Paladins is Hi-Rez Studios' free-to-play team hero shooter, out of beta since May 2018, and it is no longer being developed. Hi-Rez halted active work on Paladins and the original SMITE on 6 February 2025 during a restructuring that cut a large share of its staff, and the game has been in maintenance mode since. Servers are still up: Steam concurrents in August 2026 average roughly 900 over a rolling 30 days with 24-hour peaks near 1,500, against an all-time high of 60,712. Balance is frozen, so any tier list from 2025 onward is still accurate.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness, factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Rankings
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage: hitscan poke | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Damage: projectile burst | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Flank: dive assassin | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Front Line: shield anchor | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Support: main healer | A | Balanced | Best available |
For detailed meta rankings, see our Paladins tier list.
A-Tier: Damage: hitscan poke
Damage: hitscan poke is a top-performing option in Paladins.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Cassie's Crossbow | A hitscan-feeling crossbow with solid mid-range damage and a small magazine. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Five-card loadouts capped at 15 points | Each champion equips exactly five cards, and each card can be set from rank one to rank five, with the total ranks in a loadout capped at 15. |
How to Play Damage: hitscan poke
Damage: hitscan poke focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: Cassie's Crossbow does the damage and Five-card loadouts capped at 15 points keeps it running, which is why this sits at the top of the list. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Damage: projectile burst
Damage: projectile burst is a strong option in Paladins.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Viktor's Assault Rifle | A hitscan rifle with a large magazine and the most conventional first-person shooter feel on the roster. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Talents chosen before the match starts | Every champion has three Talents, picked alongside your loadout at the start of a match. |
How to Play Damage: projectile burst
Damage: projectile burst focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: Pair Viktor's Assault Rifle with Talents chosen before the match starts and the build stops depending on a good start, so it holds up across most content. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Flank: dive assassin
Flank: dive assassin is a strong option in Paladins.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Maeve's Daggers | Fast-firing thrown daggers with short effective range and a brutal falloff curve. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | The in-match credit shop | You earn credits during the match and spend them on items across four categories: Defense, Utility, Healing and Damage. |
How to Play Flank: dive assassin
Flank: dive assassin focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: The in-match credit shop covers the gap Maeve's Daggers leaves open, so the build stays usable even when a fight goes badly. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Front Line: shield anchor
Front Line: shield anchor is a specialized option in Paladins.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Barik's Blunderbuss | A short-range spread weapon on a Front Line champion who deploys turrets and a Barricade. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Four champion classes | Damage champions handle sustained output and shield breaking, Flanks dive the back line, Front Line champions hold the objective and soak, and Supports heal and debuff. |
How to Play Front Line: shield anchor
Front Line: shield anchor focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: This one leans on Four champion classes rather than raw numbers, and Barik's Blunderbuss is what makes that trade pay off. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
A-Tier: Support: main healer
Support: main healer is a specialized option in Paladins.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Weapon | Grover's Throwing Axe | A heavy thrown axe that does real damage for a Support weapon and rewards prediction rather than tracking. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Siege point-and-payload rounds | Siege runs in two phases. |
How to Play Support: main healer
Support: main healer focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this role works: Grover's Throwing Axe and Siege point-and-payload rounds pull in the same direction here, which separates this from the safer picks above. See our weapons guide for detailed weapons breakdowns.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with Damage: projectile burst: the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to Damage: hitscan poke once you understand core mechanics and have access to Cassie's Crossbow
- Keep a Flank: dive assassin setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try Support: main healer for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Follow our walkthrough for the optimal progression path through each area.
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary weapon first, since it gives the biggest power spike. See our weapons guide for rankings.
- Buy Cauterize by the second team fight in every single match. Anti-healing is the item that decides whether your damage sticks, and a team that skips it will out-damage the enemy all game and still lose the point.
- Concentrate your 15 loadout points into cards affecting three abilities rather than spreading one rank across five cards. A rank-one card in Paladins is close to no effect at all, so five weak cards is functionally an empty loadout.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
More Paladins Guides
- Paladins Paladins Overview
- Paladins Tier List
- Paladins Walkthrough
- Paladins Beginner's Guide
- Paladins Tips & Tricks
- Paladins Weapons Guide
- Paladins Combat Guide
- Paladins Boss Guide
- Paladins Maps & Locations
- Paladins Crafting Guide
- Paladins Classes & Characters
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- Rainbow Six Siege Builds: fps game with similar mechanics
