25. Use Her for Spawn Peeking
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=5
As beautifully demonstrated by Marley above, Azami is actually one of the best spawn-peekers right now. That is because she can protect the spawn peek spot with her Kiba Barrier, and she can do so while leaving just a very small space that is enough for her to see her enemies. That way, even if the enemies spot that Azami is trying to spawn peek at them, it’ll be hard for them to counter her because the spot is mostly protected by the bulletproof Kiba Barrier.
The only drawback to this is that Azami’s 9x19VSN submachine gun which is what Marley used in the video above doesn’t have sights that can provide higher zoom levels. So, you must be good at strafing enemies at long range with a 1.0x sight. You can also try using the ACS12 shotgun which is pretty good at long range and has a 1.5x sight for Azami, though the ACS12 shotgun’s drawback would be its slow rate of fire.
24. Use Her Kiba Barriers to Cover Frost Traps
https://youtu.be/NsH6xowqOwQ?t=34
One of the most OP operator combos right now is with Azami and Frost, because players have discovered a method that enables Azami to use her Kiba Barrier to hide Frost’s Welcome Mats. And it is quite easy to do. All you and the Frost player have to do is to destroy a portion of a wooden floor, have Frost deploy her Welcome Mat right on top of the destroyed portion of the floor, and as the Azami player, you cover it up with her Kiba Barrier.
That will completely hide Frost’s Welcome Mat and won’t destroy it. As shown repeatedly in the video above, it works really well on opponents. And this is really OP because there are a lot of paths of attack that are made of wood. Looks like this means that when you’re playing as an attacker, you should really shoot a Kiba Barrier that is randomly just lying on the floor.
23. Fortify Weak Angles with the Kiba Barriers
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=6
Being able to fortify weak angles is really what makes Azami a very special operator. One that’s been generally loved by the Siege community ever since Operation Demon Veil dropped. That’s because she brought a lot of the tactical aspects of the game back with her Kiba Barriers. And as you can see from the video above, the bar area in Kafe Dostoyevsky’s 3rd floor is one of the weakest angles in Siege for Defenders because it’s exposed from the rooftop.
And yet, Azami was able to convert it into a strong angle for the Defenders instead with the use of her Kiba Barriers. Another classic example of this is the stairs area overlooking the garage in the Consulate's basement. Because of the stairs and the door in that stairs area, Bandit who’s trying to prevent hard breaching could be vulnerable. But thanks to Azami’s Kiba Barriers, that angle can be covered up and the anti-hard breach operator will be protected.
22. Rework Your Enemies' Movements
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=143
Another strength of Azami is that she’s very effective at reworking enemy movements. This was beautifully shown by Marley in the video above where he needed to cancel the defuser but the area has a lot of paths which the enemy could use in order to frag him while he’s defusing. So, what he did was to block those other paths with Azami’s Kiba Barriers. That way, the remaining enemy was forced to use the only remaining entryway.
And of course, because it is the only remaining entryway, Marley was already expecting him in that direction and was able to frag him easily. So, Azami players should always remember how versatile their special gadget is, and that they shouldn’t just keep deploying them whenever they are available so that when the time comes where they would need to deploy them in rapid succession, there would be enough available during that moment.
21. Kiba Barrier Instead of Reinforcement
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=68
If you’re new to Siege, one of the first things you need to know is that you shouldn’t reinforce every wall, and even those that are commonly reinforced are sometimes best left unreinforced in certain situations. And as the Azami player, you should really think first whether your team would benefit more if you’re going to reinforce a certain wall or just have its bottom portion covered with a Kiba Barrier instead.
Because in many cases, like the video above shows, when there’s an Azami, it’s better for her to just reinforce the bottom part of the wall with her Kiba Barrier and then have the top part destroyed. That way, there’s still cover for her and her teammates, but they will be able to use the upper half for returning fire against the enemies instead of going around a wall which could potentially be more dangerous.
20. Use Azami for Runouts
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=899
Azami is very unique in that she’s the only Defender in the game that can run out and provide cover for herself, and of course, that’s possible because of her Kiba Barriers. When a Defender runs out of the mission building and stays outside for more than a second, the Attackers usually get confident in fragging that Defender because they will be able to see his or her position in real time. So, they would be thinking that it will be easy to deal with that Defender.
But Azami has a really great counter to that. Just like how Marley wonderfully demonstrated in the video, Azami can easily put up two or more Kiba Barriers so that she can have cover even outside, and that cover will be unexpected for the Attackers, and chances are, Azami would be winning the gunfire exchange due to her having the surprise advantage.
19. When to Use the 9x19VSN
While I personally use the ACS12 most of the time and that’s the weapon that I would recommend players to use in general, there are situations where the 9x19VSN could give the user more of an advantage. One such situation is if you follow one of the first tips above and want to use Azami for spawn peeking. For spawn peeking, the 9x19VSN despite having no sight that can provide higher levels of zoom is more effective.
That is because of its rate of fire. Compared to the ACS12 shotgun, the 9x19VSN submachine gun’s rate of fire is very fast and can spray a lot of bullets in just a few seconds. And you might ask why that is important when it comes to spawn peeking. Well, the more bullets you can spray at your enemies, the better the chances you get in scoring a headshot. And that’s really the best thing to do when you’re spawn peeking, aim for headshots and get out of there before they can counter you.
18. Block Drone Holes
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=113
Some drone holes in certain maps have angles outside where Attackers can frag Defenders. Just like the one on the toilets in Coastline. With that drone hole blocked by Azami's Kiba Barrier just like what Macie Jay did in the video above, Azami can freely defend the delivery/stock entrance from the toilets without worrying about getting strafed from the drone hole.
In the video above, Macie Jay was only blocking the angle, but Azami can straight up put her Kiba Barrier on a drone hole so that it will be completely blocked. That method is commonly used to prevent drones from entering and gathering intel, especially Twitch's Shock Drones which can neutralize Defender gadgets. Blocking drone holes that way is very important in certain areas like the garage in the consulate.
17. Block the Upper Part of Doorways
This is one of the best ways to deter Attackers from pushing the objective spot aggressively. All you have to do as the Azami player is cover the upper portion of doorways with your Kiba Barriers. That way, the objective spot won’t be too exposed from the outside and you’ll avoid many headshots. At the same time, you’d be able to strafe at opponents' feet or legs when they approach that doorway in an attempt to destroy your Kiba Barriers.
This method is usually better for objective spots where there are long angles from the outside like the kitchen in the consulate. Its doorway leading to the blue bar is a perfect example of an entryway whose upper portion you should block with your Kiba Barriers, because through that doorway, the inside of the objective spot is very vulnerable from the blue bar area which has a lot of long-range angles.
16. Waste Your Opponents' Time
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=607
Time in Siege passes by really quickly, and each round is really just over two minutes, so that’s not a lot of time anyway. That’s why it’s in the best interest of Defenders to waste the Attackers’ time as much as possible, and Azami is one of the best operators when it comes to that. A really great example is what Macie Jay did in this video above. He blocked the middle stairs leading to the kayaks area in the Kanals and finally the entrance to the objective area itself.
As you can see in the video, he was able to clutch a 1v3 situation because he was able to waste a lot of the Attackers’ time with Azami’s Kiba Barriers. The IQ and Sledge were actually in great positions to flank him from both sides, but because of the Kiba Barrier wasting a lot of IQ’s time, he was too late and the time limit of the round ran out. I’m sure that the IQ also tried to go down using the stairs only to find out that it's blocked, and then there’s another Kiba Barrier on the doorway that she was planning to enter.
15. Use the Suppressor on the 9x19VSN
The 9x19VSN’s recoil isn’t that easy to handle, but with a vertical grip, it’s going to be much better and the user will be able to hold it stably for a couple of seconds even with the recoil progression overhaul that the game just recently had which favors short burst over long sprays. So, as long as you have the vertical grip on this weapon, you don’t have to worry too much about having no recoil benefits for your barrel attachment.
Equipping a suppressor on your 9x19VSN is great, especially now that the devs have removed the damage penalty from it. And the reason why I’m recommending its use for Azami’s 9x19VSN is that if you're going to use her for spawn peeking, then the suppressor will greatly help because shots from a suppressed weapon won’t give enemies a directional threat indicator of where your shots are coming from. So, it could take longer for them to realize where you’re shooting them from, and that lessens their chances of countering you effectively.
14. You Can Counter Vertical Plays
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=633
And you’ll be able to do this more effectively if you know how to do vertical plays yourself when you’re in the attacking team and playing Sledge or Fuze. That’s because you’d be able to know the right spots to break because those spots will lead to better angles. And when you play Azami, since your Kiba Barriers are limited by cooldown, you should know which broken spots you need to recover with your Kiba Barrier.
Because if the Attacker who’s doing the vertical play just keeps breaking random spots on the wooden floor above the objective spot, and if the Azami also doesn't know the important angles to cover, then she’d end up wasting a lot of Kiba Barriers. So, the best advice I could give for Azami players when countering vertical plays is to know first which spots you need to repair with your Kiba Barriers and be careful not to waste them.
13. Know When to Use the Barbed Wires
Now, I usually advocate for the use of impact grenades whenever an operator has that choice in their arsenal because it’s very useful in a lot of ways, not just as a utility tool for creating rotation holes, but sometimes it’s also great for finishing enemies off. But for Azami, there are times when the barbed wires would be the better secondary gadget to opt for.
And one of those times is when there's already an abundance of impact grenades in your team, meaning more than two are carrying them, so you wouldn’t really need them that much. The barbed wires are already really great to have in conjunction with Azami’s Kiba Barriers because the Kiba Barriers will block their line of sight while the barbed wires can slow them down.
12. Use the Vertical Grip on the 9x19VSN
As mentioned in one of the entries above, the recoil of the 9x19VSN leaves much to be desired because it can be quite rough to deal with without any attachments that provide recoil benefits. The good thing is, the vertical grip is available to it, and since this weapon’s recoil doesn’t really go crazy like Zofia’s M762 or Sens’ POF-9, one attachment on it that provides recoil benefits should be enough for the player to handle the weapon well.
With the vertical grip, the user will be able to freely choose which barrel attachments would benefit him better without having to worry about the gun’s recoil anymore. This way, the user can choose the suppressor, which as I mentioned above, is great for spawn peeking. The user can also opt for the extended barrel which will greatly lessen the weapon’s range damage drop-off, making it more effective at medium to long range.
11. Don't Sleep on the Compensator
Another great alternative for the 9x19VSN submachine gun is the compensator. If the user finds that the vertical grip isn’t enough to handle its recoil, then the best attachment to partner with the vertical grip is the compensator, and not the flash hider as many believe. That’s because the main problem with the 9x19 VSN is its horizontal recoil. And the compensator specializes in reducing the diamond recoil of weapons.
That means, it will reduce the horizontal recoil of guns, as well as the chances of random recoil from all directions. The compensator is an underrated barrel attachment and players should really try equipping it for guns like the 9x19VSN whose recoil pattern doesn’t just go on a straight vertical path. Reducing the horizontal recoil of guns and its overall recoil in all directions is one of the best ways to make a gun more stable in Siege.
10. Waste Your Enemies' Utilities
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=424
Another special thing about Azami is that she’s one of the best Defenders when it comes to wasting the Attackers’ utilities, especially grenades, gonne-6, and even special gadgets. As you can see from the video, Macie Jay simply just kept deploying Azami’s Kiba Barriers even though they kept being destroyed by the Attackers. The Attackers’ mistake, however, is that they were using utilities in order to destroy them.
The frag grenades and gonne-6 projectile can be used for destroying unique and pesky Defending gadgets instead like Maestro’s Evil Eyes or Melusi’s Banshees. To have them used as a way to clear Azami’s Kiba Barrier is a bad idea because she can just keep making them, especially if the Azami player is smart enough to reserve some instead of just deploying them whenever their cool down is over.
9. Fortify the Lower Wall
https://youtu.be/uYY8ZSJmFj4?t=361
For spots like the Africa in Border which has a direct line to the most common spot for defuser plant attempts, it is better to not have its wall reinforced, so that the Attackers who are attempting a defuser plant on the cement area can be fragged even from the armory. But this goes both ways because Attackers can likewise use that unreinforced wall to wall bang Defenders on the small room from the window on cement.
But with Azami, Defenders can reinforce the bottom part of Africa’s wall and destroy its upper portion so that it can be used to frag defenders on cement’s window and the hallway outside its door. This is one of the best ways to prevent Attackers from planting the defuser in the Border map, and it works even better if there’s a Mira who can put her Black Mirror on Africa’s unreinforced wall and Azami fortifying its bottom part with her Kiba Barrier.
8. Use the Angled Grip for Her ACS12
Azami’s best weapon is her ACS12 shotgun. Not only does it have a much better damage than the 9x19VSN, it also has a better sight in the 1.5x scope, much better reload, and most of all, it can be equipped with an angled grip which will allow the user to go into aim-down-sights faster with almost no change to its recoil. That’s because the ACS12 shotgun, even while possessing so much firepower, has an inherently low recoil.
That’s why every Azami player should keep in mind that they’re using the angled grip instead of the vertical one when they’re using the ACS12, because the recoil control benefit from the vertical grip is kind of just wasted on this gun because it will have a very low recoil regardless of attachment. This is unlike the 9x19VSN which really must have a recoil-benefit providing attachment or else its user will have a hard time controlling it.
7. Muzzle Brake and Laser on her D-50
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=504
Because Azami’s full potential is maximized when she’s anchoring, it would be better for her to stay inside the objective spot or at least near it for most of the time. So, a suppressed handgun for shooting Attacker drones or claymores without alerting the enemies wouldn’t be that much use for Azami. Since she will be anchoring most of the time and enemies will expect her to be inside the objective spot, so it’s better for her to opt for full firepower.
And the muzzle brake and laser will provide that for her. While these two attachments don’t add damage to Azami’s handgun, they provide a lot of benefits when it comes to its shooting stability. The muzzle brake greatly lowers the recoil of single-shot firing weapons like handguns, so with it, the user will be able to strafe enemies with the D-50 with great accuracy. The laser will tighten its hip fire, so at close range, the user won’t even really need to go into aim-down-sights to hit enemies.
6. Use the Kiba Barriers for Repair
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=1017
This is one of the main uses for Azami’s Kiba Barriers. Although Marley in the video above quickly destroyed the Kiba Barriers in order to surprise the rappelling Attacker, most of the time you could simply provide cover for you and your team by covering broken windows with your Kiba Barriers. It will also waste your enemies’ time a lot because if they don’t want to waste utilities on destroying it, or they will have to melee it three times.
This applies to breached walls as well, especially walls that were breached by Ace or Hibana whose hard breach devices produce smaller breaches than Thermite’s. Holes on reinforced walls can be quickly repaired or covered by Azami’s Kiba Barriers and that will provide cover again for the defending team or waste Attackers’ time by a lot. When there are Attackers making a vertical play, it can be used to cover up walls again, and this is very effective especially if Buck is attacking from below.
5. Block the Easiest Entry Points
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=417
Even though Marley was killed by Fuze on the hookah window in the video above, it still shows what every Azami player playing on Coastline billiard and hookah should do. And that is to block the Attacker's entry to the couches. From the Attackers' perspective, that would be to their left right after entering hookah. It's important for the Defenders to block that path because that's one of the most common defuser plant spots in the game.
Once the Attackers are able to get behind the couches, it could be hard for the Defenders to frag them and stop the defuser plant attempt. As the Azami player, it's better to block that path to the couches rather than the entrance itself. That way, you'll still be able to frag enemies that are on the outside, and they just can't melee your Kiba Barriers from there. Of course, this method can also be applied to many other maps. For example, the white van area in the Consulate basement.
4. Use the Kiba Barrier Surprise
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=249
This is one of the best ways to trick Attackers when you’re playing Azami and also why the impact grenades are the best secondary gadget for her. This is pretty simple to do. All the Azami player has to do is to cover a spot with a lot of Kiba Barriers just like the video above. Now, you can either watch your cameras or have your teammates issue a callout or ping the enemies, and once you ascertain that an enemy is outside your Kiba barriers, quickly use the impact grenades to destroy them.
This will usually surprise enemies and you will burst out of the Kiba Barriers while strafing them. This can also be used on Kiba Barriers that are covering the windows. Once you’re sure that an opponent is rappelling outside that window, all you have to do is quickly destroy the Kiba Barrier that is covering it and you run out. Once you’re outside and you wish to stay there longer to bait enemies, you can also deploy another Kiba Barrier in order to create cover for you even while you’re outside.
3. Impact Grenades First
https://youtu.be/W8PhOGw8Qwg?t=101
The impact grenades are the best secondary gadgets for Azami because its usage just has more versatility compared to the alternative which is the barbed wires. Don’t get me wrong, the barbed wires are also great especially when used in conjunction with the Kiba Barriers in order to waste your enemies’ time. But the impact grenades just have more uses. It’s a great utility tool which can be used to quickly create rotation holes or destroy hatches when needed.
And as discussed above, one of the best tricks with Azami is something that can really only be performed with impact grenades, because they’re the only thing in Azami’s arsenal that can quickly destroy Kiba Barriers and surprise the enemies. The thing is, the impact grenades aren’t really only great utility tools. They’re also pretty great when finishing off enemies that are down-but-not-out from a distance and when your gun needs to reload.
2. Use her ACS12 Shotgun
https://youtu.be/QxLXXbkLf9I?t=9
The ACS12 shotgun is the primary weapon that I would recommend for players who want to use Azami. While the 9x19VSN is better in some specific roles like for spawn peeking, the ACS12 shotgun is a better weapon overall. The biggest reason for that is its very low recoil. Because of its weak stock recoil, the user can equip it with an angled grip without worrying if its recoil will be harder to control, because it simply won’t be.
Its recoil will remain almost unchanged even with an angled grip, and that’s great because with the angled grip, the user can go into aim-down-sights faster. The slightly stronger recoil can also lead to more headshots especially when you’re practicing proper recoil placement, because the weapon kick is oftentimes what’s landing the headshots. The ACS12 will also provide the user with a better sight in the form of the 1.5x scope. So, with the ACS12 shotgun, Azami players would be able to see enemies better.
1. She Has an OP Operator Combo with Mira
https://youtu.be/5fXxt_FGIZI?t=60
Azami’s operator combo with Mira is pretty much the best combo in Siege, so if you’re going to defend an area where Mira really excels at, it would be best to pick Azami as well. That’s because with Azami’s combo with Mira, Mira doesn’t have to put her Black Mirrors on reinforced walls anymore. She can just deploy her Black Mirror on an unreinforced wall and have Azami put up a Kiba Barrier on its bottom portion.
That way, the bottom part would be bulletproof and there would be more space on the sides for quick leaning and strafing enemies. The upper part can also be destroyed so that it can be used for throwing over nitro cells at enemies. This can also be done with Mira putting up her Black Mirror on the lower portion of the wall. Azami’s Kiba Barrier will cover the remaining lower part of the wall and you can use this Black Mirror for gathering intel on enemies while crouching and you can shoot at them armed with the intel you’ve gathered once you stand up.
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
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