Updated on November 25, 4:40 p.m. (GMT+8): Updated for relevancy based on the most recent Valorant patch notes.
Valorant’s terrifying initiator Fade has become one of the most popular agents in the meta. If you’ve been trying to figure out how to get the most out of the Turkish agent’s powerful information-gathering abilities, you’ve come to the right place.
Fade is a potent initiator that is shaping up to be a far more aggressive alternative to Sova. Her kit allows her to hunt and trap her enemies, applying constant pressure on the enemy to allow her team to take space.
In this Fade guide, we’ll show you how she can help her team get an edge over their opponents.
How to play Fade
Fade is a hybrid between fellow initiator agents Sova and Skye. The Turkish agent can reveal the location of the enemy, similar to Sova, while also blinding and deafening her opponents.
As an attacker, she can help her team take control of sites by identifying the defenders’ locations so her allies can set up for the necessary duels.
She can strike from the shadows on defense, shooting through smokes as the enemy team enters a site. She can also use her abilities to clear positions during retakes.
Haunt is an actual wallhack
Fade’s Haunt is the centerpiece of her tool kit and her signature ability. The all-seeing orb stays active for two seconds after it lands and it will reveal the location of enemies caught in its line of sight. While opponents can destroy it, they will have to give away their position when shooting it.
It has a 40-second cooldown, similar to Sova’s Recon Bolt, but the key difference is that Haunt leaves a powerful “Marked” debuff on opponents caught in its gaze. Fade and her team can hunt down their opponents by following the black trails they leave behind, which last for a full 12 seconds.
If you know the right lineups, Haunt can stick to roofs as well, revealing enemies in a wide radius. Because it pings enemies far quicker than Sova’s dart, enemies are more likely to be spotted before they can destroy it.
Another good way to utilize this ability is to throw it from smoked-off portions of the map. For example, if you’re defending Heaven on Ascent’s A site, wait for the enemy team to smoke your location. When they do, throw Haunt toward the site and shoot the revealed targets through the smoke.
Stop rushes and retakes with her Seize ability
Seize ensnares opponents in a wide area of effect. Once opponents are trapped, the orb cannot be destroyed and enemies will be stuck within its radius for four and a half seconds.
It is best used to slow incoming rushes as a defender. Tethered opponents will also take a substantial 75 decay damage, giving Fade and her teammates the advantage in a gunfight.
Seize can also be used to obstruct or delay defenders’ retake attempts. If the opposing team is looking to coordinate their retake, throwing this orb of nightmare ink can help disrupt their plan.
On top of that, Seize can be used to devastating effect when combined with other abilities, such as Raze’s Paint Shells grenades, KAY/O’s FRAG/MENT, or even Viper’s Snake Bite. Opponents will take the full brunt of these abilities, making for a truly deadly combination.
Clear your corners with Prowler
Prowler works similarly to Raze’s Boom Bot in the way it locks onto targets in its frontal vision cone. It can also be steered like Skye’s Guiding Light flash.
This ability is perfect for clearing corners and checking for possible lurkers without putting yourself at risk. Pair the ability with Haunt to set it onto the trails of marked enemies and inflict nearsight if it reaches them.
According to Sentinels’ Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, this ability is akin to having Skye’s Seekers ultimate every round. You’ll want to coordinate with a teammate while casting Prowler, so they can quickly pounce on opponents who are temporarily blinded.
Hunt down your opponents with her Nightfall ultimate
Fade’s ultimate has a similar area-of-effect to Breach’s Rolling Thunder, showing up as a large rectangle on the mini map. Enemies hit by Nightmare will be decayed, deafened, and marked, making them easy targets that are ripe for the picking.
The deafen debuff is one of the biggest advantages of Nightfall. It blocks out all footsteps, so your opponents will not be able to hear you as you approach them. This also gives teammates the freedom to play more aggressively and challenge opponents head-on.
It can also allow agents with movement abilities to reposition without being heard. For example, Omen can use his Shrouded Step to get behind enemy lines, since they won’t be able to hear the ability being used.
Fade is all about playing for information
If you’re looking to maximize Fade’s abilities, you need to be methodical in how you play. Always make sure to clear corners and use Haunt to pinpoint where your opponents are.
Don’t dry peek a dangerous angle when you still have utility to clear it. Instead, use your kit to gather information and work with your teammates to time the right execution.
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