Good omens.
Omen is Valorant’s resident lurker who can sneak up on enemies with his shadow abilities. On this page we’ll explain how to get to grips with him.
Omen’s one of the craftiest agents of the Valorant bunch. He works well as a lurker, operating on his lonesome to sneak up on enemies with his tricksy smoke grenades and teleporting across the map for a paranoia-inducing flank.
We reckon he’s one the hardest agents to play effectively, so below we’ll provide a bunch of tips to help you use his abilities well. Stay tuned for updates!
How to play Omen
Shrouded Step [C] (100 Credits)
If you’ve ever played Overwatch, this is practically identical to Reapers Shadow Step. It’s a short range teleport which involves a short delay, but what sets it apart is its lack of noise. There’s no audio cue, meaning you can use this to reposition without the enemy knowing.
First off, we’d heavily advise against using this to push into a room with an enemy inside. They’ll almost certainly spot your visual cue and dink you in the head before you even have a chance to react.
We’ve found this works nicely as a way to bridge dangerous gaps in between hotly contested chokepoints, or to position yourself well on a bomb site.
If you feel like getting aggressive, or falling back, we’d recommend blanketing your chosen area with Dark Cover (Omen’s smoke grenades) which should give you just enough protection to reposition.
Paranoia [Q] (200 Credits)
Activate this ability and Omen fires a shadowy projectile which travels through walls and reduces the vision of all agents it passes through. You’ll know if you’ve connected with a target as there’s a vision obscured effect in front of their eyes.
We’re big fans of this ability as it’s simple to use, quick to fire, and can totally dismantle an enemy’s defenses. If you hear footsteps, you can fire it through the wall and your opponents likely won’t have time to react at all, which makes it fantastic for throwing off enemies whether you’re pushing or they’re pushing.
Dark Cover [E] (30s Cooldown)
One of Omen’s finest abilities, this is a smoke grenade which can be fired through walls. Upon selecting the ability, you’ll hold down [RMB] to choose how far you want to shoot it, and a little reticule will let you know exactly where it’s going to land on the map. Pressing [LMB] will then release the shadowy orb, which’ll then travel semi-quickly over to your chosen spot.
This is a fantastic ability for masking chokepoints to prevent pushes, or to block angles so you can push safely onto a bomb site. Plus, as it travels through walls you’ve got plenty of options to smoke off practically anything from anywhere on the map if you can judge its trajectory correctly.
You can also use it to mask your presence when combined with Shrouded Step to reposition without too much risk.
One gripe we have with this ability is that it’s slightly finicky to use under pressure. Judging the distance and getting your marker just right isn’t easy, especially if you’re new to the character. What’s more, the travel time of the smoke isn’t particularly fast, so there’s always a chance the enemy could push you before it’s even popped.
More essential Valorant guides:
- 1. Ranked Mode – Valorant: Competitive ranks explained
- 2. Best Agents – Valorant: Best Agents
- 3. Best Guns – Valorant: Best Guns
- 4. Best mouse settings – Best mouse DPI and sensitivity settings
- 5. Improve your aim – Valorant: How to improve your aim
- 6. Tips and Tricks – Valorant: Tips and Tricks
From the Shadows [X] (6 Orbs)
Omen’s signature ability and one which can totally swing a game in your favour, or go completely wrong. You open up a minimap, select where you want to teleport, and off you go. While you’re teleporting, the enemy’s map will go ‘funky’, there’s a loud audio cue, and you’ll appear as a phantom in your chosen spot for a few seconds. If your shot during this time you’ll return to your original location and your teleport will be cancelled.
However, if you survive the initial phantom stage, you’ll teleport to your chosen location. Be warned that nearby enemies will hear an additional audio cue if they’re very close. It’s similar to the sound of exhalation, like a deep release of breath.
Timing and placement is key to making the most of this ability. We’ve found it works well if you know the enemy is on the cusp of committing to a bomb site, which means you can teleport behind them and throw them off their rhythm. You don’t necessarily need to push, but simply getting in their heads is enough to force a mistake.
Pick your spot wisely as well. Avoid open or hotly contested areas if possible, and focus on creating that element of paranoia. Even if you’ve got far to travel, just the fact you’re stalking the corridors is enough. Taking things slow once you’ve teleported will also increase your chances of getting that all important pick. Seeing nothing is also good too! It’s all information you can relay to your team, “they’re not here”, is just as valuable as “they’re at X”.
