"Wherever they run, I will find them." -- Sova
Riot Games released another short trailer on Thursday profiling a new character from the studio's upcoming tactical first-person shooter Valorant. From the snowy mountains of Russia, Sova is someone you wouldn't want to ghost in a texting conversation -- with his tracking arrows, he will find you. The love child of Orlando Bloom as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings franchise and Henry Cavill as Geralt in The Witcher, this expert tracker is ready for the games to begin.
SOVA /// Russia
— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) March 19, 2020
"Wherever they run, I will find them."#VALORANT pic.twitter.com/PGVmZMXNLh
Here is what we know so far about Valorant's Russian operative with the flowing locks.
Owl Drone -- What is a world-renowned spy without his trusty ... mechanical owl? The first thing shown in Sova's trailer is the agent deploying his owl-like drone from his wrist to scout further ahead into the map. Not only can Sova's robotic pal scout for him, but the owl drone can also shoot darts at the opponents, revealing any enemies who are hit.
Recon Bolt -- The other ability of Sova's on display in the trailer is his Recon Bolt. With one enemy on the opposing side remaining, Sova fires his cybernetic arrow into an area where he believes the final adversary might be hiding. When his arrow lands, it deploys a sonar emitter, pinging any nearby enemies and revealing them. Luckily for Sova's opponents, Recon Bolts can be destroyed.
Shock Bolt -- Not featured in the trailer, Sova can fire an electrical bolt which damages upon impact.
Ultimate: Hunter's Fury -- What's better than one rocket-like energy blast? How about three? When activated, Sova's ultimate Hunter's Fury allows the agent to become the ultimate sniper, allowing him to fire up to three high-damage spears that can fly across the length of the entire map, heavily damaging and marking any enemy he hits. If Russia needs another member for its Olympic archery team, Sova seems like a good choice.
Where Phoenix was about showstopping plays and Viper controlling crowds with her poison, Sova is far more tactical in his approach to eliminating his foes. A mix between a carry and a scout, Sova is a nice blend of offense and intel, making him a valuable member of any Valorant team. When it comes to combat, it appears as if long range will be Sova's sweet spot, using his slew of tracking items to sniff out the opposition and then pepper them from afar with his futuristic arrows. And if that doesn't work, he can just activate his ultimate and become fully scorned, firing across the map with nukes at will.
Here is a list of people who I believe will enjoy playing Sova:
- Ashe mains in League of Legends
- Hanzo mains in Overwatch
- Hunters in World of Warcraft
- Jeremy Renner
- People who think they're good at darts on a Friday night after a drink or two
- Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts
- People who still check the social media of their ex-significant others
To master Sova, it's all going to be about knowing when and where to scout properly. If you can save your Recon Bolts for opportune times, it's going to make number advantages feel like checkmate for the opposing side. For the impatient Sova players, however, who think there's an enemy around every trash can or wall, get ready for a lot of complaining from your teammates.