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Among Us 101: Avoiding Sus and Making High IQ Plays

Riley Martin Student Contributor, Toronto Metropolitan University
Zainab Damji Student Contributor, Toronto Metropolitan University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Among us is a video game made by InnerSloth that can be played on PC or Mobile. It follows a group of crewmates on a spaceship trying to complete tasks that have been infiltrated by impostors, trying to kill all the crew. Either the crew wins by completing all their tasks or the impostors win by killing the crew. It’s a fun game to play with friends or strangers online.

The game is gaining a lot of traction from people who may not be hardcore gamers. As fun as it is to run around the ship completing your tasks, stress levels soar when the impostor screen flashes at the beginning of the game. Here are some tips to avoid getting caught as an impostor that will also help build your detective skills as a crewmate.

1. Have an Alibi

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Always keep track of where you are, what you’re doing, and who you see. During meetings, you might get asked about your pathing and if it lines up that you were near a body, it’ll look sus. Take note of when you see someone so that person can vouch for you being there. You should also have in mind what tasks you did that round, even if you don’t have any tasks. Faking tasks makes you look like a crewmate instead of someone running around the ship looking for people to kill.

2. Look at Your Fake Tasks

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

???!!!! #amongustasks #somuchtodo

A post shared by ɔɥɐuʎsǝ ɥɐu (@chanyse_han) on

As an impostor, the game provides you with some fake tasks on the left side of your screen. It’s important to note what those tasks are because some of them are common tasks everyone needs to complete. If you’re playing on the Polus map, this is especially important because the common task is in the dropship where you spawn. There are two options and if you go to the wrong one, it’s a dead giveaway.

3. Avoid Upload at the Beginning of the Game

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Speaking of dead giveaways. Doing the second part of a two-part task at the beginning of the game makes it clear that you’re faking. A common example is a download/upload. There are data download sites all around the ship, but everyone has uploaded it in the same place (its changes names depending on which map you’re playing). Going to the upload site first is a common mistake.

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Vent

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Impostor of the vent #amongus #amongusart #amongusfanart #amongusvent #amonguscyan #claypeamasterorigart

A post shared by ClayPeaMaster (@claypeamaster) on

As an impostor, you have access to the vent system around the map, it works really well for quick travel and makes it easy to get far away from a crime scene. A lot of new players don’t use this system in fear of getting caught, but it’s good to practice and get familiar with the vents because it’s so fun when you can pull it off.

5. SABOTAGE

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There’s a variety of sabotage options available to help impostors get kills.

Setting off the ship’s reactor or O2 gives the crew 30 seconds to fix the specific task otherwise impostors win. This can work really well to hide a kill. If you kill someone on the right side of the map and set off the O2 on the left, everyone will run to the other side of the map and it’ll take them longer to find the body. If you’re in the final three, it’s an easy way to win as it separates the crewmates and makes it impossible to call a meeting. Call the sabotage and wait for one of the two crewmates to come to you.

Sabotaging light’s impairs crewmate’s vision and makes it easier to get away with kills. You could also do a stack kill if there’s a bunch of people trying to fix the lights at the same time.

Communication sabotage doesn’t happen often but can be very useful. Calling this makes it so the crew can’t see what tasks they have left, or use cameras, vitals, or admin table. If the crew is flying through their tasks too quickly, use this to slow them down.

Closing doors also slows down movement around the ship, allows you to trap crewmates, and makes it easy to hide a body. As a ghost impostor, it can also be a fun way to troll your friends by shutting every door in their faces from beyond the grave.

6. Marinating

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This move is a bit more advanced. You can marinate someone by staying with them and not killing them, even if you have the chance to. This makes you seem innocent, giving you someone who can vouch for you in meetings. And hopefully, if you both make it to the end, will side with you on a 50/50. It’s also super impressive if you can pull it off and will leave your friend shocked.

Have fun and good luck!

Riley Martin

Toronto MU '21

Fourth Year Media Production Student at Ryerson University
Zainab is a 4th-year journalism student from Dubai, UAE who is the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus at Ryerson. When she's not taking photos for her Instagram or petting dogs on the street, she's probably watching a rom-com on Netflix or journaling! Zainab loves The Bold Type and would love to work for a magazine in New York City someday! Zainab is a feminist and fierce advocate against social injustice - she hopes to use her platform and writing to create change in the world, one article at a time.