Learning how to play each class in Paladins is a skill that can be difficult to master, especially in the hands of a relatively new player. But, if you want to be the responsible one, and fill out whatever role is missing while also feeling confident about it, you’ve clicked on the right guide.
Damage/DPS
Let’s start with the Damage class. It’s usually the class that everybody plays first (unless they’re a Lex main)
1. You are responsible for Damage
As your title suggests, your main goal is to deal as much Damage as possible, while still getting kills in the process. I’m gonna get this out of the way now, every Damage champion is different, so depending on who you like to play, your playstyle will be differentiated.
Examples:
Champions with high RoF (Rate of Fire) and rather good damage numbers, are better for putting pressure on the enemy Frontline, destroying they’re shields, and beaming down any other exposed targets.
On the other hand, Champions with really slow RoF but insanely high damage numbers (like snipers for example) are terrible for putting pressure on the enemy Frontline, and are better off taking out the other Damage(s) or maybe even the support if they have a clear shot. These kinds of Champions heavily rely on positioning, which brings me into my next tip…
2. Place yourself near/around the objective, but not directly on it
For positioning, you want to make sure that you’re in a good place to help out both yourself, and your team. Find yourself a good vantage point and angle to deal a hefty amount of damage without getting shot in the open. Perfect example would be natural cover: Walls, Boxes, Big Rocks, etc. But make sure to change what spot you’re shooting from every now and then, otherwise some enemies will pick up on it, and attempt to sneak in a kill.
3. Have patience with abilities
I’ve seen lots of players use their abilities impulsively, and sometimes go as far as using their ultimates on a single target, or during overtime when they start to get too cocky. And for the life of me, I don’t know why. Unless you’re about to win the match, or even a round, DO NOT use your ultimate during overtime. This actually applies to every role.
Flank
Time to get into the Flank class. Now I’ll say this: If the character you’re currently playing is in the Flank class, but you seem to be having a hard time getting a hold of them, that’s totally fine. I’ll have you know, that the Flank class, is the hardest class to learn in the game, so it’s bound to take some practice. So move at your own pace, and maybe the following tips might help you out.
1. You are responsible for kills
As a flank, the first thing you want to do, is scout the area, and make sure you’re in the clear for a safe route to the enemies’s side. After that, sneak your way into the enemy back-line, and try to pick off 1 or maybe even 2 players off their team. Ideally, the first player you wanna try and kill, would be the Support, and if you can’t find/see them right away, the Damage(s) are next on your list. Killing the Support will give you and your team a huge advantage, since Support is arguably the most crucial role. If you ever do so successfully, that would the PERFECT time to knock out the majority of the enemy team.
2. Hangout in their back-line
Positioning as a Flank can be a bit tricky at first, but to put it simply, what you want to do is keep watch of their spawn to see who’s making their way back on over to the objective. If you manage to shoot someone off their mount after they leave their spawn, you might have just secured the objective in a cheeky manner. After that, you’re free to plan you’re next move.
3. Know when to retreat
You need to have an aggressive playstyle when playing a Flank Champion, but not too aggressive. For example: In most of your matches, you might find yourself getting lots of kills, but also getting lots of deaths in the process. Basically, you never want to “overextend” too much. So whenever you’re low on health, (and I actually urge this to everyone) please retreat back to your healer, because having them chase you can be tedious at times. Another scenario is if you’re trying to kill the enemy healer, but one of his teammates comes to help him, and you die because of that. If this happens once, then it’s not all bad, that healer just got some help, right? When this happens over and over again, this is when you stop flanking, and find something else to do. Don’t fall into the same trap again.
Frontline/Tank
This is the role that most people don’t like playing because of how boring it can be, obviously not everyone hates it, but when it comes to you needing to pick a tank, here’s what you need to know.
1. You’re responsible for holding the objective
This is the obvious tip, but some people don’t do it so well. Frontline champions have the biggest health pool in the game, so don’t be scared to jump onto the objective, because you’re literally designed to do that. But please, at least wait for 1 or 2 teammates to cover you, just in case something doesn’t go as planned. Yes, you have the largest health pool, but if the team numbers aren’t in your favor, DO NOT jump on point alone.
2. Control Space
Don’t misunderstand this, not only can Frontlines use their abilities to defend the objective, but they can also use them to be threatening. Advancing a few steps forward with a Shield is threatening, covering a large portion of the ground is threatening, general crowd control is threatening. See where I’m getting at here?
3. Try to cycle your abilities
If there isn’t too much going on around point, much like the tip I gave for the Damage champs, use your abilities strategically. When you’re playing Frontline, you’re gonna be dealing with all sorts of damage and crowd control on point, so it’s your job to figure out which ability is the best for that scenario. Now I’ll admit, sometimes, that’s not always the case. If you have to use more than one ability at a time because all hell breaks loose for example, don’t let anything stop you.
Support/Healer
And finally, here we are, with the Support class. This class is not really appealing to newer players either, but honestly, if you just started playing this class for no particular reason, you might see yourself having way more fun then you thought you were gonna have.
1. Pick the right talent
As a support, you’re responsible for healing your team. Again, I’m sure you knew this already, but the thing about supports, is that some of their talents can make the way you heal your team better and/or worse. So if you have a support champion that you enjoy playing, make sure you understand how their abilities work. After that, determine which talent is best for keeping your team alive.
2. Stay back
There should be no reason for you to be pushing up the middle with your team, unless you have a plan with your ultimate of course. But 90% of the time, you want to try a stay hidden while also healing your team. Don’t expose yourself too much.
3. You’re part of the team too
As a support, you want to prioritise healing your team, but don’t forget to prioritise yourself too. It’s good to think about your teammates, but if you happen to be in a dangerous situation where you’re getting flanked for example, retreat using your movement ability. You can run over to a teammate, and maybe they’ll help you out, or if no one’s in reach, just get away from that flank at all costs. A couple of your teammates might die, and if they happen to complain about no healing, please remember that there’s nothing wrong with defending yourself.
In Conclusion
These are just 3 simple tips for each class, there’s gonna be more you have to consider, but you can worry about that after you gained more knowledge on the game.
If you have any feedback, I’d really appreciate it in the comments. Or if you have tips from yourself, leave them there too, I might take them into consideration as well.
