The Valorant closed beta currently has ten different characters to choose from, each of them fitting into one of four different roles: Initiator, Controller, Sentinel, and Duelist. Each character accomplishes the tasks expected of their role differently, making each character feel (and play) very unique.
Sova is an Initiator, and he specializes in gathering intel on the enemy team and their locations, then capitalizing on that intel with a couple of different abilities. Let's take a look at Sova, and how to get the most out of playing as him:
10 Shock Bolt
One of Sova's abilities is the Shock Bolt. This is an arrow that, when it lands, detonates an electric charge that deals damage to enemies depending on their proximity to the explosion. This arrow can be set to ricochet one or two times (or not at all) off of surfaces, too, creating some pretty special opportunities for crazy shots with it.
9 Recon Bolt
The Recon Bolt functions exactly like the Shock Bolt, in that it's fired from a bow, and can be set to ricochet zero, one, or two times off of surfaces. But instead of creating a damaging explosion, this bolt highlights enemies in a certain proximity to it. This does require the arrow to have a line of sight on the enemy, so you'll have to be very careful about where these end up.
8 Owl Drone
The Owl Drone is a controllable drone that can fly around gathering intel on the enemy team without risking Sova's life. This drone can fire a bolt that, when it hits an enemy, keeps them marked for a short duration.
Keep in mind that while Sova is on the drone he's a sitting duck, so either have a teammate watch your back while you use it, or be absolutely certain that you're not going to be snuck up on.
7 Hunter's Fury
Sova's Ultimate ability, Hunter's Fury, is also fired from his bow, but it functions pretty drastically different from the other two bow abilities; Hunter's Fury fires a damaging field in a cone in the direction that Sova is aiming, dealing some pretty decent damage to anything it hits. This can be fired through walls, and when it comes into contact with an enemy, you'll know, because it highlights the enemy for a second, allowing you to more easily set up the follow-up shot. This can be fired three times before deactivating.
6 Prevent Default Spike Plants
One of the best uses of Hunter's Fury is in stopping the easy, default spike plants that an Attacking team tries to pull off. It doesn't matter where Sova is on the map, if he has the intel that the enemy is trying to plant the spike and he has an idea of where that's going to be, he can fire off a few shots in that direction, more often than not either eliminating the spike planter or at least forcing them to move until you've fired your last shot.
5 Be Very Specific With Retcon Bolts
Because Recon Bolts need to have a line of sight on the enemy in order to highlight them, you'll need to be very specific about where they end up. If there's anything at all in between the arrow and the enemy, they're not going to show up.
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This can lead to you (or a teammate) moving around a corner that seems safe but is absolutely not. All of that can be avoided with good placement of the Recon Bolt.
4 Shock Bolt Around Corners
Since these bolts can ricochet around corners, the Shock Bolt can be a very easy way to deal some heavy damage to an enemy that is waiting right around a corner for someone foolish enough to walk through. They'll either be forced to give up the position or take the heavy damage, and either way, that's going to be of benefit to you and your team.
3 Have A Good Idea Of Map Angles For Arrows
With the bolt's ability to ricochet around the map, it's a good idea to have a sort of map in your head of how each arrow is going to bounce, a lot like you would in a game of pool, or putt-putt. This is especially true if you're intending to bounce the arrow a couple of times; one bounce is pretty straightforward, but a second bounce could really change up where that thing is going to land, especially if the second bounce is on a wall that isn't parallel to the first one.
2 Can Fit Into Most Playstyles
Sova is a character that can fit into a lot of different playstyles. He can absolutely be used by an aggressive player, someone who used him to gather intel and then act on that intel immediately. He can also be used by someone who wants to play a bit more of a support role, highlighting enemies for teammates to do the dirty work. Either way, a good Sova can be a massive boon for any team.
1 Don't Lone Wolf
The one thing a Sova shouldn't be doing is playing as a lone wolf. The Recon Bolt intel is too valuable to be used to benefit one player on their own; Sova should generally be with the main push or defense of your team unless you're purposely trying to throw the enemy team off with some misdirection.