Among Us has quickly become a surprise hit with its special mix of Asymmetric Multiplayer, teamwork, and manipulative communication. Originally launching back in 2018, Among Us has a massive and growing player base.
The concept of Among Us is simple. There are crew members who need to complete various tasks in order win, but hidden among the crew are Imposters (usually two), whose job is to sabotage and kill everyone. The odds are stacked against the Imposters, but there are some helpful hints, terrific tips, and menacing methods to take the victory as the murderous imposter.
Blend in as a Crewmate, and then Stealthfully Kill
Being the Imposter is a rare occurrence and when that moment finally comes, it's easy to get overly excited or even panic. The Imposter needs to seem like any other crew member. The Imposter needs to blend in and feel like a member of the crew, but vanish at a moment's notice when the timing is right. In this way, Among Us feels like a top notch stealth game.
Be vigilant with pretending to do tasks, think of it as a job simulating game. The game will have pre-assigned "fake" tasks that the player can pretend to do in order to throw off other crewmates. Unfortunately, they cannot actually perform these tasks; the list is only there for show.
The key to getting the kill is patience. There are moments when a kill is possible early on, but other times the situation might be too risky. Even though Imposters have the ability to kill when their cooldown is up, it doesn't mean they always should.
Another big mistake Imposters make is being too close to the body after the kill. If an Imposter is walking the opposite direction from a body, and another crew member notices this, they will get suspicious as to why that person didn't report the body. Being flexible and quick on one's toes is important. A common tactic is to report one's own kill in order to avoid those situations, and oftentimes it can build trust with the crew.
Vents are also a great way to escape from a body, as long as no one notices the Imposter entering or exiting the vent. Usually it is possible to get the kill, jump in a vent, move to a different room with the venting system, and then walk away from the death like a cool guy in a movie walking away from an explosion.
Be Consistent when Communicating, But Cunning
Perhaps the most important thing about being an Imposter is how to communicate with the crew members. Everyone will have their own style in a Discord or text chat. The key is to be natural and always react the same regardless of whether being a crew member or the Imposter. Remember, when someone dies, everyone wants to play detective and so too should the Impostor.
Let's say someone is killed in the Admin Room. If when Orange was a crew member they reacted by asking calm and deductive questions about the death in the Admin Room, then they need to act exactly the same when Orange is actually the Imposter who did the killing. If Purple is suspicious of White because White was a room away from the murder, and suddenly the entire room decides to vote out White, let it happen. But also if no one agrees that White should be voted out, don't lead the charge in trying to kick out the innocent person, because people will become suspicious as to why someone should be kicked out with no evidence.
When it is the very last kill of the match, sometimes a blatant lie will also work. Purple can claim that they saw Orange killing Green, but Orange (the true Imposter) could also say that they saw Purple do the killing. This makes the final decision a 50/50 vote for whoever is left. Additionally, if trust has already been built by speaking reason and understanding throughout the entire game, those odds can start to lean in the favor of the Imposter even more. The outwitting of the crew reason why Among Us has become a highly viewed video game on Twitch and streaming platforms.
Take Advantage of the Sabotage Tools
With the Sabotage action, the Imposter has the ability to control aspects of the map. For example, they can start a timer for the reactor to blow, they can turn off the lights, they can shut doors, and generally cause chaos within the map. Some of the Sabotage tools can flat-out win the match, like taking away the oxygen of the crew, in which they have a short amount of time to punch a code into a machine or die. Other things can simply be distractions to buy time, or lead crew members to the slaughter, like closing the door to the Electrical room and turning it into a killing floor.
Turning off the lights is arguably the most useful Sabotage with more seasoned players. The lights being off isn't an immediate danger to the crew, so sometimes people will ignore it just to finish a job (which means the Imposter has a perfect opportunity to strike). When the lights are off, the crewmates have a very small field of view, but the Imposter can still see normally. So it is possible to kill someone in the pitch dark only a few feet away from another member.
Setting off the reactor is a great way to buy time and force players to quit the task at hand temporality. Additionally, it can lead to stragglers being left alone. That being said, it is important to look like a crew member, eager to fix the issue, and not simply run the totally opposite direction and look suspicious.
Being a crew member, in some ways, becomes monotonous. The best crew members will get their tasks done quickly, pay attention to suspicious members of the crew, and use their communication in-between rounds to put the pieces together. For an Imposter, so much more creativity and flexibility are required. Some games may be won after stringing together two or three kills in a round while other matches require sowing paranoia among the crew. The asymmetrical nature of the game is a blast, and regardless of how it is done, catching a devious victory as the menacing Imposter is very satisfying.
Among Us is available for Mobile and PC.