Paladins‘ newest frontline champion, Raum, has been out for only a week, and he already has a place in the competitive meta. Hi-Rez recently sat down with Paladins pro players from teams Envy, Kanga Esports, Pittsburgh Knights, and NiP to talk about how they like to run Raum. Using the advice of the pros and our own experience grinding the “demon Chad”, we have prepared a micro-guide to help you start winning games with this new champion.
Cards and talents
Raum is an exceptional point tank and uniquely difficult to counter with traditional means like Wrecker and Cauterize. But he is also a giant target – literally, as he has the largest champion model in Paladins. When firing his minigun, Raum slows down to 50 percent movement speed, which makes him even easier to hit. This is why we recommend a safe Raum build focused on the Ignition ability with cards like Abhorrent Vista and Hellish Lodestones.
The first card reduces Ignition’s cooldown by up to 3 seconds, while the second grants Raum up to 25 percent damage resistance for 3 seconds after Ignition. Ignition is already his fastest cooldown ability, and this card combination gives Raum access to a lot of durability when he needs it most.
For talents, Paladins pros seem to agree Enforcer is the safest pick. Enforcer grants Raum 75 percent damage resistance during his Juggernaut charge. Raum can’t use his defensive Soul Harvest ability or the Ignition combo during Juggernaut, so Enforcer closes that gap in his defense.
Earthsplitter is a good alternative to Enforcer against certain team compositions. This talent lets Raum charge up his Cataclysm ultimate 60 percent faster. Cataclysm has incredible utility, as it clears out all shields while also stunning enemy champions in a decent area of effect. It also instantly destroys Inara walls, which is just perfect.
Positioning is key
Raum is very fun and near-indestructible when his team supports him well. However, he does have a couple of distinct shortcomings you need to be mindful of. He is rather immobile, especially when trading fire with enemy champions – which he should be doing all the time. So make sure to use Juggernaut intelligently, ending your charge in a good position to continue the onslaught. You may want to have a Juggernaut-focused Raum build prepared for larger maps. Buying Nimble is also helpful.
When playing as Raum, be mindful of your windups. Much like Ash, Raum’s offensive abilities are slow and very telegraphed to help counterbalance their raw power. Make sure to aim well when using Cataclysm so that enemy champions won’t have the time or space to dodge it. Similarly, cause more mayhem with your Juggernaut charges by launching them from the best possible angle and position.
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