Fade is the 20th Agent to join the VALORANT Protocol. Watching from Turkey, she uses her Radiant abilities to infiltrate her enemies' deepest fears—before crushing them in the dark.
Turkish bounty hunter, Fade, unleashes the power of raw nightmares to seize enemy secrets. Attuned with terror itself, she hunts targets and reveals their deepest fears—before crushing them in the dark.
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Lore[]
Fade, the twentieth Agent in the Protocol, is a Turkish Radiant who uses fear-based abilities to get an edge in combat.
Her personality is relatively guarded, which is logical given the circumstances in which she joined the Protocol. As she joined shortly after having blackmailed and doxxed the entire team (see Blackmailing below), she naturally faces a lot of resentment and distrust from the other Agents.
Prior to joining the VALORANT Protocol, Fade was a REALM employee, however, her role in the organization is not currently known. She also had an occupation as a Bounty Hunter (a private worker, tasked with hunting down and capturing fugitives or criminals, in exchange for a commission or bounty as a reward). There, she used 'normal' skills of tracking and finding people, in conjunction with her Radiant powers, to hunt down criminals for a living.
Powers and Abilities[]
The primary focus of her powers are, essentially, revealing to herself and her enemies their worst fears. It is important to note that these abilities only extend to fears - they are not a form of 'mind-reading'. Yes, they do give Fade a great insight into her victim, and they do cause said victim much distress, but by themselves these powers yield little else.
However, the little information that Fade gets from these snippets is more than enough for her to work on. Türkiye has a long and deep culture of dream-reading and interpretation, and Fade has mastered the art of using these age-old techniques on her enemies' nightmares[1]. In this way, even the seemingly basic knowledge that she gets from seeing her victim's fears can be used to discover information of much greater relevance and value.
Beyond this, Fade also possesses skills of hunting down people and information by more 'traditional' means. Before joining the Protocol, Fade was a Bounty Hunter by profession (as evidenced by her official description and Dev Codename), a job which aided her in mastering these[1]. Put together, all these factors make her terrifyingly skilled at discovering the deepest secrets of anyone that she she wishes to target.
Nightmare[]
The special role that 'Nightmare' plays in Fade's powers is worth a mention here. When talking about them, Fade refers to her powers as its own entity, separate from herself, called 'The Nightmare' or just 'Nightmare'.
Nightmare isn't a 'real' entity in the Lore, instead being just the manifestation that Fade's Radiance takes in her mind[2], but it still feels very real to her. This connection to an external entity as the personification of her powers does make Fade unique as far as Radiants go.
The relationship that Fade has with Nightmare is noteworthy. While she does get to wield its immense power, using it takes a severe toll on her. Fade herself states that she only gained access to these fear-based abilities after having 'paid a heavy price' - the sacrifice of her own "sanity and comfort", according to the Agent Insights: Fade Article[3].
[...] Fade is no stranger to sacrifice. She deals with peoples’ darkest fears and most upsetting thoughts to wield her nightmarish powers while sacrificing her own sanity and comfort.
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— the Agent Insights: Fade Article
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Blackmailing[]
This section goes into why and how Fade blackmailed the Protocol. For more information specifically on the dossiers she released as a part of this attack, see Agent Dossiers.
Prior to her joining the Protocol, Fade terrorized it with a long Blackmailing attack, during which she threatened to reveal all of VALORANT's secret information to the public if her demands were not met.
Fade initiated contact with the VP through an anonymous Email (visible at Brimstone's Office, in Patch 4.02). She was plain with her threats, claiming that she would reveal all of the Protocol's secrets to the public. Her intentions for the Blackmailing were of a highly personal nature: she thought that VALORANT was responsible for the disappearance of someone close to her (only referred to so far as 'Him').
The Email sent the Protocol into a state of alarm, with efforts and personnel being redirected to handle this threat. All the Emails and Voicemails sent to Brimstone from Patch 4.03 to Patch 4.08 discussed little else. A breakthrough came in Patch 4.05, where Cypher claimed that he had discovered her location to be 'somewhere in Türkiye' (later narrowed down to be a warehouse in Istanbul).
A strike team, led by Sova, was immediately assembled. Together. they managed to apprehend Fade, and take her back to headquarters. The audio logs of both her capture and interrogation can be heard in Cypher's Office, in Patch 4.07 and 4.08 respectively.
A part of the blackmail was the revealing of special Dossiers made for each of the Agents. They revealed the real names and some of the backstory of the Agents that they described, followed by a prod at their fears and character faults. In-game, these could be found dispersed at various locations across all the maps, in Patches 4.04 - 4.07.
She was also aware of a lot more information that she didn't share with the Protocol directly - for example, in her interrogation, she says that she knew of their Operating Guidelines, the location of the VPHQ, their Weapon Loadout, their R&D Budget, and the last 6 months of their Mission Archives. However, there were also some things that she could not discover - such as, most importantly, the existence of Omega Earth.
With the revelation of the existence of another world, Fade's viewpoints of the Protocol flip, with her now accepting that they were not the ones who took 'Him'. Cypher, impressed by Fade's obvious skills, powers, and prowess at information-gathering, goes as far as to suggest hiring her. She was soon recruited into the Protocol (this was met with mixed reactions from the other members).
Sleep[]
Fade seems to express a dislike to sleep or rest, since she has nightmares everytime she sleep.[4]. We see how she likes to be a night owl, staying up far into the late hours, in multiple posts of her Agent Takeover. In the third post, we see her applying Henna on her hands late at night. On the table, dimly lit by a desklamp and a small candle, are a cup of coffee and a bowl of white sage (the herb, not the Agent). Burning sage through the night is, of course, a common practice in some regions - both for medicinal and spiritual/superstitious reasons.
Similarly, in the fourth post of the same takeover, we see her out on a late night walk around Istanbul, with the Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosporus bridge visible in the background. The caption of the post roughly translates to “A person can lose many things at night. Sometimes even themselves, if they're lucky.”[5].
Alongside this, we also know that Fade consumes a large amount of coffee and energy drinks. She refers to her appreciation of coffee in her voicelines[6], and we see coffee present in large quantities in her media - for example, a full cup is present in the post mentioned above, and another one is in the 'Lokum' image from the State of the Agents Article that teased her (see Teasers below). A very large jug filled with the drink, along with a smaller box of the Spike Rush energy drink, is also present near her desk in the first post of the same takeover.
During the Nexus plotline, Fade's 'aversion' to sleep grew to outright deprivation, when her hopes for rest were altogether abandoned following a particularly intense vision caused by Nightmare. Her severe lack of sleep took a toll on her health, causing multiple Agents to take express their concern (see the voicemails sent in Patch 6.01 for more information).
Omega Fade[]
Not much is known about Ω-Fade, with the little information we have coming from the REVELATION cinematic. In it, she had a sequence dedicated to herself, where she gathered information pertaining to the City of Flowers by stealing it from a (currently) unknown group of people.
Each of the major plot sequences shown in the cinematic had been teased a few days prior on VALORANT's social media accounts. Fade's teaser showed her about to enter the nightclub in which her sequence took place. The voiceover in the video suggested that she had been hunting after this information for some time by then.
So many places to run from the dark... but it always catches up
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— Fade, social media teaser for REVELATION[7]
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Personality[]
A menacing and intimidating individual, Fade has lived most of her recent life picking at people’s fears and emotions to get what she wants. This characteristic, along with the powers her radiance gives her, makes her a terrifying presence both on the field and in the HQ. However, Fade also displays great loyalty to those she deems her allies, regardless of the feelings and emotions those individuals may harbour for her.
As a merchant of fear and paranoia, Fade appreciates the work of other members in the Protocol who make use of those emotions in their combat, such as Omen, Reyna and Viper. During her downtime, Fade can often be seen reading a book, brewing coffee and doing other things to keep herself awake.
Appearance[]
The centerpiece of Fade's clothing is a blue jacket with a popped collar, coupled with black sleeves and pants. The inner side of the Jacket is purple with white designs. Quite amusingly, there are toe beans on the soles of her shoes.
She has a medium skintone, which is complimented with black lipstick, several black earrings, a black nosering, black nailpaint, and black eyeshadow. She has heterochromia (i.e., her eyes are of different colors, in her case one blue and one brown), which mimics the eye colors of the Turkish Angora cat. [3] Her normally black hair is dyed white towards the ends.
Fade applies henna on her own hands, neck and face.[4] In Turkish culture, henna symbolises sacrifice and Fade herself is no stranger to sacrifice.[3] There is also a heavy incorporation of the 'Nazar' motif (an eye-like design on a blue-and-white background, being a common symbol in the Mediterranean region for warding off the evil eye) in her appearance, with it being used as her jacket's zipper, on multiple rings, studs, and more.
Meaning of the name[]
Word “fade” means “gradually grow faint and disappear.”
Her first name Hazal means drying and falling leaves in autumn.
Her surname Eyletmez could mean “not letting something happen/not letting someone do something”
Relationships[]
Fade has high opinions of Viper, admiring the way she uses intimidation and fear in her appearance, and her general ruthless demeanor. Viper's reaction to this is, so far, unknown.
Fade spends time reading with Omen while he knits[3]. If nothing else, this does at least confirm that not all of the Agents (except for those who have had a good opinion of her from the start, such as Cypher) absolutely detest her for the blackmailing, and are willing to spend time with her and build a positive relationship.
Of all the Agents, Cypher is perhaps the only one who has a visibly positive attitude to Fade. Impressed by her abilities, Cypher was the one who suggested (or supported, if he wasn't the first to suggest it) the idea of recruiting Fade into the Protocol. Fade also is friendly with Cypher, and respects his great skill at finding information and secrets.
Jett has voiced out her negative opinions to Fade's recruitment in her Email to Brimstone, stating that it is unreasonable to expect the team to trust and work with Fade after she had blackmailed and doxxed them. While not confirmed, it is likely that this opinion is shared by many other Agents. Fade has no voicelines towards Jett.
Cards[]
The VALORANT Fade Playercard is a generic portrait of Fade. Interestingly, this player card does not have the agent's VP number in its banner form while all other tier 2/3 agents cards do. It is unknown why it was left out.
The Dark Tide Playercard shows a lone figure walking past an archway, with a dense cluster of Nightmare tendrils seeping towards them from the foreground. Interestingly, this player card does not have the agent's VP number in its banner form while all other tier 9 agents cards do. It is unknown why it was left out.
The Hush Playercard shows a single Nazar motif, surrounded by inky-black Nightmare tendrils.
The Fade ID Playercard shows Fade's VALORANT Protocol identification card.
Voicelines[]
Find all of Fade's voicelines here
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Fade's first tease was the Hush Playercard (see Cards above) from the Episode 4: Act 2 battlepass at tier 50.
Blackmailing: Patch 4.02 - 4.06[]
Fade's most prominent teasers came in the form of her blackmailing. These involved direct communication with the Protocol through Emails that she sent to Brimstone (visible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.02 and 4.04). In them, her username reads [ENCRYPTED], and her profile picture is a Nazar-based motif. She also sent out dossiers on all the Agents, digging into their character backstories and flaws.
Her blackmailing came to an end with her capture by the Strike Team, recorded in an Audio Log in Cypher's Office. For more information on her blackmailing, see Blackmailing above.
State of the Agents[]
'Lokum'
A new State of the Agents article was published on 28th March, 2022. It offered some insight on how Fade would fit into the meta as an Agent (confirming her role as an intel-gathering initiator) while also introducing her fear/nightmare centered theme and hinting at her Turkish nationality.
At the end of the article was a single image, labeled 'Lokum'. It shows Fade's very cluttered desk, with a Laptop on it showing Sova's dossier. On the back wall is a pinboard, full of various images connected by red thread.
Strewn about the table is a large collection of post-its and other loose notes. A cup of coffee, a plate of Lokum (also called 'Turkish Delights'), and a Nazar ring all lie in the foreground.
[]
On 7th April, the Night.Market returned. The promotional image features a singular Nazar motif, along with several Nightmare tendrils in the background.
On 10th April, at around 9:30am PST, @valoranttr posted an image that was deleted within an hour. It was a teaser for Fade, but also for Cypher's Office, showing him sitting on his desk, with all of his many monitors hacked, now only showing the [ENCRYPTED] symbol.
Cypher is very obviously shocked at the development, as witnessed by his hands on his head, as well as by the upturned coffee mug that lies fallen on his desk, with all the beverage having spilled out.
Later, in Patch 4.07 (immediately after she was apprehended by the Strike Team), the Range got a small update. Down the hallway in which Brimstone's Office was situated, one could now find the door to a prison cell.
Entering the Hallway during this Patch would trigger a spooky sound effect. Entering Brimstone's Office would also apply a brief period of Paranoia, along with one of the six lines played normally on deafening an enemy.
This is all to imply that Fade has been captured, and is being held captive in the Range until the team can decide what to do with their Blackmailer. In Patch 4.08, following her recruitment, all of these were removed.
Social Media Campaign[]
Fade's Social Media campaign was one of the most lore-heavy that we have seen so far. It was a series of 13-second animated videos depicting the fears of all 6 Agents who were a part of the Strike Team. They were released by @PlayVALORANT at 9:30am PT, one per day, from 12th to 17th April. Along with the video, a voice is heard in the background, commenting on the scene with a single word in Turkish.
Later, in Fade's Reveal Trailer, it was shown that these fears were all witnessed by the Agents during the capture mission.
!["Gözcü" [Watcher]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_Cypher.png "Fade SMTeaser Cypher.png (2.74 MB)")
!["Kaçak" [Fugitive]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_Breach.png "Fade SMTeaser Breach.png (2.39 MB)")
!["Kararsız" [Hesitant]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_Neon_b.png "Fade SMTeaser Neon b.png (2.27 MB)")
!["Yüz Karası" [Disgrace]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_KAYO.png "Fade SMTeaser KAYO.png (1.43 MB)")
!["Yalancı" [Liar]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_Chamber.png "Fade SMTeaser Chamber.png (2.14 MB)")
!["Kör" [Blind]](/wiki/File:Fade_SMTeaser_Sova.png "Fade SMTeaser Sova.png (1.91 MB)")
Cypher[]
Of all the Agents, Cypher's post[8] is among the most straightforward. Having spent his life as the information broker, the spy who always goes unseen, Cypher's greatest fear is being watched - having his every move meticulously recorded and broadcasted to the world, and he is helpless to do anything about it.
His fear extends far beyond just this, however - Cypher has built his entire identity behind his secrecy and concealment. None of his personal life is shared with anyone, even those that he holds dear, to the point that he chooses against even revealing his face to the rest of the Protocol. Cypher's identity has always been the man who sits behind the camera lens, and now that he is stuck on the other side, all of that comes crashing down.
"If we could watch the watcher, what would we really see?"
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— David Nottingham, Twitter
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Breach[]
A cursory glance at Breach's post[9] would lead one to believe that it is 'just being locked behind bars', but in truth it is so much more than that. His imprisonment is a symbolic callback to his backstory (as described by his Dossier) - he hails from a notorious and successful family of criminals, but when they were caught and punished, Breach was let off on grounds of his disability.
This treatment took a heavy emotional toll on Breach. While most people would be delighted to be let free after being caught as a criminal, to Breach this was just another stinging remark of how his being a congenital amputee meant that he was not 'good enough' - not of the same class as everyone else, not worth the same treatment as his family.
In retaliation, Breach went on to become one of the most famed and notorious criminals to be. Through a grand string of break-ins, heists, raids, and attacks, Breach proved himself to be just as 'worthy' as the rest of his family. Only now, that worthiness came with the cost of being a wanted fugitive - never again to be allowed to live a 'normal' life. This, combined with his already-present pain due to his disability, had a horrible emotional impact on him, causing him to become secluded and isolated. Trapped in his mind, a prison of his own making.
Another point worth noting here is how Breach's bionic arms spark and crackle periodically - they're broken, utterly useless. Breach clearly places a lot of importance on his arms: they are the center of his character, his most defining trait. These arms that he made for himself allowed him to become the master criminal that he is, and the pride he has in them is clear in his speech. They are as vital a part of his personality as he himself is, and to see them broken is to see himself broken - once more a congenital amputee, once more a magnet for pity, and shame, and disgrace.
In conclusion, yes, he is 'locked behind bars'. But it is so much more than just the walls of a prison that hold him back. It's the walls of a shattered mind.
"The worst prison is the prison of the mind - no escape."
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— David Nottingham, Twitter
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Neon[]
Neon's teaser[10] has become a subject of slight debate, as many people misinterpret it to symbolize her fear to be that of being bound. On the surface, this seems correct - naturally, the character centered around mobility and running free would be terrified of being tied down, of being restrained. However, on looking deeper into what we know of her, one will find that this could not be farther from the truth.
While it's certainly possible that Neon is apprehensive of being caught and bound, her true nightmare has always been the looming danger posed by her own powers. She worries that one day, inevitably, she will not be able to handle the sheer energy that she wields - she will lose control.
This fear of her own powers has been mentioned and referenced many times over. For example, Neon's Agent Dossier primary focuses on how, despite however hard she may try, true control over her powers is something that she will never have. Similarly, Neon's suit itself comes with a 'surge protector' at the back, specifically designed by its creator[11] to help her handle her powers.
Some foreboding hints as to what might occur if she loses control have already been given to us by Neon herself. In a voicemail to Brimstone (audible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.03), she claims that removing the protective caps on her suit would result in her causing an explosion that would utterly destroy a part of the VPHQ. And as we see in the video, the Surge Protector on Neon's back is gone.
"Is she truly safe with what power lurks within?"
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— David Nottingham, Twitter
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KAY/O[]
KAY/O's post[12] sees him stranded, alone in a dim room. As his body smokes, he gazes down into his hands, where the lifeless corpse of Brimstone lies cold. We watch as his face slowly flickers, and with a light shudder he shuts down entirely.
Of all the teasers, this one is perhaps the most desolate and depressing. Fade shows KAY/O that he failed - he failed his mission, coming all the way back in time to change the course of the future, in hopes of preventing the great destruction brought on by the Radiant War. He failed his duty of protecting Brimstone, which comes with the subtextual implication that he died in the same way - as a casualty of the War. He failed, both on a personal fail, and on a global one.
"Grasping at dust you cannot hold on to."
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— David Nottingham, Twitter
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Chamber[]
Currently, the members of VALORANT certainly suspect Chamber of having some ulterior motive, but they aren't aware of what it is, nor of what all he has done on the path of achieving it (namely, his history with the Everett-Linde Facility, aka Fracture). Chamber himself is, for all practical purposes, lying to and taking advantage of the VP in order to achieve this ulterior motive.
Chamber's teaser[13] expands on this history and nature of his, showing his fear of facing judgement from the Protocol for his past. The various crimes he has done now come to light, and he is hated and shunned by everyone for them. This is represented through various Agents (in order: Sova, Yoru, Sage, Brimstone, Omen, Cypher, and Jett), tall and imposing, looking down upon him.
While it is well-established that Chamber has some ulterior motive, we don't quite know what it is yet, and whether it is for selfless or selfish interests. Whatever the case, a lot of what we do know so far does not point towards his goals being 'evil' or 'villainous' - indeed, they seem to be quite the opposite, with him genuinely believing that what he is doing is right, that he is not the 'bad guy' of this story.
This conviction extends to a dangerous willingness to use 'questionable' means to achieve his ends. He deems his goals to be absolutely necessary - to the point that he sacrificed the Everett-Linde Facility (along with all of the many scientists who worked there) to achieve them. To be judged, to be told that what he had done was wrong, to be told that his ultimate goal is not worth as much as he has done for it, and to be hated for thinking otherwise is the greatest punishment he could bear.
Beyond just the mental impact of losing face before his peers, this shunning also has a more tangible impact on his goals. If we take a look at all his past actions so far, we see that they are all methodical and purposeful. All of his endeavors for over the past years - getting into Everett-Linde, stealing the portal schematics, and eventually destroying the facility - have been done with the express intention of getting him into a position to enter the Protocol.
What he will do, having gotten in, will be the culmination of his entire grand plan - and to be ousted now, right at the cusp of its completion, would mean that all of that effort and sacrifice would have been for nothing.
"Trust cuts both ways."
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— David Nottingham, Twitter
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Sova[]
Sova's fear[14] is, just like Cypher's, pretty straightforward. He dreads, one day, of losing his sight (note that it's not only his cybernetic eye that has been lost - even his left eye is glassy and blank). Sova's eyesight is one of his most defining character traits, allowing him to become the master archer that he is. Without them, he is left helpless, unable to see and unable to shoot.
That the eye that he has lost is his prosthetic one - the eye to which all of his various gear, including the reconnaissance abilities of his Recon Bolt and Owl Drone, are connected. Without it, even all of his fantastic technology is effectively worthless.
Notes[]
- Fade's working name in the files is 'BountyHunter'
- Early during development, it was found that playing against Fade was a very "anxiety/fear-inducing experience". This became the inspiration for her fear-based theme[15][16].
- As suggested by the first post of Fade's takeover, she has her own office located somewhere in Istanbul[17].
- The fact that she was first caught in a warehouse in the same city, and that the forth post of the same takeover shows her walking around Istanbul, heavily imply that she lives there.
- The Toe Beans at the soles of Fade's shoes are meant as a reference to the prominent cat-caring culture in Istanbul[18][3], which is hinted to be Fade's home city.
- Fade's heterochromia is inspired by the Turkish Angora cat breed, in which heterochromia is common[3].
- Fade's Prowler actually just comprises of two cat heads placed on top of each other, with a long tail attached at the end [3]
- It is an unlikely coincidence that, mere days after Fade joins the team, the Protocol's stash of coffee has completely run dry - much to Cypher's dismay, as this means that the rest of the Agents resort to drinking his tea[19]
- Fade funds a cat sanctuary near her apartment. She goes there at night and spends time with the cats.
- Fade is voiced by Selin Cuhadaroglu.
- As with every other Agent, Fade has a Spotify playlist:
Sources[]
- Fade's Agent Page Go
- Fade's Agent Reveal Trailer Go
- Fade's Voicelines Go
- Several updates in Brimstone's Office throughout Episode 4, archived by Kingdom Archives Gp
- The State of the Agents - March 2022 Article Go
- The Agent Insights: Fade Article Go
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The various methods used by Fade to track down information - Discord QnA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesyGo
- ↑ Nightmare is just a manifestation of Fade's Radiance - Discord QnA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 The Agent Insights: Fade Article Go
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://discordapp.com/channels/698265763491872768/752232578538274948/1358111063337336873
- ↑ A certain amount of confusion has emerged about the translation of this particular sentence, since Google Translate insists on converting the 'Themselves' to 'Himself'. This disparity is due to Turkish not having gendered pronouns like English's Himself/Herself/Themselves, causing all of them to be changed to the same 'Himself' by Google.
- ↑ "Okay, time for coffee, my treat." - Fade, on Match Win; voiceline archived by Kingdom Archives Go
- ↑ The first social media post about REVELATION, teasing the sequence with Fade at the nightclub - Twitter Go
- ↑ The first post of Fade's social media campaign, showing Cypher's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ The second post of Fade's social media campaign, showing Breach's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ The third post of Fade's social media campaign, showing Neon's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ The Creator of Neon's suit is hinted to be her father by her dossier. Read more about this here.
- ↑ The fourth post of Fade's social media campaign, showing KAY/O's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ The fifth post of Fade's social media campaign, showing Chamber's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ The last post of Fade's social media campaign, showing Sova's fear - Twitter Go
- ↑ Riot MEMEMEMEME on why the Devs picked Fade's fear-based theme - Reddit AmA with the Characters Team Go
- ↑ Riot MEMEMEMEME on Fade's Development process - Reddit AmA with the Characters Team Go
- ↑ This can be inferred from the Ortaköy Mosque and Bosporus bridge visible from the window
- ↑ The toe beans on Fade's shoes are in reference to the cats of Istanbul - Interview with Riot Dunpy Go
- ↑ Cypher's dissatisfactions with the Agents drinking his tea in wake of their coffee shortage - the Patch 4.10 Voicemails, audible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.10.