Among Us is the highly addictive, cult-classic game that kept the world going through the dark days of 2020. Initially developed in 2018 by Innersloth, the game really started trending in 2020 and amassed a huge fan following soon after. The premise of the game is pretty simple, you play as a group of four to 15 astronauts in a space-themed setting and find the imposter or imposters hiding among you.
Now, this can either be pretty easy or pretty difficult depending on the players involved. More experienced imposter players can eliminate the others in a stealthier fashion than newer players possibly can. Once any of the crewmates die, players can call a meeting to discuss who they think the killer might be. This can go one of two ways.
- Players vote for the correct imposter and they get eliminated, thus ending the game.
- Players vote for the wrong imposter and the game continues till everyone is killed off by the imposter.
Numerically, the non-imposter players have a better chance of surviving and winning the game, but the sense of dread that an imposter can inflict is quite nerve-wracking. If you want to be a successful imposter, here are some things you will need to know.
How to be less suspicious as the Imposter
While the general rule of thumb here is to not get caught committing your crimes, it is not always that simple. Among Us is a game of skill and manipulation, where the imposters need to convince the other crewmates that they are innocent during every trial that takes place. To successfully pull this off every time, you will need to perform certain actions that won’t draw attention to you and avoid players calling you the “s” word (sus).
Here are 10 tips that beginners and experienced imposter players alike can use.
- Make sure the discussions go nowhere. If it looks like the other players seem to be close to finding out your true colors, distract them by drawing their attention to other players’ actions that could be deemed as sus. It doesn’t have to be true, you just need the attention off you.
- Don’t try too hard. Sometimes, if you feel like you’re getting pushed into a corner, you might end up going overboard trying to convince others that you’re not the imposter. Try to maintain a cool composure at all times if the evidence isn’t sufficient.
- Don’t try too less. The converse is also true. Try not to mentally check out and skip the discussion entirely because that could end up drawing even more suspicion to you. You know you did it, but they can’t be sure. Try not to give them more reasons to gang up against you.
- Always stick to your story. Whether it is made up or not, stand your ground regarding what you were doing and what you found suspicious. Try to cast your vote on the shadiest guy you see. Who knows, he could just be another imposter himself.
- Feign stupidity. When in a pinch, it is always handy to pretend like you’re new to the game. Ask questions in the middle of discussions that lead to them thinking you don’t know how the game is played. While you might not fool everyone with this strategy, it might skew some votes away from you during those decisive moments.
- Keep your accusations firm, but be vague about them. Try not to be extremely sure about your accusations because that can lead to players calling you sus for it. Instead of being sure about what you saw, be uncertain and blend in with the nervous atmosphere at all times. Drop a few hints here and there that might lead the others in the wrong direction.
- Fix your own sabotages. If your sabotage has led to the death of someone, before you report the dead body, try fixing what you broke so that it misleads the other players into thinking that the reason for the death was something else. This can potentially give you a new alibi if you play your cards right.
- Always keep track of your location. When the body is found and meetings are called, you might be on the prowl doing something else or planning your next move. This can leave you temporarily disoriented at times, especially when you’re in a panicky situation and maybe feeling a little paranoid about the kill. This rule applies to games in which you are the imposter or not, but if you are the imposter, make sure you have a cover story ready at all times if you are questioned.
- Always keep track of your crewmates. Are you ready to pull the trigger and kill someone? Make sure you are familiar with your surroundings first. Take a stroll around the spaceship to at least have a vague idea of where everyone is and what they are doing. Knowing your surroundings can help you place the blame easier on people when you know where they are. Alternatively, you can always say you were right next to someone else when you are questioned.
- What happens if you do get caught killing someone? Don’t panic. Immediately report the body and accuse the person who caught you. This is where you can be aggressive because if you don’t match the accuser’s intensity, your testimony can sound shaky and make the party turn against you.
Now that you know how to better defend yourself while you are committing your crimes and killing off your crewmates one by one until you are the last man standing, you should have the edge on your opponents. Never back down till the end, you never know what part of your testimony might move your crewmates’ opinions of you.
One final thing to note is that if you are being accused by someone else of a crime that you did not commit (yet), take note of what they are saying. Does it look like they have enough evidence to pin it on you? If they don’t, you can turn it on them because you know you did not commit the crime (in this case).
Always remember to keep calm, take a deep breath, and have an alibi ready at all times. Maybe make a friend or two in the session, you never know who might end up having your back in the end.
