Omeda Studios rebuilt Epic's cancelled Paragon into this free to play third person MOBA, leaving Early Access on 30 November 2022 and hitting 1.0 on 20 August 2024. Over 45 heroes fill five roles across three lanes and a jungle, and every ability is aimed over the shoulder rather than clicked, so terrain and vaulting actually change fights. Matches revolve around two timed objectives, Fangtooth at five minutes and Orb Prime later.
Starting Predecessor can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Predecessor is a moba game built around Crest starter items and upgrades and Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Offlane | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Midlane | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Jungle | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Carry | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Support | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Midlane. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Support as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Crest starter items and upgrades
You pick one of eight crests at the start of a match and complete a small quest, usually killing minions and damaging enemies, to advance it through three tiers. Warrior becomes Warden Crest then Judgement, Magician becomes Warlock Crest then Epoch, and Marksman becomes Sharpshooter Crest then Iceskorn Talons.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Crest starter items and upgrades works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Offlane
The solo lane, usually held by a tank or bruiser who expects to be outnumbered. Farming safely under tower here is worth more than winning the lane, because a dead Offlaner hands the enemy jungler free access to the river.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Magician Crest: it's the most accessible early upgrade. The magical damage starter, becoming Warlock Crest and then Epoch. It is usually paired later with Megacosm, Flux and Noxia in midlane and magical support builds.
Step 4: Understand Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers
Fangtooth first spawns at the five minute mark and grants permanent team wide buffs that stack: the first kill extends buff durations by 50 percent, the second gives 8 percent out of combat movement speed, the third gives 8 percent power and armour. After the third kill it becomes Primal Fangtooth.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Midlane
The shortest lane and the fastest route to both jungles, which makes it the natural rotation point. A midlaner who shoves the wave and moves is worth more than one who out farms their opponent and never leaves.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Crest starter items and upgrades
You pick one of eight crests at the start of a match and complete a small quest, usually killing minions and damaging enemies, to advance it through three tiers. Warrior becomes Warden Crest then Judgement, Magician becomes Warlock Crest then Epoch, and Marksman becomes Sharpshooter Crest then Iceskorn Talons.
Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers
Fangtooth first spawns at the five minute mark and grants permanent team wide buffs that stack: the first kill extends buff durations by 50 percent, the second gives 8 percent out of combat movement speed, the third gives 8 percent power and armour. After the third kill it becomes Primal Fangtooth.
Jungle buff camps
Black, Gray, White and Brown camps pay gold and experience on a two minute respawn, while Red, Blue, Cyan, Gold and river camps grant timed buffs. Buffs run 45 seconds in a standard Sanctuary match and only 25 in Brawl, and every camp levels up every two minutes to a cap of level 15.
Third person aimed abilities
The camera sits over the shoulder, so skill shots have to be aimed manually and terrain blocks them the way it would in a shooter. Heroes can also vault over structures, which turns the map's verticality into a real escape and engage tool.
Five roles across three lanes
Offlane holds a solo lane, Midlane takes the middle, Jungle farms camps and rotates, and Carry plus Support share the duo lane. Role choice determines which crest you should take, because a Marksman Crest on a mage wastes the entire item path.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Choosing a crest by the stats it shows rather than by the role you queued for, and reaching 20 minutes with the wrong tier 3 item
2. Contesting the five minute Fangtooth with no vision on the pit and losing two players before the fight starts
3. Taking Red or Blue buff at the start of a long farming route so most of the 45 second timer expires on empty camps
4. Treating abilities like targeted clicks and firing skill shots into terrain that blocks them
5. Taking Orb Prime at 20 minutes and then recalling to base instead of immediately pushing an inhibitor with it
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Crest starter items and upgrades and Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers
- Choose Midlane as starting build
- Clear Offlane main content
- Acquire Magician Crest or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Midlane
- Pick the crest that matches your role before the match starts. Taking a Marksman Crest on a mage gives you attack speed you will never use and locks you out of the Epoch path that build actually needs.
- Fangtooth spawns at five minutes, so vision around the pit needs to be placed by roughly 4:30. Contesting an objective you cannot see is how a duo lane loses two players and the buff in the same fight.
Tips for New Players
- Pick the crest that matches your role before the match starts. Taking a Marksman Crest on a mage gives you attack speed you will never use and locks you out of the Epoch path that build actually needs.
- Fangtooth spawns at five minutes, so vision around the pit needs to be placed by roughly 4:30. Contesting an objective you cannot see is how a duo lane loses two players and the buff in the same fight.
- Buffs last 45 seconds in a standard Sanctuary match and only 25 seconds in Brawl. Take Red or Blue immediately before a rotation rather than at the start of a farming route, or most of the timer burns on empty camps.
- Camps level up every two minutes to a cap of level 15, so an early clear on a camp you cannot handle gives away first blood to the jungle rather than to a player. Follow a route that matches your hero's clear speed.
- Abilities are aimed, not clicked, so terrain blocks them. Standing behind a wall or a raised platform makes half of most mage kits useless, which is a defensive tool as much as a positioning problem.
- Vaulting over structures breaks chases in a way most MOBA players do not expect. Learn two or three vault routes near your lane and use them instead of burning a movement ability every time you are collapsed on.
- The first Fangtooth is often takeable solo by a strong clearing jungler if the enemy is not visible, but the safer line is to win a duo lane fight first and take it with numbers. Losing a solo attempt hands the enemy team all three stacking buffs.
- Orb Prime exists to end games, not to pad statistics. Take it when you can immediately push an inhibitor with it, because the buff running out while your team recalls has accomplished nothing.
- Support is the role with the most map influence in the first ten minutes. Once your Carry is safe on the wave, rotate to midlane, because two players arriving on a shoved lane wins the fight almost every time.
- Crest quests advance through minion damage and hitting enemies, so a lane where you never trade leaves you two tiers behind on your starter item. Poke the enemy laner even when you cannot kill them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Predecessor free to play?
Yes. Omeda Studios publishes it free to play on Steam with optional purchases, after an Early Access period that began on 30 November 2022 and a 1.0 release on 20 August 2024.
Is this the same game as Paragon?
It is built from Paragon's foundations after Epic Games cancelled it, and many hero names carry over, but Omeda Studios developed and balanced Predecessor separately. Treat it as a successor rather than a re-release.
How many heroes are there?
The Steam store page lists over 45 playable characters, spread across Offlane, Midlane, Jungle, Carry and Support. New heroes are added on an ongoing basis.
What do the crests do?
There are eight crest starter items, each with a small quest that upgrades it twice before it becomes one of three final items with an active ability. Warrior Crest becomes Warden Crest then Judgement, Magician becomes Warlock Crest then Epoch, and so on.
Which role should a new player start with?
Support or Offlane. Offlane teaches wave management and survival with a forgiving solo lane, and Support teaches map movement and objective timing without carrying the burden of farming a Carry.
More Predecessor Guides
- Predecessor Predecessor Overview
- Predecessor Best Builds
- Predecessor Tier List
- Predecessor Walkthrough
- Predecessor Tips & Tricks
- Predecessor Weapons Guide
- Predecessor Combat Guide
- Predecessor Boss Guide
- Predecessor Maps & Locations
- Predecessor Crafting Guide
- Predecessor Classes & Characters
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