VALORANT is a unique take on a tactical shooter. Thanks in no small part to the presence of Agent Abilities. These abilities are distinct from one agent to the other, making some agents viable in certain situations, while others are eschewed in favor of other characters that could better suit the map currently being played.
Regardless of the map, or even level of competition, some agents have become a staple in any team composition in VALORANT.
Sova is one of those heroes.
The Russian Initiator: Sova
Today we take a look at a very powerful and versatile Initiator: Sova.
Sova’s brief description in-game reads:
Born from the eternal winter of Russia’s tundra, Sova tracks, finds, and eliminates enemies with ruthless efficiency and precision. His custom bow and incredible scouting abilities ensure that even if you run, you cannot hide.
RIOT GAMES
In VALORANT, Sova is one of the top-picked Agents of all time. There is good reason for this: Sova can mark and reveal enemies with his Owl Drone, fire accurate, electrically-charged arrows with his Shock Bolt, reveal an entire site with his Recon Bolt, and snipe off fleeing enemies across the map with his Ultimate Ability – Hunter’s Fury.
With enough practice and experience, Sova can become a scary Agent to play against. His ability to reveal enemy locations and tag them with his abilities can help his team confidently and aggressively take enemy sites with ease. Sova makes sure that even if your enemies try to run, they definitely cannot hide.
Signature Ability: Recon Bolt
Recon Bolt is arguably the most important tool in Sova’s Russian Bag of tricks. With this ability, Sova can reveal a sizeable amount of space that often drives back defenders and gives his team the information they need to enter any site confidently.
With that said, today we will be looking at some of the most valuable Recon Bolt lineups when attacking on Ascent. These are lineups that can reveal some of the most crucial corners, cubbies, and spaces on Ascent’s attacker side. Once you learn these lineups, they will become a staple in your Sova gameplay and make winning easier for your team. Plus you’ll look really cool doing them.
1. Ascent A Site – Staple Recon Bolt
Ascent A-back site is one of the most important areas to clear when seeking to take control of Ascent A-Site. Enemies often hide around Generator, Dice, Heaven, Hell, Tree, and the stacked blocks to the right of A-Main Entrance.
This Sova Recon Bolt reveals almost the whole A Site. This includes “Generator“, “Dice“, “Switch“, and the close right from A Site Entrance. You might argue that enemies could be lurking around Heaven, Hell, etc. but these areas can be easily blocked off with your teammates’ smokes.
How to line up Ascent A Site – Staple Recon Bolt
Lining up the Ascent A-Site Recon Bolt is simple:
- Stand on this corner in A-Main.
2. Look for this flower box.
Note: It is impossible to do the lineup with “Detail Quality” set to “High” as high settings add plants to the flower box. The area where you should be placing your crosshair will become blocked and make it hard to execute the lineup consistently. Medium or Low settings will remove the plants.
3. Place your crosshair in the middle of this yellow line.
4. Maximum charge with 1 bounce.
5. The Recon Bolt should land around this area right here:
6. If done properly, the Recon Bolt should reveal most of the A-Site.
This is a better Recon Bolt than other Recon Bolt lineups for Ascent A-Site because this gives you time to reposition to A-Main Entrance right after. You get more value from this Recon Bolt because the enemy team has to react to it, while you and your teammates can swing towards A-Main and hopefully get an easy kill while they are revealed and distracted.
2. Ascent B Site – Site/Defender Spawn/Stairs Recon Bolt
The next line-up on the list is Ascent B – Site/Defender Spawn/Stairs. This Recon Bolt line-up is valuable for gaining information about enemy locations around B-site, some areas at Defender Spawn, and Stairs.
How to line up Ascent B Site – Site/Defender Spawn/Steps Recon Bolt
This line-up is easy to do as long as you communicate with your teammates and clear B-Main together. B-Main has to be cleared since enemies could be lurking around the B-Main cubby or B-Main Entrance.
After those areas are cleared, lining up Sova’s arrow for B-Main Staple is fairly easy:
- Look for this box inside B-Main.
2. Stand on this corner.
3. Look for this electric cable.
4. Line up your crosshair just below the first white line on the electric cable.
5. Maximum charge with one bounce.
6. The Recon Bolt should land on the control box like this:
7. If done correctly, the Recon Bolt should reveal most of B Site, some of Defender Spawn, and Stairs.
3. Ascent B Site – Logs/Lane Recon Bolt
This Recon Bolt is great for clearing Logs, Lane, and most of the initial B-Site. These are crucial spaces to clear since some players tend to get very cheeky and play these spots using shotguns or machine guns which could spell disaster for you and your team when entering or rushing B-Site.
How to line up Ascent B Site – Logs/Lane Recon Bolt
This line-up is simple and quite similar to the previous line-up. It is also easy to remember how to do this line-up since you will be standing around the same area as the previous line-up. Don’t forget to clear B-Main before you go to these spots to line up your Recon Bolt.
- Look for this box in B-Main.
2. Stand on this corner.
3. Look for the letter “P”
4. Place your crosshair just above the letter “P”.
5. Do a max charge with one bounce.
6. The Recon Bolt should land around this area.
7. The Recon Bolt should reveal Logs/Lane/B-Site.
4. Ascent Middle – Lower Middle/Short Recon Bolt
Ascent Middle is the most important area of the map for both Defenders and Attackers to take control of. For Attackers, mid-control opens up opportunities for either an A or B-site take depending on which side of the map the Defenders gravitate towards. Attackers can take the site which is less heavily guarded when they have control of “Middle”.
How to Line-up Ascent Middle – Lower Middle/Market/A Short
This lineup will be the easiest to execute on this list since it only requires you to point and shoot your Recon Bolt directly at a designated target.
This lineup will reveal most of Lower Middle, some of Market, and some of A Short. This simple Recon Bolt will help you gain easier mid-control.
- Go to this area in Mid.
2. Look for this brownish-colored wall.
3. Do a max charge with no bounce.
4. The Recon Bolt will land here:
5. The Recon Bolt should reveal most of Lower Middle, some of Market, and most of A Short.
5. Ascent Middle – Lower Middle/Market/Defender Spawn
This last Recon Bolt might seem quite similar to the previous Recon Bolt line-up because they are. What makes this Recon Bolt special, though, is its ability to reveal practically all of the middle area. That includes close corners in Lower Mid, Market, and even a little bit of Defender Spawn. This Recon Bolt is great for taking mid-control if you plan on going B-site since you can weed out Defenders from Market and Lower Middle. The connector between Defender Spawn and Middle is also a choke point. This will make it easier to catch rotating players from A-Site.
How to Line-up Ascent Middle – Lower Middle/Market/Defender Spawn
This is a simple but effective line-up that can help immensely with taking Middle Control. This Recon Bolt will reveal almost all of Lower Middle, Market, and some of Defender Spawn. Here’s how to do it:
- Look for this barrier at A-Main before the round start.
2. Go to the leftmost corner.
3. Place your crosshair just underneath this lamp here.
4. Do a max charge with one bounce.
5. When done right, the Recon Bolt should land here.
6. It will reveal Lower Middle, Market, and some of Defender Spawn.
Sova in Valorant = Awesome
Sova is a fun agent to play in VALORANT. He not only looks cool (let’s admit it, he is the coolest looking Agent), but in the right hands, he can be downright terrifying to play against. A good Sova can reveal and weed out defenders from practically any spot on any map given his ability set. A skilled Sova will know where to place his Recon Bolts to gather information and coordinate strategies with his team to make site entries easier and safer.
These five Sova Recon Bolt line-ups are some of the most basic out there, but don’t let that fool you. These are also some of the most valuable line-ups you will come across in Ascent. These line-ups will reveal most of, if not all, the crucial cubbies, spaces, and angles in A-Site, B-Site, and Middle where enemies could be holding. You will be able to take space safer and quicker when you master these Recon Bolt Line-ups.
Ascent is a map that (although covered with towering buildings and fixtures) is a relatively open map in terms of spike sites and site entry points. It is not as bad as a map like Split, for example, where the Spike Sites are so small, and the angles are so tight that it is hard to get any value from your Recon Bolt.
The line-ups featured here are sure to give your team valuable information when Attacking on Ascent. Coordinate with your team, plan your attack, and reveal these areas for your team to ensure your victory!
Your babushka told you not to brag, but after you master these line-ups, you will surely be making an exception!
