Are you sus?
Who hasn’t tried playing the infamous game of Among Us? If you haven’t, that’s a little sus (get the reference?). It’s immensely popular and we can all agree that we have tried our hand at it some time or another. This is a comprehensive guide for all our Among Us newbies out there, but seasoned players are also welcome to explore. This guide will tell you whatever it is you need to know about Among Us, whether it’s being a better crewmate or a badass impostor, so buckle up and be sure to keep reading on!
25. General Information
Among Us is known for testing one’s abilities on stealth and time management, but what exactly is the game all about? Among Us is a strategy game launched by American game studio, Innersloth, in 2018. It is a game that focuses on teamwork and betrayal. The game may include a maximum of 10 players and a minimum of 4 players at any given time, and there may be 1-3 impostors. Most experienced players recommend having 1 impostor for 4-6 players, 2 impostors for 7-8 players, and 3 impostors for 10 players. However, it’s all up to the host to configure these settings, and there is no hard and fast rule to this game, which is why it appeals to so many! The Impostor is a parasitic shapeshifter whose main goal is to sabotage and kill everybody on board the spaceship that has set its course for home. The crewmates are supposed to finish their given tasks as soon as possible while trying to sniff out the impostor and trying not to get killed, all at once. Sounds fun? Let’s dive right in!
24. Crewmate Basics
Picture 1: The loading screen a crewmate would receive that has a hazy cyan undertone
Source: https://www.ggrecon.com/articles/how-to-play-among-us-crewmate
Crewmates are players in the game whose main goal is to finish all the required tasks to win the game. Easier said than done, as impostors may be lurking around the corner waiting for the perfect chance to give you a deadly surprise. The secondary goal is to try and find the impostor and vote them off. If all the impostors are successfully voted off, the crewmates win! If all crewmates complete their tasks without too many being killed by the impostor(s) or anyone being killed at all, the crewmates win!
23. Impostor Basics
Impostors are alien shapeshifters whose goal is to kill off all crewmates as well as sabotage their tasks by tinkering with the lights, oxygen, reactor, and doors in the spaceship. They are roles given at random to any player and impostors have to blend in with the crewmates to be among them. Impostors are given a fake task list as a general guideline to blend in with the crowd of other crewmates, trying their best to not be ‘sus’ in any way possible. Seasoned players however know their way around the game and can sniff out impostors from miles away. If crewmates have been killed, ejected, or left the game until they no longer have the voting majority, impostors win.
22. Memorizing Maps
In Among Us, there are a total of 4 maps that players can choose to play in, starting with the main three which are The Skeld, MIRA HQ, and Polus, and the newest addition which happens to be the biggest map yet, The Airship. Understanding each of the four maps is vital to the gameplay as it would aid players who are both crewmates and impostors to move around with ease. I would personally recommend small maps such as The Skeld and Polus for those just beginning to get the gist of Among Us because jumping right into big maps like The Airship would be a huge gamble as new players would encounter seasoned players who can be rather sneaky. When one is familiar with a map, then move on to try the next one! There is never a dull moment exploring the maps, but some might call you ‘sus’ for doing that too often, so be wary!
21. Frequently checking the Admin Map
Picture 2: Admin map in The Skeld
Source: https://among-us.fandom.com/wiki/Admin_(ability)
So, here’s the scenario: you want to eliminate someone but don’t have much of an alibi as you weren’t there to see this person kill, but if you check the Admin map and notice an Among Us icon shifting from place to place quickly, you have your alibi! Frequenting the Admin Map just so happens to be one of the best tips you can utilize in the game. You get to see where players are at any given time. Pro tip: Impostors can utilize this to their advantage to sneak up on an un‘sus’pecting crewmate that’s all alone by venting towards them, killing them, venting back, and whistling away ~
20. Memorizing venting layout
Any master impostor knows their way around each venting system for any given map. These are seasoned impostors that can execute their skills and vent off so quickly that nobody’s gonna know, cause how would they know? (stan Twitter reference). Impostors can only vent to places that have vents and they must be nearby. It is impossible to vent throughout the map without manually moving to a different vent to start venting to different places. This is when it becomes a game of memory and skill, as sometimes, some vents are situated near the cameras, and if one is at the right place at the wrong time, it's game over!
19. Keeping an eye on the taskbar
Most players tend to not pay attention to this at first glance, but it’s a great way to analyze if someone is verified as an innocent crewmate or a skilled impostor. When a crewmate finishes their task, the taskbar fills up a little. When tasks are done collectively, the taskbar fills up more quickly. The trick here is to stand by someone who is doing a task and watching the taskbar increase a little once they are done. However, if the player does a task and the taskbar doesn’t increase, that’s very ‘sus’.
18. Utilizing the Security System
Did you know that whenever you pass a security camera in-game and it's blinking with a red light, you’re being watched by someone? That’s right! You finally understand the reason why you get voted out so fast as the impostor when you killed a player nearby a blinking camera. When you’re about to kill or vent, be sure to check if any security cameras nearby you are blinking or not, so you won’t be giving anybody any reason to sniff you out.
17. Kill Cooldown (CD)
You’re the lucky impostor on their lucky streak, painting the town red (literally) killing off crewmates. Nevertheless, you always have to wait (not so patiently) for your Kill CD all the time. You should note a vital piece of information though: Your Kill CD automatically stops when you’re in a vent! To be fair, the game requires impostors to do more than just kill crewmates, impostors have to blend in with others, perform fake tasks, and execute sabotages from time to time. Therefore, you shouldn’t just be hiding in vents! Also, by just hiding in vents, seasoned players would be able to figure you out in no time, so no escape there!
16. Finish your Tasks!
As a new player, you tend to take your time going around exploring the map (I know that’s what I mentioned earlier) BUT here’s the dilemma; the longer you take to finish your tasks, the higher your chances of getting killed and for impostors to win the game. This is why right from the very start, you will notice many seasoned players rushing off to complete their tasks as soon as they can, either in groups or individually. The reason being, the faster they finish their tasks, the faster they fill up the green bar, the faster they win, and the faster they get to move on to the next game! Impostors are supposed to distract crewmates from finishing their tasks by continuously distracting them through the art of sabotage.
15. Exploring alone and as a group
Simply said, if you’re playing with a small group of friends against strangers, then it’s best to go as a group. If you’re playing alone, then it’s best to either go alone or stick around a few players at any given time, so they can vouch for you and vice versa. Going alone has its perks, but so does going as a group. When you explore alone, you get to finish your tasks efficiently and quickly fix sabotages by impostors, but it makes you undeniably vulnerable to being killed off very early in the game. If you explore as a group, you can all look out and vouch for each other, making sure everyone completes their tasks before moving to different places on the map. Impostors wouldn’t dare touch you as there is safety in numbers. It helps to think of it as a Wolves-hunting-Sheep concept, but you be the judge of that.
14. Emergency Meetings
Picture 3: An Emergency Meeting being called by a player
Source: https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/11/21432684/among-us-emergency-meeting-meme-explained
If you’re like me, you’re probably also unsure as to know when to call emergency meetings. Emergency meetings can be called when you see a dead player’s body and click on “Report” or you can go to the meeting room and hit on the emergency meeting button. Emergency meetings have different scenarios according to their maps. When an emergency meeting is held in The Skeld and MIRA HQ, it is stationed in the Cafeteria. In Polus, it’s held in the Office, and on The Airship, emergency meetings are not held in any specific room; the player remains where they are and the discussion begins. This is probably because The Airship is such a large map. You should call Emergency Meetings when you’re confident of players being impostors and if you’re being chased. You may want to use this feature wisely as you only have a limited amount of times to use it.
13. What to say and When to say it during Emergency Meetings.
Picture 4: Accusations during an emergency meeting held during an Among Us game
Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/please-leave-me-to-my-mundane-jobs-in-among-us
We’ve all had those moments when we’ve caught the killers in action and when we frantically accuse them in emergency meetings, we get ejected instead! This is because those who didn’t see the fellow impostor in action would see you as trying to frame them for you. So, how exactly do you avoid these pesky situations? Firstly, you shouldn’t continuously spam-accuse a player as that brings the spotlight on you immediately. Next, you should just agree with other players when they accuse a player, to show that you’re involved in the discussion. If you’re too silent, you also automatically invite others’ attention onto you. Sometimes, silence is the best answer, you still might want to tread carefully on that piece of information.
12. Killing within a group
Sounds insane? Totally! Hear me out on this though. Many impostors (if not all) kill their unsuspecting crewmates when they’re all alone. However, have you experienced the serotonin of killing a crewmate in front of everybody and having everybody accuse each other because they were all clumped together doing tasks? To execute this perfectly, you, as an impostor, need to stealthily blend in with the rest all clumped up together, and after a moment or two, kill somebody and watch the rest go haywire. Sure, you’ll be one of the accused (you were there after all) but so will the rest who was standing there. Now, you may want to give this a try!
11. Double Kill
Picture 5: Among Us art showcasing the ‘double kill’ done by 2 impostors (red and light green) onto 2 innocent crewmates (blue and dark green)
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/paniartz/art/Double-Kill-Among-Us-856468174
This is an Among Us trick for the ages! It requires the game to have 2 impostors, and both impostors must have 0 Kill CD to execute this of course. So, the scenario is both impostors blend in with another 2 innocent crewmates trying to do their tasks. To the crewmates, it just looks like another 2 innocent crewmates coming over to join them because, ‘Safety in numbers’, right? The answer is the binary opposite of ‘right’ once both innocent crewmates get killed and the impostors flee. This is difficult to pull off, but with the right prerequisites and being in the right place at the right time, would make for the perfect double kill, increasing impostors’ chance of winning the game!
10. Cheesy Strategies
As beginners to Among Us, the reasons such as “I’m new” or “I was lagging” makes sense because you are legitimately new to the game. However, seasoned players have encountered these situations too many times and might get you voted off. So, make sure to only use “I was AFK” or “all tabbed out” when it does happen or when you don’t have a concrete alibi, but make sure you sound convincing!
9. Color-Coded Usernames
We’re down to single digits now! Therefore, I shall continue with this fun tip which so happens to be color-coded usernames. This is an extremely fun way to play Among Us, especially among a group of friends. Why? It’s a method of confusing and tricking other players. There are 12 colors that you can choose from to customize your Among Us character in-game. These are Red, Blue, Purple, Pink, Green, Orange, Yellow, Cyan, Lime, Brown, Black, and White. Usually, other players would refer to you by the color of your character rather than mentioning your username, as it’s probably too long or too complicated. By using color-coded usernames, players would think twice about phrasing their accusations as it could backfire. Here’s an example, a player with the username of ‘WHITE’ is actually blue and another player with the username of ‘GREEN’ is actually brown, and so on.
8. Averting crises fast
Picture 6: Two players trying to resolve the crisis while a dead body is nearby
Source:https://www.reddit.com/r/AmongUs/comments/ih3adm/3_people_at_one_stabilizer_did_not_report_dead/
All players know the different types of crises that can happen, for example, Oxygen Depleted, Reactor Meltdown, etc. These crises can be averted by one player, while some require 2 players. However, some of these crises have a time limit so they need to be done fast. However, be careful to not be distracted by these crises as impostors would take advantage of crewmates being scattered about trying to fix these crises. The reactor task and O2 task require 2 players, while the electrical task requires only one player. It is important to note that during crises, emergency meetings cannot be held.
7. Using ‘sabotage’ to your advantage
Picture 7: Sabotage map in The Skeld
Source: https://www.shacknews.com/article/120643/how-to-use-sabotage-among-us
Dear impostors, using your sabotages wisely can aid you in winning the game fast! Here’s how: by using the admin map and looking for unsuspecting crewmates, sabotaging doors, venting towards them, and you know the rest. My favorite sabotage is ‘Fix Lights’ as I get to see players running about in unfathomable fear towards me while I wait for the perfect kill time. ‘Comms Sabotaged’ is handy when you want to kill without being caught on camera. Pro tip: use sabotages while you walk about as other players will be quick to notice you stopping whenever sabotage happens, only then walking about again.
6. ‘Catch me if you can’ gameplay
This is an extremely fun gameplay style that you can utilize whilst playing Among Us with your group of friends. In this gameplay, usually, nobody gets killed (okay maybe a few), but the goal is to break off into smaller groups and stick with each other while running away from the suspected impostor(s). Sabotages happen as usual and tasks also need to be completed. This gameplay usually goes on for a long time, so if you have time to kill, why not give it a try?
5. Parallelism
Aligning oneself with another crewmate makes it look like there’s only one crewmate standing there, an illusion and trap to lure the unsuspecting impostor(s). When the impostor kills, the other crewmates standing in the same position would be revealed and the impostor would be caught red-handed! Nevertheless, this trick can backfire if the impostor checks the admin map and finds multiple crewmates in a room but only one seemingly standing in position.
4. Being task-pretentious
It takes skill and multiple games to know exactly how long a specific task is and to know who is faking a task and who isn’t. Easy ways to spot impostors faking tasks would be to stand around those doing tasks with animations. For instance, some animation-based tasks would be shooting asteroids in the weapon room where you should be able to see the firing animation on the right side of the screen, outside the spaceship. Another outright example would be the body scan animation in Medbay and garbage dumping by the garbage chute where the animation would be the garbage being thrown out into space. If you can see all of this happening, that player isn’t an impostor and instead of a verified crewmate. However, if you can’t see any of this happening, the player might just be an impostor! Seasoned players, however, know how long or short specific tasks are as well as how many crewmates should receive a certain task, and especially the tasks without animations, so you wouldn’t guess them as impostors for a million years. This isn’t an innate skill as it takes time and loads of experience in this game to execute this perfectly.
3. A few extra seconds
Picture 8: Among Us “SHHHHHHH!” logo
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/861032022506007918/
Here’s a quick tip to add to your advantage as a player no matter as a crewmate or an impostor, you can skip the loading animation (see attached picture) by tapping on it once, by then you would be taken straight into finding out whether you’re a crewmate or an impostor and enter the game faster than the rest. You then get a few extra seconds to run off while everyone else is still standing in the outline of a circle (for the maps of The Skeld, MIRA HQ, and Polus) or choosing where to start in The Airship.
2. Life and Death
Picture 9: 3 players are ghosts (Brown, White, and Pink) while another player (Cyan) is alive
Source: https://oltnews.com/you-can-kill-a-crew-member-among-us-by-any-means-android-central
No, I’m not referring to the inevitable fact that all of us experiencing life as of now will eventually pass on. I’m referring to life and death in Among Us! As crewmates, when you die by being killed or being ejected, you become a ghost but you can still help out your fellow crewmates by completing your unfinished tasks and possibly helping to turn the tide of the game. As a ghost, you’re free to pass through walls and you gain faster speed, as you’re floating. You can also text other in-game ghosts freely for discussion and fun. Nobody else can see you except other ghosts. As impostors, you can die by being ejected and only turn into a ghost in the case where there is more than 1 impostor in the game. As a ghost, you will be able to continue to sabotage the game, but most players advise against it as it might disrupt the living impostor’s strategy. If you do want to sabotage, sabotage strategically, in the way that it will aid the living impostor(s) and cause tensions among crewmates.
1. Consistently Inconsistent
This is my number one tip: to be consistently inconsistent in everything! Who doesn’t love a paradox? Sure, when you’re just starting in Among Us, seasoned players can be merciless and in two shakes of a duck’s tail, you’re voted out. Nevertheless, don’t give up! Achieving ‘God’ status at any game requires you to start at the very bottom, and with enough time, skill, and experience, you’ll climb your way up, killing people if you have to (in the game only) and be an “experienced player”. Seasoned players don’t necessarily have a guideline other than the usual “just have fun with it” phrase. The keywords here are to improvise, do mix-ups, and execute different strategies, so you continue to keep everybody guessing for unlimited rounds. Continue to be sneaky, stealthy, and “innocent”, and you’ll have more fun in this virtual world before you log back into reality.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmongUs/comments/iycw5j/what_if_among_us_had_a_pastelaestheticmy_art/
Thanks for reading! I hope that this guide was able to enlighten you and give you new insights and perspectives on the game. So, go out there and play Among Us to your heart’s content.
