Kay/O anti-flash bug is so powerful that players are confused

Fariha Bhatti Published 02/02/2023

Valorant agent Kay/O has been at the center of many “vision-after-death” bugs, but this recent one on Haven has players confused. Is it a flash-related bug or an intended mechanic?

Valorant, like any other FPS game, has its fair share of bugs. Some are negligible, but others are game-breaking. Thankfully, Riot fixes them reasonably quickly — but some bugs take a bit more work. They appear like your regular in-game mechanic, but something is just not right about them. This latest Kay/O flash bug is of the same kind.

Valorant’s war machine Kay/O is doing the impossible with his flashbangs. Taking pop-flashes to another level, Kay/O stays unblinded despite the grenade being clearly visible on Haven.

New Kay/O flash bug on Haven is confusing

For the layman, pop flashes blind the enemies, but the thrower remains unaffected. It’s a trick that works only when the flasher faces away from the grenade. If you spot the grenade while it blows, know that your pop-flash has failed. Valorant agent Kay/O is the master of these blinds, but a new discovery shows he’s taken it to a new level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ey50rioaI

The video shows that Kay/O’s flash is too good to be true on Haven. Exploiting the slopes on the large map, players can dodge the blind without looking away. That’s not all; the grenade device is barely hidden, which puts the credibility of this potential mechanic to question. It’s evident in the video that the grenade device might be slightly visible.

Trying the bug in the game, WIN.gg discovered that it’s also fairly easy to replicate. Meaning any casual player can execute the exploit in Valorant. Since flashes in Valorant are incredibly unforgiving, it’s doubtful that it’s intentional. If so, the attackers on this map should forget about hitting C-site ever again.

Haven’s C-site is already a tricky one due to the congested alley. A flash like this will stop enemies in their tracks and allow defenders free multiple kills. This means attackers will have no option to rotate. This is a dangerous mechanic. It’s yet to be tested if it works on slopes across the map, but stay cautious of Haven’s C-entry for now.

Is Haven a difficult map in Valorant?

Haven remains one of the most complicated Valorant locales, ultimately making it a staple in the esports scene. Teams are still struggling to find the right way to station players after the side switch on Haven, so it stays fresh despite being one of the original maps.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile