Yoru is the second most recent Agent to be added to Valorant, joining Jett, Reyna, Phoenix and Raze in the ‘Duelist’ category. He’s easily the most stealthy of all the characters currently available in Valorant lending him a unique playstyle. This Yoru guide will help you understand the basics of his abilities and how to get the most out of them in Valorant.
Yoru Abilities – Fakeout
The first of Yoru’s basic abilities is called Fakeout. This ability sends a set of fake footsteps forward from the desired point. A visible set of footsteps will appear on the floor and, to enemies, it will sound like a player is walking in that direction.
Yoru can activate this ability remotely. This means that Yoru can place down the Fakeout at the start of a round, walk to the other side of the map, and trigger it remotely. Tactics like these are especially effective on the attacking side to convince the defenders that your team is attacking a different site.
Fakeout has more uses than just ‘faking out’, though. Another useful tactic is to bait out shots from enemies holding choke points. Players using weapons with long reload times will be especially vulnerable to this tactic.
That said, don’t feel forced to follow through with the Fakeout. Often, using the ability to zone your enemies into a specific location and confuse them is the best course of action.
Be sure to communicate well within your team while using Fakeout. It’s an excellent ability for confusing the enemy, but teammates can also hear it – it could confuse them too.
Yoru Abilities – Blindside
Yoru’s second basic ability comes in the form of another flash, Blindside. What differentiates Yoru’s flash from the rest of the pack is that it has to collide with a solid surface for it to trigger.
The surface can be anything solid within the map, which includes all walls and surfaces, including the floor for flashing into open areas.
While the flash only lasts a second, it’s still immensely powerful when used right. The flash trail only becomes visible to enemies once it has collided with a surface, making Blindside more of a pop-flash and very hard to dodge. Especially when combined with its long throwing distance, Blindside proves to be incredibly useful in the right hands.
It’s most useful in 1v1 situations where it’s easier to track enemy movements but is also capable of initiating team fights or opening sites. Just be aware of its low timer.
Yoru Abilities – Gatecrash
For his signature ability, Yoru has Gatecrash, a teleport ability. By placing down a tether point within the world, Yoru has a 20-second window in which he can teleport back to the tethered location.
It can be tempting to use this ability in a similar way to Omen’s shrouded step, moving from one piece of cover to another. While this is certainly possible, there are more effective ways to use this ability.
One useful strategy is to place down a tether before entering a fight. That way, it’s possible to quickly return to the tether if the fight goes sideways. This strategy essentially operates in a similar way to Phoenix’s ultimate ability, except health isn’t restored after the Gatecrash is activated.
Another useful tactic is to bait the enemy team into thinking your running to one site but teleporting back at the last moment. This tactic requires careful consideration of the 20-second expiry timer, but when executed correctly can seriously surprise your opponents.
Yoru Abilities – Dimensional Drift
Dimensional Drift is Yoru’s ultimate ability and it allows him to become invisible. When activated, Yoru becomes almost completely invisible to enemies for nine seconds. In this state, Yoru can’t be seen by enemies or take damage from them, but he can’t fire his own weapons while in this state.
Like Gatecrash, you can either use this ability for infiltration or exfiltration. Use it to open a site by speeding through the back lines, marking enemies for your teammates and mowing them down from behind. Alternatively, you can activate Dimensional Drift to escape from a particularly tricky fight if it’s not gone your way.
Enemies will be able to see Yoru’s outline if they get really close to him, so make sure to use this ability in open spaces rather than enclosed corridors.
Yoru Abilities – General Playstyle
When used correctly and in combination with one another, each of his abilities allows Yoru to tie the enemy Valorant team in knots by playing mind games with them. If you’re one for incredible game-sense and enjoy playing stealthily, Yoru is the Valorant character for you.
If you’d prefer to give Astra a try, we also have a written guide to help you understand her abilities. We also have another guide that will help you understand the basics of how to play Valorant.
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[Featured Image Credit: Riot Games]