The mystery behind the sound circle in Valorant revealed

Fariha Bhatti Published 20/01/2022

Valorant’s radar isn’t just your regular map guide. The tiny circle has an even smaller radius within that may help you play better.

A few players know about the sound circle in Valorant that serves many purposes. Those who notice the faint ring don’t know that it can help improve in-game performance. Here’s how to use Valorant’s mysterious sound circle on your radar.

These are all the sound circle hacks in Valorant.

If you’ve studied your radar closely, you may have noticed that a small sound circle in Valorant always travels with your player model. This ring may seem useless, but it can be game-changing when used correctly. Here are some helpful sound circle hacks in Valorant.

How far can enemies hear you in Valorant?

When a player in Valorant is moving, a faint white circle appears around the icon on the mini-map to indicate the radius that their footsteps can be heard. This feature comes in handy in a retake situation or executing a sneaky flank. If you were confused about when to start walking so enemies can’t hear you, the radius on radar could help.

Anyone outside the radius won’t hear you running, so race free if you have intel about enemy location. If an enemy is detected within the ring, you may want to dampen your footsteps.

New way to use molotovs in Valorant

The sound circle also helps line up off the cuff molotovs. If you don’t have proper setups, use the mini-ring to launch your incendiaries. Here’s how to do it.

Start running, so the white rings appear on your mini-map.
Equip Pheonix or Viper’s molotov.
Release the grenade as soon as the ring’s edge hits the spot you’re trying to aim.
The molotov will land precisely at the radius’ edge.

This trick works for Viper and Pheonix’s molotov.

How to avoid dying from Spike in Valorant

The circle radius is nearly identical to the blast area from the spike, meaning players simply need to ensure that the spike icon is outside the white circle on the mini-map. This gives players an almost-exact blast for the explosion. As the timer counts down, stand with the white circle a hair away from the spike icon to watch the explosion come right up to the player’s face.

While players have long been ignoring the sound circle in Valorant, it happens to have many uses. Next time you’re in a ranked game, try these hacks to impress your teammates.

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.

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