First Real Session On Paladins: The Verdict on Ash (and two gripes)
I walked into my first few matches on Paladins feeling like everything was way too fast and hectic. And then it all just clicked. I'm on XBox One so I know that makes me 'out of the norm' and someone who didn't buy this on Steam. But I'm having a blast all the same.
Why?
Well, for one thing, I've already found a Champion that I think I can really perform well with. Ash is fun, and she has an amazing set of skills. I love her Burst Cannon (but not Kinetic Burst, more on that later) and the shield she uses is easy enough to plonk in front of her whenever she needs it. Shoulder Barge is a work of genius, genuinely saving me in some truly nasty situations.
But there are two issues with this Champion and I wanted to throw them out there to see what people think.
Speed
She's terribly slow. I'm getting better at moving during a fight so I'm compensating for her sluggishness, but she is basically the slowest in any game, I think. It certainly feels that way anyway.
Speed ups help, but by the time I've managed to get her to a good speed a match is over (and I'm not a bad player for my first two hours, I've got a 1.44 KD). It niggles because it means you have to use Shoulder Barge to escape a beating. Alternatively, it's the old 'jump and run' game.
Kinetic Burst Sucks (I think)
It works fine on weaker opponents, but still seems terribly underpowered (300 damage?) and it's only saving grace seems to be the knockback on opponents.
But I love playing Ash so something must be going right with her. I'm going to keep playing, and when I can get some recording done I'll stick a couple of sessions up somewhere.
Who's your favourite Champion?
You're mostly right, but there's a couple important things you miss:
1.) Ash isn't meant to be a damage dealer. Your job as a tank is to sit on the capture point and keep enemies away. You should be using your shield to protect your teammates standing behind you, helping push back enemy fire so they can burst down the healer and DPS.
2.) Kinetic Burst isn't meant to be a damage dealing ability. You want to use it to push enemies off the point, so you can get a few more points. Also good for pushing enemies off before they get the cap. Or pushing them off the payload, securing the win on the round. If you want kills with it, launch an enemy off the map. It works, especially in Frog Marsh and the Fish Market.
3.) Don't worry as much about mobility. You're a tank, you have more health than most toons, and your ult makes you invincible. If you're on the point or contesting, you're building up power for your ult.
4.) if you have a healer support on your team (Jenos, Grover, etc), take rejuvenation. Their heals will be more effective.
If you haven't tried Fernando yet, you should. He got really good in recent patches. You basically do the same thing with him: sit on the objective, protect your allies, and faceroll the way to a win.
Thanks for that. I really like the game, but the sheer number of characters makes it complicated.
It's more role based, and the characters fit specific roles in a team based matchup. Kinda like Team Fortress, you know?
For you, it sounds like you want to be more of a damage dealer, which isn't a bad thing. but Ash and Fernando are Frontline toons, which requires a different mentality when you play. If you want to be a damage dealer, try Victor, Tyra, and Bomb King.
If you want to be a support frontline, helping with capturing but have a bit better damage output, try Ruckus. He's slower than Ash, but he hits pretty damn hard. Dodging doesn't matter when you have plenty of health and the enemy dies before you do!
Thanks for that again. Great to get tips from real players. Going on again late tonight and I'm going to play Ruckus.
UPVOTE AND RESTEEM EVERYONE
I'd join you, but I'm on PC...
Great! PC version is supposed to be good
How do you earn your steem power and dollars etc? Is it just through consistent blogging?
Pretty much! Comment regularly, engage your followers, and be an awesome person.
Pro tip: Use your emitter field whenever you can. Stay a wee bit behind and offer cover fire. You have a large magazine, so you can really lay down the support. He's more of a support Frontline than a tank, so keep that in mind.
upvoted :)
Thanks man, really appreciate it. I'll follow if you will (if you already have, apologies).
Follow back. Have a great day!