With audio as a critical part of Valorant, you can twist it to your advantage by using Sound Masking. You can trick your opponent with audio cues to think one way while you do the opposite. This guide will teach you the many ways to use sound to your advantage. It may also help you gain an edge in a match.
Audio is an essential component in tactical shooters because it indicates where players are. Whether it is footsteps, gunshots, or the deployment of utilities, you can use the audio cue to pinpoint the exact position if listened to closely enough.
This may give your opponent an advantage against you if you had made a sound. But, what if you use their hearing against them to lead them to believe something false?
This guide will cover the mechanics of Valorant’s audio and various ways to outplay and trick your opponent. You can do it through the fabrication, masking, and deception of audio cues. By confusing the opponent of your position, you gain control of the situation, ultimately gaining the edge.
Learning How to do Sound Masking in VALORANT can not only enhance your gameplay and decisions. If you familiarize yourself with them then it will strengthen your game sense. You may see through the tricks of the enemies as well.
Footsteps
Visually, you can see how far your sounds, such as footsteps, reach through the mini-map. The white circle around your icon is your sound radius. It disappears when you are sneaking either by crouching or walking (holding down the shift button).
Now that you know the basics, how can you use this to your advantage you might ask. To use this to your advantage, you can trick your opponent by making footsteps in one direction but going in the other. It is a very simple trick, but it proves to be effective most times.
Sound Masking
If it is inevitable that you will make a sound, such as falling from a height, there is a way to still gain an edge in this situation. When dropping from a height, the land is rather loud, but it can be masked by shooting a bullet.
Loud guns like the Vandal or sounds from utilities can cover up fall audio cues. It also includes footsteps when your team is running. Although it indicates what direction you are in, it deprives your opponent of information. Such as whether you are still on the ledge or the ground and how many teammates are with you.
In situations of high pressure on the Defender’s side, like a duel with Spike planted, you may get away with masking the sound of the defuse.
You can mask the sound of the defuse with utilities like a flash. If you can time it perfectly with the instance that you decide to defuse, then the sound of the flash can mask the defuse sound.
Although the defuse audio cue is commonly distinguishable, your opponent is human too, and mistakes are highest when under severe pressure.
Since you got to this part of the article, you will surely like the article about the Stinger Nerf in VALORANT.
