The origami phoenix, Sage’s eye colour, and a new audio recording in the range… Valorant has stuffed hidden details in Ego and into the game itself.
Released on June 2nd, Valorant fans have spent a week going over the Ego music video with a fine-tooth comb. Here are some of the best details that have been found—and some that have yet to be discussed.
Phoenix – voice messages leading up to Ego launch
Unsurprisingly, given that the Ego in-universe singer is Phoenix’s sister, the duelist has had several fascinating lore drops in the Ego music video.
In the lead-up to the music video’s release, two voicemails appeared in Cypher’s office. The first voicemail was a hidden detail in patch v10.09, from Phoenix to his sister, Mary Ade.
Riot Games released Patch v10.09 on May 13th, laying the groundwork for the music video release almost three weeks later.
Phoenix subtly expresses his disrupted relationship with his sister in this voicemail. It is clear that Mary Ade has been trying to contact him by phone, but he has not been answering.
“Yo, baby sis, giving me a taste of my own medicine, huh? Not picking up? Huh, right…
Phoenix’s voicemail to Mary Ade – Cypher’s Office
Sorry I missed your call- uh, calls, yeah… been meaning to call you earlier, just… you know how it is. Hope Lagos is treating you alright. Send Auntie Bukki my best.
Last we spoke you were back home in London. No… that must have been years ago, man…”
Patch v10.10, released on May 28th, continued to build a better understanding of Phoenix and Mary Ade’s relationship.
A new voicemail replaced Phoenix’s in Cypher’s Office, this time, from Mary herself.
The recording immediately confirms that the two siblings have been separated for a long time. Mary comments, “I almost forgot what you sounded like!”
Crucially, this voicemail also confirms that the song Ego is explicitly about Phoenix. Mary writes the song as a way to express her emotions around their past.
“Don’t freak out but… it’s about you and that night. Jamie, when-… whenever I try to talk to you about it, you just… shut down and… I need to get it out, okay? Just… just gimme a call.”
Mary Ade’s voicemail to Phoenix – Cypher’s Office
We learn the events of “that night” in Ego’s accompanying cinematic. These voicemails help to understand Phoenix’s actions and Mary’s reaction at the end of the video.
Phoenix – origami birds tell the tale of a tragic backstory
Many of the key hidden details in Ego develop the emotional complexity of Phoenix and Mary’s backstory.
Threading through this story is the origami bird, with its iterations representing the stages of Phoenix and Mary’s relationship.
As Mary’s flashback sequence begins, the brother and sister sit on a rooftop – likely their school, given that they are in uniform. Phoenix is playing with an origami paper bird, which he gives to Mary.
Moments later, we see radianite begin falling from the sky—the moment Phoenix gains his power. Links back to the origins of Valorant also fit nicely with Ego’s place in Valorant’s 5-year celebration, paying homage to where the game’s story begins.
The sequences that follow show that Phoenix set his school on fire shortly after receiving his radianite powers, with his sister trapped inside. Scarring from the fire is visible in shots of her performing the song on the piano as an adult.
As she plays piano while singing Ego, we see a paper origami bird again, this time with blackened, singed wings.
At the end of the music video, we see Mary Ade in a dressing room. Before her is a new, more elaborate origami phoenix.
Phoenix and Mary’s relationship turns from juvenile to scarred and damaged. However, a new era in their siblinghood is dawning.
Before the end of the Ego video, we see Mary turn from the new origami phoenix to see someone behind the camera. We can only assume this is her brother, back to rekindle the close relationship they enjoyed before the first light.
Sage’s hidden details in Ego – where is the life she gives taken from?
Sage, the life you give… do you ever wonder where it’s taken from?
Omen – Valorant Voiceline
Valorant characters consistently question the origins of Sage’s healing powers. While some of the other healing characters have a clear exchange of life attached to their ability, Sage does not.
Cove’s resurrection powers are dependent on her ability to kill an enemy player 30 seconds after she rejoins the game. Reyna heals directly from the enemy players she kills.
Sage’s resurrection of teammates does not seem to require an exchange at face value.
Other characters, like Phoenix and Skye, also possess healing powers, but these are not viewed in-universe as having the same transactional value. To date, the differences between these healing abilities remain underexplored.
However, we have received hints over the past several years that, for Sage, the exchange of life force exists and is merely hidden, not yet understood by us.
The balance of life taken and given is also referenced in her leaked dossier.
Fellow agent Fade once leaked Valorant Protocol dossiers in an act of blackmail. Sage’s dossier is accusatory, stating, “Do you believe this does not apply to you? That a life saved does not mean a life taken?”
This is where hidden details in Ego may reveal clues to Sage’s abilities.
As Sage resurrects KillJoy, a brief frame shows her eyes flashing the colour purple.
This purple is similar to the shade we see when Reyna takes the life force of fallen enemies for healing, and is in the same colour palette as the dimension Clove returns from when resurrected.
Finally, a visual link connects the three most prominent healers in the game. This may confirm a long-held theory that Sage takes life from another dimension in exchange for the resurrection of her teammates, just as Reyna and Clove exchange life in their abilities.
Ranianite begins to take over Sage – but not for the first time
Importantly, we also see Sage experiencing physical damage from the utilisation of her resurrection power. Parts of her face crystallise at the end of the video.
What some fans might not know is that Ego is not the first time we see the visual of Sage being overwhelmed with radianite crystals. In a 2021 VCT video, she is also shown being taken over by the crystallite structure.
Brimstone and Kay/O – confirmation of their connected past?
Valorant references another long-held theory in a hidden detail in Ego. Fans have long speculated that there is a connection between agent Kay/O and Brimstone’s deceased friend, Tariq.
Brimstone and Kay/O are perceived to have an unusually close relationship. Visuals of Brimstone with Tariq and Brimstone with Kay/O have also been mirrored, especially in Valorant banners.
This has led fans to believe that Kay/O is Tariq from an alternate timeline.
In the Ego video, while Brimstone and the other agents are fighting off creatures as Sage is resurrecting KillJoy, we see faces in the background as the scene focuses on him. These faces are repeated iterations of Kay/O.
However, at the far left of the shot, a human face is beginning to emerge. This face resembles Tariq and merges into Kay/O.
This strongly suggests that the two are connected, as fans have speculated.
What do the hidden details in Ego suggest about future Valorant lore?
Riot Games has invested considerable effort in developing a comprehensive, detailed, and deliberate lore surrounding the characters in Valorant.
The hidden details in Ego add significant hints about the future of these characters.
Phoenix, Sage, and Brimstone are all original agents. They were present when the game launched, and therefore don’t have the more established backstory that more recently announced agents enjoy.
Ego strongly suggests that the mysteries surrounding these original agents may soon be resolved.
A new agent has already been teased during the VCT Masters in Toronto, so the next lore drop is already on the horizon.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.
