with your heals and shields.

Sona’s kit perfectly balances beginner-friendliness and skillful mastery. Moreover, her frequent buffs, heals, and damage are game-changers in late team fights. I hope you are now hungry to try her out! Feel also free to check out our other LoL support 

Beginner-friendly guide: Sona, League of Legends Support 

" recently signed with Luminosity Gaming as a content creator.  She usually plays and streams Fortnite, and has been playing the game since Chapter 1 Season 2.

Fortnite and Efuse recently hosted the Women of the eRena tournament series. Vaneesuh won the biggest WOTE event, the $150k Winter WOTE, alongside Sommerset and Sparkles. Be sure to follow her on 

Luminosity Gaming welcomes Vanessuh

YouTube has carried the content creation industry solely on its shoulder for years, but gaming's boom added Twitch to the picture. So which platform is the best for gaming live streaming in 2023?

Gaming's boom didn't happen overnight. Those who jumped to live content creation in gaming in 2011 are enjoying the fruits now. Top gaming streamers from Imane "Pokimane" Anys, Félix "xQc" Lengyel, and Richard "Ninja" Tyler Blevins started their content grind when streaming wasn't considered a real job. But many streaming heavy-lifters have now moved to YouTube, raising the question of whether Twitch is still the best option for gaming content.

Twitch was the only prominent player in the gaming live-streaming ecosystem a few years ago. That was until YouTube shifted its focus toward live gaming content. Those dipping toes in content creation find themselves split between the two platforms. So which one is the best option?

Passion is primarily the driving factor behind those pursuing a career in gaming. But it's not the only one. Money always takes precedence when you have bills to pay. Fortunately, in 2023, it's possible to follow your passion while making money. Twitch and YouTube allow creators to generate money through subscriptions, ads, donations, and more. But one of them is better than the other.

Live streamers on Twitch are making money in millions, and Twitch is well aware. For this reason, the platform 

recently pushed the revenue split to 50/50

, meaning 50% of a streamer's earnings will go to Twitch. Big streamers may not feel the impact of the change, but smaller creators will be letting go of a large chunk of their income in light of the new change.

Conversely, YouTube takes a 30% cut, and it's likely to stay the same for a while. Not just that, but the platform also offers lucrative contracts to big names in gaming, which means you no longer have to worry about viewer count. It has its downsides, but YouTube is the way to go if your focus is money.

YouTube was originally a platform for posting pre-shot content. It's now evolving, boosting the potential for live-streamers, short-creators, and more. But it still has a long way to go regarding pure gaming content. Conversely, Twitch boasted 1.865 billion hours watched, compared to 305 million on YouTube Gaming and 399 million on Facebook Gaming, according to 

StreamElements' August 2022 State of the Stream report

. This means, despite modern competitors, Twitch is still the go-to in gaming.

So, if you're a gaming streamer, you'd find your target audience pretty quickly. Unlike YouTube, discoverability on Twitch works on viewer count and game basis. So, to get into the spotlight, you must find the most-watched play and create a niche audience. But, while Twitch has a larger gaming audience, it also has more gaming creators, which may put you ten steps behind.

On the other hand, numbers are secondary on YouTube. The small gaming community on YouTube will find you through shared interest when the platform puts you on their feed. Also, on YouTube, your content has to be good to appear on the recommendation page, making it pretty easy to get noticed.

As mentioned earlier, gaming isn't a career you pursue purely for money. Passion is a significant driving factor, so those dipping their toes into gaming want a tight community of gamers. Finding that on YouTube takes time. Conversely, Twitch is all about gaming. So, you may feel at home right off the bat while streaming on Twitch.

“I don’t think I’ll be impressed until I see an ecosystem of live streaming on YouTube. Twitch has the ecosystem. Twitch has the culture. Twitch has the community.” Pokimane said.

However, platform support is crucial. Among many notable streamers, Ludwig has revealed that he felt undervalued at Twitch.

"Even though I've been with Twitch for three-plus years, even though people call me the golden boy of Twitch, I've never felt like the golden boy of Twitch. I've never felt particularly loved by Twitch," Ludwig said.

Once you gain a solid following, you'll find that YouTube might be the better platform after all. As Pokimane highlighted that blowing up in numbers on YouTube isn't easy unless you carry your Twitch audience to the new platform.

So, the verdict between Twitch and YouTube depends heavily on your commitment and goal. If you are a green streamer going all in gaming content creation, you may want to stream on Twitch and post long-form content/highlights on YouTube. If you're doing it part-time, streaming on YouTube might get you a general audience quickly.

Twitch VS YouTube: What's the better platform for streaming?

HoYoverse’s hit title Genshin Impact has recently rolled out its newest update, version 3.4. With even more new characters like 

 being added to the game’s playable character list this month, new players might be left wondering just how much Genshin Impact has changed since its initial release in 2020.

With each significant Genshin Impact update that is normally released every six weeks, players are used to new content like events, areas, or mobs being continuously added to the game.

So far, the game's biggest annual updates have been version 2.0 and 3.0, the former giving us access to a new region – 

. However, version 3.0 has been regarded as one of the most important Genshin Impact updates so far because of its positive effects on the game’s mechanics, provided by the addition of the 

With the addition of a new five-star character 

 in version 3.3, new players might wonder what the big hype is about.

The highly anticipated Anemo Catalyst user has been a fan favorite since his first appearance in 

, almost three years ago. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Genshin Impact players have been excited about the final release of the long-awaited character.

have had a few banner reruns before; therefore new players don’t have to be afraid of missing out on some of their favorites.

In addition to the already playable characters, new players can look forward to unreleased fan favorites like 

, who were featured on the same banner,starting the new patch on 

Another highly anticipated playable character that has been announced by HoYoverse is 

. However, not much is known about this character’s official release date.

Elemental reactions are triggered by using combinations of specific Elemental Skills on targets.

Depending on the elements used, Elemental Reactions can deal additional damage to the targets, apply negative buffs (like reducing the enemies' defense), and increase AoE or damage over time.

Prior to the 3.0 version and the addition of the Dendro element, players were able to trigger the following eight elemental reactions: Vaporize (Hydro + Pyro), Overload (Electro + Pyro), Melt (Cryo + Pyro), Electro-charged (Hydro + Electro), Superconduct (Electro + Cryo), Frozen (Hydro + Cryo), Swirl (Anemo + any other elemental skill), Crystallize (Geo + any other elemental skill).

Dendro element in 3.0 added three new elemental reactions: Catalyze (Dendro + Electro), Burning (Dendro + Pyro) and Bloom (Dendro + Hydro).

Bloom greatly differs from the rest of the elemental reactions; in that it drops 

 that can be interacted with using other elements. Using Pyro or Electro, the following Elemental Reactions are triggered: Burgeon (Dendro Seeds + Pyro), Hyperbloom (Dendro Seeds + Electro).

Catalyze is another reaction that can be further interacted with using Dendro or Electro, giving the player a damage bonus. The buffs gained from these new elemental reactions are some of the best in the game.

With all players receiving the four-star Dendro archer 

 for free, in addition to having the option to use the Dendro Traveler by interacting with any of the Statues of the Seven in Sumeru, new players could greatly benefit from adding a Dendro character to their roster. Having a team whose elemental attacks interact well and learning how to use it is one of the easiest ways to raise your adventure rank, make exploration easier or clear the Spiral Abyss and earn some primogems.

Since the game's initial release, many new characters have been added to it, giving new players the ability to build diverse teams best fit for their play style.

The version 3.0 update has also given new possibilities in team building and has put the spotlight on some of the older characters in the game, like 

, whose ability to deal persistent Electro damage and apply Electro to targets in large AoE pairs perfectly with the addition of the new Dendro element.

Besides the aforementioned elemental reactions, there are some other factors new players should take into consideration while forming their teams.

In Genshin Impact, there are three main character roles: Main damage dealer or DPS, Support damage dealer or Sub-DPS, and Support. The ideal team composition would be one DPS character, two Sub-DPS characters, and one Support.

Soon after players start their Genshin Impact journey, they will unlock free characters like 

While some of these are not very useful, like Amber or Kaeya, 

 can serve as a great Healer in any team composition. Xiangling is a great Sub-DPS that can also fit well in most team compositions since her burst - Pyronado - deals damage even while she’s not on the field. The Traveler can also serve as a great beginner DPS, with the added benefit of changing their Element Type by interacting with their respectful Statues of the Seven in different nations.

Therefore, new players shouldn’t be discouraged if their pool of new characters to pick from isn’t big enough yet – some of the starting characters, if paired well, can go a long way.

Elemental Resonance is an effect corresponding to the Elemental Types of characters in your party. When certain combinations of elemental characters exist in your party, the party will receive a buff corresponding with the combination.

With the addition of the Dendro element, players can now be granted the 

 Elemental Resonance by having two Dendro characters in their party. This Elemental Resonance increases the player's Elemental Mastery by 50, gives 30 Elemental Mastery to all nearby party members after triggering Burning, Quicken, or Bloom reactions, and 20 Elemental Mastery to all nearby party members after triggering Aggravate, Spread, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon.

With new updates that often bring new events, characters, bosses, or areas to explore, Genshin Impact developers have proven that they know how to keep new players on their toes.

With all this in mind, players starting their Genshin Impact journey in 2023 shouldn’t be discouraged by the vast amount of content being added to the game. Organizing your team well and understanding the game's inner workings guarantees smooth sailing through this RPG’s immersive storyline.

Everything you need to know if you're starting Genshin in 2023

Launched in the summer of 2020, Valorant took the FPS genre by storm. Its unique twist of able characters transformed the 5v5 format purely based on aim. Through abilities, vibrant characters, and incredible maps, Riot spiced up the FPS genre. However, while the game goes beyond satisfying the needs of modern gamers, it's still struggling to nail the basics.

Crucial features Valorant is still missing in 2023

In 2023, players have plenty of complaints from Riot, some of which are too reasonable to go unnoticed. So here are the top five features that should have been part of Valorant since the beginning.

During Valorant's first year of release, Riot revealed an in-game replay system on the cards. Fast forward two years, and players are still bugging the developer for a much-needed feature. Valorant's esports scene is no longer nascent. Instead, it's a full-fledged behemoth that calls for replay.

“Yes! [Replay] is something that we're interested in exploring soon. Whether it's to study previous matches for tactical advantages or to create spicy memes, we know that players will find a wide range of interesting uses for a system like this,” 

It's general practice in FPS esports for players to watch their scrims to understand the enemy's gameplay and clean up their own strategy. But, currently, there's no way to download gameplay in Valorant to watch later, which is stressful for aspiring pros. It's also an issue at the production level at small-scale esports events. So, if you don't have another way to save replay in Valorant, your spicy gameplay is gone forever.

Once you have committed to Valorant ranked, you're entirely in. There's no way to back out. You can't leave your desk to take the door, get a sip of water, or even fix FPS or ping issues. The ranked mode of Valorant currently doesn't have a tactical timeout feature, likely due to an extended buy period which is considered enough time to devise a sound plan for the next round. But it's still a problem.

Timeouts aren't always used for tactical reasons. Sudden ping issues are expected in multiplayer games, and due to the lack of a two-time, players often have to deal with AKF penalties. Not just that, it also heavily impacts the overall team performance.

In 2023, Valorant has a total of nine maps, but seven of them are active in the pool. Despite such a large map pool, Valorant players still don't have control over their map picks. So whatever the RNG picks, they must play. Consequently, players often dodge the maps they don't wish to play, again leading to bans and penalties. A map pick and ban system would allow players to lock horns on the location they like through fair means.

Valorant's skin market is outdated. According to the 

, they sometimes have to wait for months to get the desired skin in their rotation. So Riot devised a four-slot store in Project: A when Valorant had less than a dozen bundles. In 2023, Valorant inventory is flush with over 60 skin lines, cramming in the four slots.

This is highly frustrating to skin collectors who wait months for their favorite skins only to buy something else due to artificial scarcity. In 2023, Valorant should have at least six slots to accommodate the bundles and increase the odds of Premium skins appearing in the daily store.

While the four-slot model sure makes Riot's skin business more lucrative, players aren't happy with the approach. The increased wait time has become more frustrating as Riot rolls out new bundles. The community is now requesting more slots and a consumer-friendly market.

Once you buy a Valorant skin, it's yours forever. Now, how many Vandal skins can you possibly buy? After all, you only juggle between a few. Players often sell their ranked accounts to make up for their money and stacked skins, leading to an MMR disbalance and smurfs in Valorant. All because Valorant players want a bang for the buck.

Allowing players to gift used items or trade them will kill the account trading culture from the root. Not just that, players will also benefit from their purchase in the long term. However, a system like this will make Riot's daily rotational store redundant. But it's still an attractive feature.

Riot is firing on all cylinders to make Valorant the go-to FPS game. Fortunately, the game developer actively listens to the community, so players should keep their fingers crossed and hope that one of the features mentioned above makes the cut in 2023.

Top 5 features that Valorant desperately needs in 2023

Omen is one of the most popular picks as he is one of the simplest agents to use, making him great for beginners. He is a useful agent for any team on most maps, and being one of the easiest controller agents to use makes him a great pick.

He deploys his smokes one at a time with extreme precision and also has an arrow to help guide your placement at different elevations. In addition to his smokes, he has a short-distance teleport - Shadow Walk - and a blind- Paranoia.

His kit allows for easy escape in sticky situations. His Paranoia leaves enemies near-sighted for a pretty good amount of time, allowing for a quick pick or two before making a quick escape. His ultimate teleport can help surprise enemies and can be canceled if you teleport amongst a group of enemies.

Instantly fire a shadow projectile forward, briefly reducing the vision range of all players it touches. This projectile can pass straight through walls.



This ability is mainly used to blind opponents to support your team or yourself for an entry frag. It goes through walls and has an audio disruption effect. This will cause an enemy's hearing to be blocked, which can leave them exposed to more damaging abilities.

This could be used in combination with Omen’s other ability, Shadow Step. Shadow Step has an audible queue when triggered, but Paranoia would cancel this queue for enemies. Just be mindful when using this ability, as it can also blind your teammates too.

Equip a shadow orb and see its range indicator. Fire to throw the shadow orb to the marked location, creating a long-lasting shadow sphere that blocks vision. Hold Alternative Fire while targeting to move the marker further away. Hold the ability key with targeting to move the marker closer.



This is Omen’s signature ability. It recharges every thirty-five seconds and comes with two charges at the start of every round. There are two ways to deploy Omen’s smokes. You can open the map and navigate using the mouse. However, this may cause Omen to move, which can make for an awkward situation if an enemy is nearby. You can also ‘quick launch’ by sending out a smoke while on the run to close distances in unfavorable positions.

This ability can be used to prevent opponents from peeking at vantage points like Heaven and can also be used to guard points. The more familiar you become with a map, the more you will be able to utilize these smokes to give your team the upper hand.

Equip a shadow walk ability and see its range indicator. Fire to begin a brief channel, then teleport to the marked location.

This ability also comes with an audio cue, but it will allow Omen to easily teleport to the top of crates and previously checked spots. A common play with this ability is taking a few shots and teleporting behind the enemy. Some players may expect this if they are close enough to hear the audio cue, so consider that when deciding on a location to teleport to. If you read your enemy well enough, you can throw them off guard for a quick and easy pick.

Always be on the lookout for interesting spots to teleport to. Teleporting on top of objects that only Omen or Jett can get to provides you with one of the best abilities in the game. Find spots that players don’t normally check and take advantage of the vertical angles only you can reach. Try not to hang out too long after going for a pick, so you can keep the enemy guessing. Camping the same high angle will get enemies used to searching for you, so don’t become predictable.

Equip a tactical map. Fire to begin teleporting to the selected location. While teleporting, Omen will appear as a Shade that can be destroyed by an enemy to cancel his teleport.



This ultimate is pretty straightforward. You can teleport anywhere on the map. This also comes with a sound cue which is represented by a circle on the map. Due to this auditory cue, it is best to teleport with a plan in mind.

This can be used to create a flank while your team pushes from the other side to pin the enemy. It can also be used to make quick rotations in the map or to fake a push to throw the enemy off.

Paranoia is used mainly to blind enemies, but it is also useful as it can disrupt audio from the enemies hit.

Dark Cover can be used to block the line of sight and cover pathways.

Shrouded Step is used to create unique angles and create flanks.

From the Shadows is mainly used to flank enemies from behind while your team forces the engagement.

Combining your abilities can make for some creative plays, so don’t be afraid to mix things up.

Omen has a robust kit that is easy to manage, making him the perfect agent for beginners. He can be a versatile agent that can perform multiple roles, and he can be a high-risk, high-reward depending on how you use him.

Omen is one of the best controllers in the game and can help make space and smoke sited for your team. You’ll always start with two smokes which sets you up to make plays for your team the second the round starts. With his teleport, he can get to off angles and unexpected spots, and with his ultimate, he can drop behind enemy lines to prepare for a retake.

His kit relies on a good mix of game sense and creativity to pull out his full potential.

Valorant beginner's guide: Omen

Since esports is a young industry, its job market is volatile and fragmented. Networking can give you a crucial advantage in your esports career. Through other professionals, you may learn about exciting job opportunities and hone your skills. Thankfully, there are dedicated places fostering collaboration between esports enthusiasts to support their careers. Here are the best Discord servers!

Hitmarker is the biggest job platform in esports and gaming. It hosts one of the biggest 

 communities focused on professional esports. Thousands of members can get to know each other, celebrate successes, and deepen esports knowledge. The server recently held an event about navigating the gaming jobs market.

This is a very active server with channels such as “looking for advice” and more casual options. Moreover, you can choose from various roles to adjust your server profile. These include your experience level, education, and specialization(s). However, you occasionally come across bad apples with a server of this size. So, be aware of bot accounts and shady direct messages.

Women in Esports is an initiative by the British Esports Association. They organize tournaments for marginalized genders in esports and host a 

. Despite its small size, this server has regular activities, such as game nights and community challenges. Moreover, the management ensures that every member feels safe and welcome. In the Women of Esports Discord server, you can game with other esports enthusiasts and chat about industry advice, pets, and more, all in an uplifting atmosphere.

Esports organization TSM has implemented a program for students seeking a career in esports. However, everyone is welcome on the 

. With hundreds of passionate members, this space is full of opportunities to boost your career. The server features various professional and casual channels, such as “jobs and opportunities” and “League of Legends”. Role selection and introduction channels help you get started. In addition, TSMU hosts frequent community events. Join game nights to meet other members, relax with watch parties, and get career advice fromTSM staff.

Just like TSM, Evil Genius has a collegiate program to support next-gen talent in esports. Hundreds of young esports professionals are part of 

, learning and growing together! The server offers channels for networking, resume reviews, and job opportunities. And in your free time, you can play games with your newfound friends. To ensure you only get what you want, you can choose between roles, such as “Panels and Workshops,” “Networking,” and “Game Nights.”

 fosters collaboration and growth opportunities for marginalized genders in Valorant esports. If you’re an aspiring Valorant professional, their Discord server is the place to be! Meet and chat with like-minded individuals, find new teammates, and stay up-to-date with GALorants’ events. The only downside of this server is the lengthy verification process required to access all channels. However, this ensures the safety of every member!

These were just a few of the dozens of helpful Discord communities. You can find dedicated servers for most games and regions to meet like-minded esports professionals. And you can always create your own space! But remember that you don’t have to be everywhere at all times. When it comes to networking, quality matters more than quantity. So take your time making genuine connections, and you’ll succeed! 

Here you can find more networking tips for your esports journey

Best Discord servers for esports networking

Sova is part of Valorant’s Initiator class. He helps the team by gathering intel to start fights with less risk. Sova is all about taking advantage of angles to use his abilities in creative ways. His recon arrows are great for gathering information, but only if you know where to put them. Sova’s drone can also mark opponents, but it is easily destroyed and can give away your position quickly. 

This guide will help you better understand Sova’s abilities so that you can utilize this character to his full potential.

Equip a bow with a shock bolt. Fire to send the explosive forward, detonating upon collision and damaging players nearby. Hold Fire to extend the range of the projectile. Alternate Fire to add up to two bounces to this arrow.

This is a versatile ability, meaning there is no wrong answer on when you should let these arrows fly. Just make sure you’re not out in the open. Shock bolts can be charged for added distance, and you can add bounces at your discretion. This ability is helpful in early rounds before anyone has bought a shield, as it could be a one-hit kill. If your opponent has a heavy shield, this ability can still soften them up for further attacks.

This is also a good answer to Cypher’s Trapwires, as it can destroy them without giving away your position if you use a ricochet shot.

Equip a bow with a recon bolt. Fire to send the recon bolt forward, activating upon collision and revealing the location of nearby enemies caught in the line of sight of the bolt. Hold Fire to extend the range of the projectile. Alternate Fire to add up to two bounces to this arrow.

There are many ways Sova’s Recon Bolt can be used effectively. If you are not confident in your angles, you can always aim for a high wall with less obstruction. Recon Bolt only works if opponents are within the vision of where it lands, so it is best to place it as high as you can.

The effects of a well-placed Recon Bolt can set your team up for a takeover. A well-placed bolt that is not easy to destroy can cause the other team to stall, giving your team the perfect opportunity to push. Even if the enemy does manage to destroy the bolt, this can still cause them to be caught off guard for a brief second.

This ability will take some playing around with to learn the best lineups for the most precise readings. Before long you’ll be able to fire this bolt off quickly in well-known and commonly traversed spots on the map to let your team push safely.

Equip an owl drone. Fire to deploy and take control of the movement of the drone. While in control of the drone, Fire to shoot a marking dart. This dart will reveal the location of any player struck by the dart.

Using this ability can be a gamble, as it comes with a loud audio queue that can alert your enemies to your position. However, this can force the enemy team to back off their push or risk giving away their position as well.

This ability is good for checking corners, and if you do manage to stick an enemy with a bolt, you will make their location known to the whole team.

This Owl Drone can also be used as bait. Having a teammate follow the drone can lead to a surprise attack when the enemies’ focus is on destroying the drone. The enemy can easily be caught off guard allowing your team to trade the drone for an enemy.

Equip a bow with three long-range wall-piercing energy blasts. Fire to release an energy blast in a line in front of Sova, dealing damage and revealing the location of enemies caught in the line. This ability can be re-used up to two more times while the ability timer is active.



This ability is great for defending planted spikes. It has a long-range and goes through walls. This is best used with your other scouting abilities, like the recon bolt or owl drone, so you know where to use Hunter’s Fury.

This ability can also be used at the start of a round if you can guess where the opposing team will be pushing from.

Practice your angles. Knowing the best locations for Recon Bolts will give you the upper hand in gathering intel for your team.

Keep the Owl Drone low and be ready to dart an enemy on site, or have a teammate tail the drone for an easy pick.

Shock bolts are best used for softening up the enemy, so stick to corners and follow up with a scouting ability to capitalize on the enemy's injury.

Hunter’s Fury is best used for spikes or on long pathways.

Sova is a great agent to have on your team as they can gather precise information. However, he requires some work to optimize his kit fully. If you’re thinking of becoming a Sova main, it would be best to spend some time practicing and memorizing the angles and placements for recon bolts in order to make the most of your playtime. Information is the most valuable asset in a round of Valorant, and Sova can provide the most accurate intel if used correctly. Learning how to use Sova can be pretty intimidating, but he is one of the best offensive scouts in the game, sodon’t get discouraged. You’ll master him in no time!

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