26th April 2022

Guide: Playing Agent Fade (Abilities, tips, tutorial...)

Fade is the 20th Agent of Valorant. She is an Initiator, specialised in information gathering. She hasa kit adapted to the tracking of enemies, which requires whoever plays her to be creative and efficient for a good use. This new Agent will find her place as a lone wolf, but Fade will reveal her full potential in team actions.

Before anything else, we advise you to familiarise yourself with Fade's abilties.

Fade's Abilities

Fade's abilities are particularly loud and slow to activate. It is therefore necessary to use them intelligently. Moreover, these are not spells dedicated to the elimination of your opponents, but to collect information on their positions or to hinder their movements. They will therefore need to be played with teammates to complete kills.

Haunt

The gameplay of Fade is based on the use of tracking trails. Haunter is the first spell capable of generate these tracks. When an enemy is perceived by the spell, they are made visible through the walls for a few seconds, as well as leaving a trail that lasts 12s. The detection range of the spell is quite large, but the casting range is quite small. Since it is only available every 40s, you have to be sure to use it at the right time. Also, if you haven't dropped the orb on your own, it will eventually drop automatically.

When it touches the ground, Haunt is triggered and the dark spirit rises a little in the air. It can therefore be interesting to position it high up, in order to sweep an even wider area than when it is thrown on the ground. In general, it is a spell to be cast where enemies do not expect it, since it is destructible in just one shot.

Example of the use of the Fade's Haunting skill.

If you decide to enter a site, try to throw the orb behind your enemies. Not only do you have a good chance of detecting them, but you will also force them to turn around and destroy it, thus dropping their lines. Take advantage of these few seconds of chaos to storm them with your whole team. This may be a good time to send a lurker to generate more panic in the opposing lines.

Conversely, if you are defending and the opposing team is trying to gain quick access to a site, you may consider combine it with a smoke bomb of Jett for example. Hidden in the smoke, the orb will catch any enemies trying to force their way through. In addition to countering their rush, you will put them in a difficult position, as they will be revealed and therefore vulnerable. This method has potential, but it is still best to use Hatter in an area free of obstacles.

Finally, whether you are on Attack or Defence, this spell can be very powerful if it is combined with Astra's ultimate wall. Once you have placed the Spike, it will give you the opportunity to see approaching enemies, who may be trying to defuse it. Throw it as late as possible and close to the Spike to maximise the chances of detecting them, or to force them to stop defusing for a while. In the other direction, you might consider throwing the orb to detect the person who might be planting in order to stop them. If the Spike has already been laid, you will probably get information about the position of one or more enemies.

On the other hand, Haunt is a very good counter to Viper's ultimate. If players are seen by the dark spirit, they will be visible through the green smoke, which can give you a significant advantage in a retake situation.

Prowler

Prowler is an interesting ability that allows you to summon a rather slow cat-like creature. This spell can be used in two ways : you can either guide it with the mouse or launch it automatically. In the latter case, the creature will move directly towards an enemy when it detects one. The automatic mode seems more relevant, unless you are certain of an opponent's location.

In addition, Prowler can and must be combined with Haunt or Nightfall, as both of these abilities can generate tracking lines. However, the Prowler automatically follows a tracking line when it detects one, and its speed is increased. In this situation, don't hesitate to follow the creature to take advantage of your opponent's confusion and eliminate it without too much trouble.

Example of the use of Fade's Ranger skill.

Unlike the birds of Skye, Prowler cannot be sent into the air ; it will stay on the ground like the wolf. However, if it detects an enemy perched on a crate, for example, the Ranger will pursue it. This ability is therefore useful for gathering information: if the Prowler finds an enemy, you will know that someone is on site and in this or that area.

Beyond that, if it is not destroyed, it can allow you to quickly take control of a site. When an Agent is hit by the spell, they suffer a fairly powerful deafening, as well as having their vision reduced in a similar way to Omen's paranoia. If you sense that the enemy has been caught by the creature, quickly inform your team. Take the opportunity to return to the site if you know that there is probably only one person present. The enemy will not be able to see you coming, or hear how many people are attacking the site or what spells have been triggered.

You can also use the Prowler to breaking down opposing defenses. If a site entrance has been blocked by a Sage's wall, be aware that the Prowler inflicts damage on it. It may be worth waiting until the last moments of the wall's life, so that it can destroy it quickly without you having to shoot. By preparing smoke and other traps in advance, your team can push the site as soon as the wall has fallen. If an opponent was close to the barrier, they will potentially be stunned by the Prowler or attempt to destroy it. You will then have their position, or alternatively the information that there is someone nearby.

Finally, this capacity can be useful at the end of the round when you are in one-on-one, this is true whether you are attacking or defending. However, this will require you to always have the tracking trail active to be particularly effective. In both cases, it will be easier to dislodge the last survivor and make the kill to win the point or even the match.

Seize

Haunt and Prowler do not prevent your opponents from moving, although they do hinder them enormously. Capture is different. This ability blocks all enemies hit in a circular area. In addition to restricting their movement, it applies a disintegration effect on impact. The damage is not permanent and automatically recovers fairly quickly.

If the trapped agents try to escape, they will be drawn back into the circle of restriction. A Jett can't dash out to get away. This spell can then be interesting to counter a Jett/Operator, if you manage to get close enough to throw the orb. Beware, however, that not all agents are on the same level, as Chamber and Omen can teleport out of the circle.

If this use is interesting, the potential of Capture appears when combined with other spells. For example, if your team has a Sage, she can use her Slow Orb to further restrict the movement of prisoners. A Raze or Brimstone can easily inflict heavy damage if they manage to throw a Grenade or Molly straight on the capture area. Brimstone can also take advantage of his ultimate to make sure he hits the entire trap area and cause multiple eliminations at the same time.

Example of the use of the Fade Capture skill.

In defense, this spell is very useful to counter a rush. Let's say that the attackers rush into C from the long way around Haven. You can launch Capture at the entrance to the site to block as many enemies as possible and catch them off guard. This will make them more than a little uncomfortable, as there is no real escape route nearby. Even better, your team can easily eliminate a few agents thanks to the disruption effect. To maximise the surprise effect, you could also hide the spell in a Brimstone or Astra smoke for example.

Enemies trapped in Capture do not have access to the mini-map visual anymore for a few seconds. As an attacker, you could use this advantage to take a site, provided you are sure that the defenders present are caught in the net of your ability. To be sure that a player is held, you can check the centre of the area: even if the enemy is not moving, there is a line connecting him to the centre of the orb.

NightfallFade's Ultimate

The latter requires 8 points to be used. Nightfall has several functions: it detects enemies, tracks them via trails, deafens them and reduces their health points through a disintegration effect. The area of effect is extremely wide, it is even more powerful than Breach's ultimate (see the red rectangle on the picture), and the spell can be cast through walls. Nevertheless, it is possible to dodge it easily since the animation is composed of several rather slow waves. Moreover, these waves will allow you to estimate the position of an opponent hit by the ultimate. A very particular sound is emitted as soon as a person is hit. Depending on the timing of the sound, you will know if the enemy is close or far away.

Knowing that no one wants to be tracked, yet..., Falling Night is effective for entering a site, especially if there is no escape zone. For example, enemies who might be in the left corner of site C on Haven (picture below), are almost certainly in the spell's area of effect. To make good use of this ultimate, it is essential to combine it with one or two Prowlers. If enemies are hit by Nightfall, they will be easily trackable.

Example of the use of Fade's Nightfall skill.

The spell will be even more interesting if it is accompanied by another ability. Indeed, it doesn't prevent your enemies from shooting or using their skills; in combination with the ultimate of Breach or KAYO, you will hurt your opponents and will be able to get easy kills quickly.

Enemies are weakened to the max when hit by the ultimate, unlike Viper's which causes them to lose health as time passes. Your team must therefore be extremely reactive to push and inflict damage during this period.

What role for Fade in a team?

While she can be played solo from time to time, or when forced to, Fade will develop her full potential in team play. Since her spells are primarily geared towards gathering information rather than dealing damage, this Agent will need to pair up with a teammate.

Few tips and tricks

Haunt will generate a tracking trail on all enemies it detects.
The Ranger can inflict damage to the Sage wall.