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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Pick the crest that matches your role before the match starts
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.
2. Fangtooth spawns at five minutes, so vision around the pit needs to be placed by roughly 4:30
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.
3. Buffs last 45 seconds in a standard Sanctuary match and only 25 seconds in Brawl
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.
4. 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
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.
5. Abilities are aimed, not clicked, so terrain blocks them
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.
6. Vaulting over structures breaks chases in a way most MOBA players do not expect
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.
7. 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
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.
8. Orb Prime exists to end games, not to pad statistics
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.
9. Support is the role with the most map influence in the first ten minutes
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.
10. 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
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.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Offlane (A-Tier):
- Focus on Crest starter items and upgrades combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Warrior Crest
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Midlane (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Magician Crest
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Predecessor's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Crest starter items and upgrades + Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers: 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. Combined with 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.
Jungle buff camps + Third person aimed abilities: 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. When paired with 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.
Five roles across three lanes scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior Crest | Offlane tanks and bruisers who need to survive being ganked repeatedly | The frontline starter, upgrading into Warden Crest and then Judgement. |
| Magician Crest | Midlane mages and magic damage supports | The magical damage starter, becoming Warlock Crest and then Epoch. |
| Marksman Crest | Carry heroes in the duo lane who scale with basic attacks | The ranged carry starter, upgrading into Sharpshooter Crest and then Iceskorn Talons. |
| Tainted Blade | Junglers and Offlaners fighting sustain heavy enemy frontlines | A tier 3 physical item with 40 physical power, 250 health and 15 ability haste, and its Blighted Strikes passive cuts enemy healing by 40 percent for 3 seconds on physical damage. |
| Sky Splitter | Carries and attack speed junglers who need to break down high health frontliners | A tier 3 attack speed item giving 35 physical power and 30 percent attack speed. |
Location Efficiency
Offlane (Levels 1 to 6, solo): 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.
Midlane (Levels 1 to 6, solo): 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.
Duo Lane (Levels 1 to 6, two players): Carry and Support share this lane, and the whole early game is about keeping the Carry alive and farming. The lane sits closest to one of the objective pits, so its outcome usually decides who takes the first Fangtooth.
Fangtooth Pit (From 5 minutes onward): Fangtooth first spawns at five minutes and its buffs are permanent for the rest of the match. The first kill extends the duration of Red, Blue and river buffs by 50 percent, the second adds 8 percent out of combat movement speed, and the third adds 8 percent power and armour before it becomes Primal Fangtooth.
Orb Prime Pit (From 7 minutes, Orb Prime at 20 minutes): Mini Prime spawns at seven minutes, granting 15 to 35 physical power, 20 to 60 magical power and 10 percent bonus armour. At 20 minutes Orb Prime replaces it with far more health and damage, and its buff is what actually breaks inhibitors and the Core.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
- Contesting the five minute Fangtooth with no vision on the pit and losing two players before the fight starts.
- Taking Red or Blue buff at the start of a long farming route so most of the 45 second timer expires on empty camps.
- Treating abilities like targeted clicks and firing skill shots into terrain that blocks them.
- Taking Orb Prime at 20 minutes and then recalling to base instead of immediately pushing an inhibitor with it.
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Midlane, switch to Offlane when ready
- Invest in Warrior Crest above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Offlane → Midlane → Duo Lane → Fangtooth Pit → Orb Prime Pit. See our maps guide
- Crest starter items and upgrades + Fangtooth and Orb Prime timers together are stronger than either alone
More Predecessor Guides
- Predecessor Predecessor Overview
- Predecessor Best Builds
- Predecessor Tier List
- Predecessor Walkthrough
- Predecessor Beginner's Guide
- Predecessor Weapons Guide
- Predecessor Combat Guide
- Predecessor Boss Guide
- Predecessor Maps & Locations
- Predecessor Crafting Guide
- Predecessor Classes & Characters
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