Paragon, Epic Game’s new MOBA, features eighteen heroes and counting. While the game is only in early access on both PC and PS4, the team is committing to new hero releases every three weeks. With eighteen characters already available, now’s a great time to familiarize yourself with the roles and heroes of Paragon.
Support players are the unsung heroes of competitive gaming. They may not wrack up the kills or make the flashiest plays, but they remain the backbone of any team. Whether they heal, buff your team or otherwise save your life, these are the Paragon characters you should play to make your teammates shine.
Dekker
If controlling the battlefield suits your playstyle, Dekker is the hero for you. Her Rocket Boots give her immense survivability while also giving her team a small movement speed boost. Coupled with a Stasis Bomb that can stun enemies and slow bubble for impeding enemy movement, Dekker can initiate fights quickly or disengage from them with ease.
Her ultimate, Containment Field, can fence in opponents, giving her damage dealers an easy target. The fence also blocks enemy projectiles, letting you unload attacks free from harassment.
Pros: High mobility and three movement impairing effects makes Dekker extremely hard to kill.
Cons: Low base damage and health. Don’t go it alone.
Muriel
Muriel is your classic back-line healer with an immensely powerful global ultimate. The robot-angel’s Alacrity and Consecrated Ground abilities give her allies a sizable shield. Both those abilities also damage nearby enemies. Her offensive spell, Serenity, slows opponents. Coupled with her shields, Muriel is very strong when coupled with melee heroes, especially Kallari, who fall quickly to coordinated enemy attacks.
Muriel’s ultimate, Reversal of Fortune, sends her flying across the map to any ally. Upon landing, she grants her target a small shield and knocks up all nearby enemy heroes. It’s hard to underestimate the power of Reversal of Fortune. It can save lives in a pinch, or act as a devastating initiative when cast on allies who can leap onto the enemy team, sending them flying. It’s also just a great tool for applying consistent pressure along the map, similar to Shen‘s Stand United from League of Legends.
Pros: Global presence with the ability to make clutch plays.
Cons: Very low base health and limited crowd control make her an easy target.
Riktor
A recent addition to the game, Riktor also falls into the Paragon Tank role, but brings the CC needed to effectively support his team as an initiator and peeler. When he activates Shock Therapy,the chain-wielding monstrosity slows and silences his opponents. His bread-and-butter maneuver is Riplash, which sends out his chain, grabbing and pulling towards him any enemy foolish enough to get caught.
The long-distance grab is a gaming staple. It defines characters like Blitzcrank from League of Legends, Stitches from Heroes of the Storm, Pudge from Dota 2 and, most recently, Roadhog from Overwatch. The ability such pulls offer for catching people out of position is unparalled, and it makes Riktor shine in the support role. Coupled with his massive AoE stun from Skewer, Riktor is a fantastic choice for support players eager to stand out.
Pros: Play-making abilities can carry a team to victory.
Cons: With no heals or shields, Riktor is entirely dependent on good team coordination.