Former Overwatch Pro Discovers Audio Exploit in VALORANT
During a recent broadcast, former Overwatch pro dafran experimented with the audio of footsteps in a custom VALORANT game with viewers. He found that shooting a Vandal weapon completely covers up the sound of a team running.
While not the stealthiest strategy, it could prove to be effective.
By turning up his master volume, dafran directed the enemy team to charge Split’s B site. Without gunshots to mask the sound, only a “stampede” of footsteps could be heard, according to dafran. However, when the enemy team attempted the strategy while shooting a Vandal, the results were different.
“Impossible,” dafran exclaimed. “This is too powerful. You can hear them when they arrive, and it’s already too late.”
The continuous shooting of the Vandal masked the footsteps of the four rushing enemies until it was too late. Teams that coordinate this strategy well have the potential to overpower objectives before their opponents can react. However, the loud shooting also serves as a clear indicator.
VALORANT players can apply this concept when flanking their opponents as well. During a firefight between two teams, flankers can time their runs with gunshots to ambush their enemies more effectively.
It’s possible that Riot Games may balance the audio before VALORANT’s official release this summer. However, it’s also feasible that this is an intentional feature for the tactical first-person shooter.
Overwatch, VALORANT, esports, audio exploit, footsteps, shooting, Vandal, strategy, ambush