#Makoa Paladins

[joicthestoic]

Paladins x D&D 2

Makoa

Makoa, everyone’s favorite big tortoise tank with an ankor. Nobody dares challenge Makoa. So let’s ask the question, what would Makoa be in a D&D context.

Once again, I’m gonna go ahead and say race is pretty easy to guess here. Obviously, being a big tanky tortoise, he would be a Tortle, despite his he technically is a deity of sorts. Since he is said to be a “turtle deity” (despite not being a turtle since he has legs for land) he would likely be some sort of divine being. The classes most befitting of Makoa would be either Paladin, Barbarian or Druid. I’ll go into detail about it later in the post, and he might end up multiclassing.

Tortles do not have subraces, so he would be a regular Tortle so we can remain RAW with this. Even so, I should point out that Shell Defense is not his shield ability, as in D&D it does not summon a big shield around him. However, he would likely use it when using Shell Spin. Makoa being 108 (at least) is a bit troubling since Tortles only live up to 50, but we can mark this down as him being some sort of deity.

Next, his class, he first needs access to his Shell Shield, and since neither Paladins nor Druids have any of the necessary spells, we have to get creative. Because of its round shape, Globe of Invulnerability and Wall of Force are the only options. Since neither Druids or Paladins have this spell by default, we must turn to Barbarian, picking the Ancestral Guardian subclass at level 3 and going up to level 6 for the Spirit Shield. Technically it reduces damage, but in this case we’re assuming it nullifies all damage. Next, the Dredge Ancor must be some sort of magic item. We’ll be using the SRD and use the Dragon Hook, which will allow to grapple and pull the opponent, as well as being used for melee combat with the ult. Like with Barik, we’re ignoring the main weapon, in this case his cannon, because of them being built on the Paladins universe’s materials and therefore not having much options for D&D equivalents. Lastly, the question remains. YOU CHALLENGE MAKOA?! His Ancient Rage will not just be a simple Barbarian rage, though it will function with the rage abilities. First we increase our Barbarian level to 9 for Brutal Critical, which will explain the high damage chance. We’ll take 3 levels into Paladin, with an Oath of the Ancients so that you have access to Divine Smite, and you can use Channel Divinity: Turn the Faithless which is simply there for flavor of when you utter the phrase “You challenge Makoa?!” they will be affected. 

Now I had thought Makoa would be a higher level, considering he’s a deity and all. While his pure damage potential with this build might be much higher than Barok, he can only ult once considering the rules of D&D. Still, he would only need to be a 12th level Barbaladin to have all of his abilities, with 9 levels in Ancestral Guardian Barbarian and 3 in Ancients Paladin. I did mention Druid earlier, but after looking through their spell list, I found nothing that would help them get a more accurate Makoa. So, with that being said, Makoa build fresh for the taking. Let me know what you think and feel free to yell at me for using an SRD magic item. If you feel you have some better alternatives to abilities or weapons, let me know, I’d love to hear back from anyone who reads through these. Have a lovely day lads.

[funkii4-blog]

Notes for this next Paladins update because it looks really interesting and the patch notes are missing a ton of stuff that was shown off in the update show;

Sands Of Myth II Event Pass; 30 Levels, the skins in this pass belong to Lillith and Makoa

Might I add these are Makoa’s first skins in several years and they look fantastic, good for him. It’s also Lillith’s first time getting skins in an event pass

One of the pass’ rewards is a cat mount, devs mentioned there’s a second direct purchase mount release this update but it wasn’t shown off

Kinessa is getting a red & green recolor of her dunestrider skin called sandstrider

Tyra is getting two really cute summer skins, one yellow and one a red recolor (these and the Kinessa recolor are assumedly direct purchase but it wasn’t confirmed in the show)

New champ Omen is a dps and looks absolutely broken, devs said that his ult is strong enough to practically instakill more squishy champs such as flanks

Nearly all champs are getting their lore passages tweaked to keep up with current lore (I think the stated number was 50, I’ll have to keep track of specific adjustments when the event drops)

A significant number of balance changes, including minor Betty & Lex nerfs and significant Io & Vora buffs

Dredge’s bombs no longer damage himself

Terminus’ movement speed has been increased

Anniversary event will no longer be active after Midnight Masquerade but any earned tokens can still be used

This event looks great, definitely gonna save up crystals to get this pass

[mudaship39]

Chronicles of War: A BIPOC and QTIPOC Futurism Project Series Trilogy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGw3Ie_aFbo.

Hleor and Loran made a massive palace for him/her/them Kana’i Makoa Latu/Ataahua Kamalani Latu the queer and trans Asian Pasifika and Afro Latine Native demigod and alien hybrid superhero (AKA Ryuu Kato/Haruka Kato, Francisco Alejandro Diego Garcia Ochoa/Francisca Alejandra Maria Garcia Ochoa, Guang/Biyu Wei, Zana Saani, or Kalani as someone with DID) in a giant castle on the colonized and terraformed planet of the Andromeda Galaxy.  A titanic castle that acts as a main operating base. 

The castle is defended by SSSS rank paladins in power armor. The castle is surrounded by several colossal citadels, forts, & bastions that act as forward operating bases. The forts, bastions, & citadels are defended by S rank, SS rank, & SSS rank paladins in mech suits, walking tanks, & battlewalkers. Each citadel, fort, & bastion is surrounded by several outposts, several guard posts, & several guard towers defended by C class, B class, A class, & S rank knights in power armor. 

Built around the castle are several kingdoms that make up the empire. The empire or federation of kingdoms on this planet itself is defended by Iuyamanian super soldiers manning 7.76mm plasma Gatling guns, 50 caliber or 12mm hard light heavy machine guns, plasma batteries, laser batteries, hard light middle silos, ballistic missile silos, ion cannons, zero point energy cannons, rail guns, electromagnetic cannons, positron cannons, & mass accelerator cannons.

Outside the castle is the unpolluted atmosphere where you can stare at a neighboring planet with a planetary ring and its three moons at either side of the sphere with the gray one smaller than the vivid white one. The castle on the colonized and terraformed planet inside the Andromeda Galaxy. It is in the Principality of the Ethanxiian Kingdoms of the Ethanian Federation that Alexander/Alexandria rules. 

Nonetheless it was somehow outrageous and supernatural in its appearance. It looked more majestic than anything the superhuman, metahuman, divine (such as old god), or extraterrestrial (such as Kryptonian, Daxamite, Martian, or Tamaranean) mind could possibly visualize. It was grandiose and regal with its unfeasibly high minarets vanishing into the atmosphere. Its spires were pointed to the skies itself as if challenging the gods and titans themselves to strike it down with divine thunder and heavenly lightning. It is clearly meant to be a complete show of strength or power and affluence and influence. 

Inside this empire were several settlements, villages, towns, cities, counties, states, & countries. These countries made up the Principality of the Ethania of the Northern,Western, Eastern, & Southern Kingdoms of the Federation of Ethax. This castle of the Cardinal Changeling in Ethax was in the epicenter in the city. The city that was the capital of the empire or federation of kingdoms.

The capital of the empire itself is centered around this fortress. This palace or fortress built for Cardinal Changeling is meant to be evaded. It is meant to be a sign of the empire’s strength or federation’s and toughness. It was an empire or federation that was under the protection of the Cambion Chimera as he/she/they were the Savior of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Conqueror of the Andromeda Galaxy. To these people you don’t get close to their monarch and sovereign Blue Basilisk you stay out of his/her/their way. This is how they viewed Golden Griffin as someone they saw as their protector. The palace of this kingdom that was the capital of the coalition is probably the tallest thing for miles and kilometers. With the kingdom laid out with the palace at the center you can see it at the end of every street, road, or freeway. It is even echoed in the rest of the city of the kingdom. Look at the metropolis around the Firebrick Firefox’s fortress. Look at the outline, layout, & design of the city. The entire capital of the empire is centered around this fort with the bastion as its hub or heart. The point of that palace is that they don't get close to the Emerald Eagle or Jade Jaguar who they see as their king/queen or emperor/empress. They just follow his/her/their leadership and defer to him/her/them for guidance. They put him/her/them as the chief celebrity in the alliance or coalition of kingdoms above everyone else. It made it so you can’t go anywhere without seeing his/her/their prominence. Behold it says gaze at the castle of their leader, the one who united warring kingdoms into a federation.

Throughout the hallways of the colossal palace and titanic fortress were one hundred colossal holographic figurines spread across the room that strongly looked like each of the active members of the Elites and Paragons that Cambion Chimera founded. It showed the Elites as a beacon of hope and faith. It showed the Paragons as a legacy of heroism and gallantry. It showed the Elites and the Paragons as valiant, courageous, & brave protectors. It showed them as the knights the public of the planets, solar systems, & galaxies thought them to be. In the back behind all of the statues of the Elites and the Paragons leading them was their strike team leader, founder, & commander in the statue of the Cardinal Changeling or the Scarlet Shapeshifter. It showed him/her/them as a warden of light, a guardian of life, & a defender of good. It showed him/her/them as the paladin that the citizens of the universe, multiverse, & omniverse thought him/her/them to be. This was a nice tribute to him/her/them he/she/they thought, So why the fuck was everything else of this palace so goddamn pretentious? 

Hleor and Loran said, “Your men and women under your command the Elites and the Paragons designed this statue that we built for you.” The Elites and Paragons had a division of preteen members, a branch of teenage members, a sector of young adult members, & a department of adult members. The Elites were a superhero, antihero, & supervillain conglomerate of the teams the Vigilantes, Apex, Exiles, Outcasts, Paramount, Alpha, Wildcards, Ironclad, & Centurions. The Paragons were a superhero, antihero, & supervillain conglomerate of the teams the Omega, Delta, Cinnabar Celestials, Psion Primordials, Wraithlike Wardens, Iron Inquisitors, Titanium Templars, Ion Immortals, Illusionists, Aurora, Colossals, Emerald Ethereals, & Rangers. Most of the Elites and Paragons were Indigenous or people of color. Several of the Elites and Paragons were lgbt. Some of the Elites and Paragons were disabled. The Elites and Paragons were mostly people of color. Several of the Elites and the Paragons were Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian (Hawaiian, Tahitian, Maori, Fijian, Tongan, & Chuukese) Indigenous Pasifika. Several of the Elites and the Paragons were Anishinaabe, Apache, Apsaalooke, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Chumash, Cree, Dine, Hopi, Inuit, Iroquois,  Lumbee, Menominee, Mohawk, Ohlone,  Salish, Shoshone,  Tongva, Tsalagi, Yaqui, & Zuni Indigenous. The statues were each member of the Elites and Paragons in each of their superhero, antihero, or supervillain costumes, combat armor, and power armor in all sorts of valiant poses. That wasn’t so bad.

The Elites is a superhero team with enough metahuman and superhuman members to defend the entire Sol Star System. The Paragons are a superhero team with enough metahuman and superhuman members to defend the Polaris Star System, Vega Star System, & the Sol Star System. The founding members of the Elites were also the founding members of the Paragons. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9rcSBT9eeM.

The entire giant royal and regal throne room of the palace is evocative of a medieval imperial throne room. Burgundy rugs were spread across the metal floors and cherry curtains were hung around the windows. There were many bronze and iron effigies of Roman Amazons of Greek Mount Olympus and Greek Amazons of Roman Mount Olympus in Greco-Roman armor and armed with Greco-Roman swords and shields riding alicorns, unicorns, & pegasi. There were many steel busts of Atlanteans (from the Atlantean Empire ruled by the son of Neptune and an Atlantean Empress) in Atlantean armor riding armed with tridents or quindents riding giant great white sharks, dolphins, & hippocampi (or underwater horses). 

The statues looked convincing as when the palace needed defending there is magic that has the statues come to life to defend the palace. Besides the busts the most noticeable entity in the room had to be the titanic onyx throne levitating in the middle of the audience chamber. For heaven's sake he/she/they thought. No mortal or immortal had ever seen anything as self-indulgent and pretentious as this before. The levitating jet black throne had cherry satin pillows for a seat and four mammoth carved divine wings spread out from each side which gave the whole thing an ethereal and celestial facade. It was stunning. It was an immense floating throne ornamented with diamonds, silver, & gold radiant in the luminosity of the throne room. The armrests were bejeweled with precious stones and gems. There were extravagant designs. 

Behind the throne was a gaudy holographic bust of Cardinal Changeling. Near the throne were marble statues of his/her/their adoptive children of color teenager Nathaniel “Nate” Nguyen, preteen Takeda Sato, young adult Maria Garcia Morales, & adult Farah Ali and his/her/their adoptive Cree Indigenous children young adult Wapun Aponi Barnett, teenager Kitchi Barnett, & preteen Ahanu Barnett. 

If you presume that Alexander/Alexander had not approved or had no say in how this colossal bronze, iron, copper, steel, silver, platinum, & gold immortalization tribute of himself/herself/themselves turned out. Then we can also assume that this is how this empire and federation wants the world to see him/her/them. As a powerful, strong, influential, & commanding ruler. As someone who was a dominant and potent force. This was not how Kalani or Zana Saani ever saw himself/herself/themselves as. 

On either side of the levitating throne were dozens of steel statues of winged Aesir Valkyries wearing Asgardian chain mail armor armed with Asgardian spears riding alicorns (winged unicorns). The statues looked realistic as when Crimson Changeling, the monarch of this palace, needed defending there is magic that has the statues come to life to defend him/her/them. He/she/they did not like this commemoration of him/her/them. He/she/they preferred the one on Terra or Earth that the Indigenous superheroes and superheroines and Indigenous Pasifika superheroes and superheroines built as a memorial and monument to him/her/them.

Kana’i Makoa Latu/Ataahua Kamalani Latu was walking through the Ethanxiian Principality or Federation of the kingdoms of Ethanxii. He/she/they were walking past the shops, inns, bars, saloons, &  taverns that made of the settlements, villages, & towns of their empire. He/she/they were walking talking with the citizens of the cities and metropolis of the counties, states, & countries that made up their federation. He/she/they slipped past the guards of the guard towers, guard posts, outposts, forts, bastions, & citadels that were defending the castle that was the capital of this empire. 

He/she/they then entered the castle. The castle that was now in ruins after years, decades, & centuries had passed after his/her/their death during the Battle of the Polaris System had ended the Alpha Centurion War that engulfed heroes, antiheroes, & villains of the multiverse in intergalactic war. The castle that Hleor and Loran built for him/her/them. He/she/they opened the large doors of the castle and entered inside where Hleor and Loran were waiting for him/her/them. 

Guang/Biyu Wei asked, “What is this Loran and Hleor?” “This our love was meant to be your throne room.” “A throne room in a castle fit for a god/goddess or a titan let alone a king/queen or an emperor/empress.” “This is the only throne in the entire cosmos that is worthy of you.” “It was a throne room worthy of the High King of the Federation of Ethania.” “It was a place of incredible magnificence and splendor.” “It was a place of unthinkable power and strength.” “It was meant to be the seat of your influence and control.” “That was before it was reduced to this...” “We built its ages ago after you died.” “We made this for you before you disappeared.” “We built it to celebrate you and the heroes and heroines under your command.” “It was so beautiful.” 

“Now it’s just in ruins.” “The people of the empire or federation abandoned it eons ago.” This is a memory of Crimson Changeling sitting on a throne in the palace in the castle on the moon. It was fitting for someone called a Titan of War. That is if the palace wasn’t abandoned for years, decades, & centuries forsaken by the people of this empire of kingdoms after his/her/their death. The castle was in ruins. The spires and minarets that once towered into the stars itself had all collapsed. The castle was now covered in moss and vines. The fountains of the castle were now covered in algae. Most of the ceilings or roofs of the castle had collapsed. Most of the walls of the castle had eroded. Birds and bats had made nests in the still intact ceilings and roofs. Animals had made a home in the castle. The great hall was still undamaged somewhat speaking of course. The throne room was now covered in dust and cobwebs. The curtains and rugs were all tarnished. The metal statues were now covered in rust. The marble statues were on the ground in shattered pieces. The holographic statues had lost power and were deactivated. The palace was ransacked. All the metals of iron, bronze, silver, gold were stolen. All the precious gemstones that were pearl, sapphire, ruby, emerald, diamond, etc. in the floating throne chair taken. The floating throne room had collapsed into several pieces and was in ruins. 

The castle was the epicenter of the anomaly. Where everyone that was humanoid, both human and alien, inside was altered by the anomaly. They were beyond what was defined as bionics or cyborgs. They were beyond what was defined as alien hybrids and demigods. They were beyond what was defined as metahumans and superhumans. They were simply undefinable. They were given superhuman level strength, intelligence, speed, durability, agility, flexibility, stamina, etc. They were given supernatural or absolute level superpowers. They were marked blue. Where everything inside that was organic that was beast, monster, creature, & animal was affected by rot/decay. They were marked green. They turned more feral and hyper aggressive to anything outside the barrier. Where everything inside that was inorganic was affected by corruption. They were marked red. This affected artificial intelligences, robots, androids, nanobots, holograms, cybernetic implants, bionic implants, hardware, software, etc. The capital city was hit by psionic storms that affected telepaths and empaths. They were marked purple. The country that the capital itself was hit by temporal rifts that ripped apart space and time. The continent was affected by environmental anomalies that turned the continent into an arctic tundra, desert, jungle, forest, & grasslands. To protect the anomaly from spreading anywhere else the castle was sealed off from the outside with a forcefield and shield. No one entered or left. 

Everyone and everything still inside was damned to die. It is said the reason for the anomaly was the high king/high queen or emperor/empress themselves. Rage, hatred, sorrow, & pain at their life, how they felt about themselves, & how they died. Not being able to come to grips with being from two worlds as a demigod and alien hybrid. How they felt about being disabled, queer/trans, native, & a person of color. How they felt about being murdered for their identites by planetary settler colonizer governments. So when they were assassinated their powers lashed out and created the anomaly. 

They were killed twice, once as a demigod, & second as an alien hybrid. They were resurrected twice. In their first death they were killed by a behemoth created by adamantine, mithril, divine iron, heavenly bronze, stellar titanium, & celestial steel and other magical metals. A monster made sentient by arcane and esoteric aether and nether. It was created by demigods, deities, & titans. It was commanded by enemy gods. In their second death they were slain by a spear with a blade made by the strongest metal in the omniverse that cut through the chest of their power armor and an explosive javelin coated with unknown substances that pierced the back of their power armor. It was created by remnants of the earth government and Terran dominion regime. It was wielded by a leader of the Forces of Evil. 

So it kept happening this anomaly until he/she/they were resurrected and left to find inner peace in his/her/their mind, heart, & soul.  When they were brought back to life, because of how they died, what happened to them in the afterlife, & how they were brought back to life. Their mind was possessed, their heart was corrupted, their mana was contaminated, their soul was tainted, & their body was decayed. They had to be purified and healed by nanites, medicine, healers, potions, magic, etc. when they were resurrected by talismans, charms, & amulets.

When he/she/they came home to Ethania it was nice to see that the empire itself was still prospering as its Emperor/Empress and High King. Inside of a colossal castle on a terraformed and colonized moon of the Andromeda Galaxy. You will find a lone king/queen sitting on a great throne. A emperor/empress with no crown or circlet. A king/queen with no kingdom or realm to rule over. A sovereign sitting on a broken throne. You will see the great monarch of the Principality of Ethanxiia of the Empire of Ethan the legendary Alexander Kana’i Mack Ryuu Francisco Makoa Smith/Alexandria Ataahua Macy Haruka Francisca Kamalani Smith. A sovereign in a suit of combat armor and power armor with nothing but a sword and shield in his/her/their hands. Silently watching over the earth and seas beneath him/her/them. Wordlessly staring at the sky and stars above him/her/them with eyes full of sorrow and torment pondering about what could have been. Pondering if there ever was a way to change what has been done, to save what was lost, to change the past that relentlessly haunts him/her/them. Wondering could his/her/their life have been any different? He/she/they were sitting on the collapsed ruins of the levitating throne. This was no place for a king/queen let alone a god/goddess. He/she/they preferred it that way to be honest. This place in the past deified and venerated him/her/them as a titan or god. It was only recently that Hleor, Loran, & Melmih ordered the citizens of the empire to repair and maintain this place when they learned of his/her/their resurrection. By the feet of the destroyed throne was his/her/their pets a hellhound bathed in demonic hellfire, an alien dog covered in scales, & a wolf with a cybernetic leg and a bionic eye.

There were many bronze and iron effigies of Roman Amazons of Greek Mount Olympus and Greek Amazons of Roman Mount Olympus in Greco-Roman armor and armed with Greco-Roman swords and shields riding Pegasi. There were many steel busts of Atlanteans (from the Atlantean Empire ruled by the son of Neptune and an Atlantean Empress) in Atlantean armor riding armed with tridents or quindents riding giant great white sharks. The statues looked convincing as when the palace needs defending there is magic that has the statues come to life to defend the palace.  On either sides of the levitating throne were dozens of steel statues of winged Aesir Valkyries wearing Asgardian chain mail armor armed with Asgardian spears riding alicorns (winged unicorns). The statues looked realistic as when Crimson Changeling the monarch of this palace needs defending there is magic that has the statues come to life to defend him/her/them. For so long because of the arcane and esoteric magic of this place these metal statues protected and defended an empty throne of a dead monarch. They waited for so long for their sovereign to return. But eons passed as they waited years, decades, & centuries. Even when this palace was abandoned and reduced to ruins they still waited. Even when they themselves became covered in rust they still waited. 

[emodr4gonz]

I honestly kinda wish Hi Rez would make plushes of some of the Paladins characters.

Like seriously, I would love to buy a Pip, Moji, or Makoa plush.

[zathong]

Paladins Tier List 2023 – Season 6

Hey, I’m Zathong and this guide is about Paladins tier list 2023. I will help you choose the best champions in the current meta.

Paladins pro tier list

Tier S:

Khan, Drogoz, Kasumi, Androxus, Barik, Azaan, Caspian.

Tier A:

Inara, Vora, VII, Lillith, Koga, Vatu, Fernando.

Tier B:

Lian, Viktor, Mal’damba, Corvus, Rei, Makoa, Bomb King, Cassie, Imani, Seris, Ying, Saati, Betty la Bomba.

Tier C:

Sha Lin, Strix, Willo, Furia, Zhin, Raum, Yagorath, Atlas, Ash, Io, Terminus, Torvald, Kinessa, Grover, Jenos, Pip, Evie, Lex, Talus.

Tier D:

Tyra, Vivian, Grohk, Maeve, Dredge, Ruckus, Buck.

Source: https://zathong.com/paladins-tier-list/

[big-robot-fan]

Paladins lore is unironically good and I will die on this hill (Even if it is stupid sometimes)

Like initially I thought the whole "Aico led Magistrate vs Resistance led by the 1,000 Hands Guild" thing was stupid. A massive park of Kogas lore is that he was betrayed by the 1,000 hands and hates them for it. Why would he follow Zhin once again, and why would Zhin let the exiled Koga return?

Then I realized that, despite the lowering of stakes, (Massive World Eating Worm -> Fantasy Racism being worse than usual) what the new resistance is fighting for is even more important than before. The Ska'drin are innocent victims of hate that has cost them EVERYTHING. Their homes, their culture, their history, and countless lives. The Ska'drin have had GODS stolen from them for NOTHING. Meanwhile the Thousand Hands have a history with the Ska'drin. Offering safety in the shadows and sharing ill-gotten gains in exchange for loyalty and lessons of their magic.

By comparison; The Magistrate have looted temples for runes and spells to reverse engineer into weapons, and when a kind Dwarf took in a young Ska'drin refugee the child had to steal from the scribes to learn his own history.

Something else Paladins does surprisingly brilliantly are God's/Deities/Higher Powers. The most mind blowing thing about them is how varied they are.

There are the Ska'drin deities of Makoa, (Who guarded the Temple Isles until he was stolen/kidnapped during the crystal war) Wekono, (Mother of Sorrow and Revenge) an unnamed Jaguar Deity, an unnamed Frog deity, and at least 1 more deity that is currently unknown.

There is Io, goddess of the moon brought to mortal levels in attempt to protect the earth. Jenos, who was mortal until he ascended into the stars.

There are also many entities that are god-like, such as the elemental spirits, (Grover, The ice elemental that gives Evie ice magic, and the weather spirits that bestowed lightning powers to Grohk) The Pyre, (Azaan, Furia) The Abyss, (Dredge, Seris, Raum, Androxus) and The Maw. (Vora, Yagorath)

What makes these gods interesting is how the different pantheons interacted with their followers.

The Ska'drin deities are very hands on, with Wekono literally going into battle alongside Mal'damba.

Io and Jenos however mostly observe, and only walk among the mortals when absolutely necessary (Although this might be coincidence from Io's damage from the moon shattering and Jenos exploring the cosmos following his ascension)

Abyssal Lords trick and deceive mortals into doing their bidding while Pyre Lords keep almost exclusively to themselves, only entering the realm to combat the Abyss and are completely unempathetic to their followers.

The Darkness/The Maw is on a completely different level to the other god-like beings. It can be best described simply as "The Heat Death of the Universe, but with more teeth." The Maw is unyielding and infinite. It's entities gaining power and mass the more they consume, to such a degree that past a certain point the only hope is to go back in time and try to snuff them out before they can ever get started. A realm wide assault against a single entity of the darkness and her harbringer, cultivating in an unrestrained attack from the strongest Pyre lord DEFEATED Yagorath, leaving her in the "Stage 0" state we see in-game. Let me reiterate: THE COMBINED POWER OF THE REALM, ABYSS, AND PYRE LEFT YAGORATH ON PAR WITH GODS.

While on the subject of The Darkness: Vora is a beautifully tragic character coping with the loss of everything she knows and the pain of being essentially abandoned by her goddess through a mask of a relentless anger and lust for power. She was a warrior tasked with preventing the seals of Io from being broken, unleashing the darkness within. When the Paladins and Magistrate brought war to the Shattered Desert she and her sisters in arms fought to the very end to defend the seals from foreign invaders. When the battle ended none were left standing, none except Vora. She had seen the destruction brought to the realm first hand. Surrounded by unanswered prayers and broken bodies without the "caring" goddess in sight, Vora rightfully felt betrayed by Io, so she betrayed the goddess right back. Opening the seals to unleash Yagorath, Vora was consumed with unending hate and swore to make the entire realm hurt as much as she has.

Of course, it is not that simple.

The anger is a mask... that occasionally slips to send forth warnings to those she can relate to. Warning Mal'damba that the gods are not to be relied upon (without knowing that Wekono is literally right there) and pleading with Grohk to take his tribe and run (Something so compassionate that Yagorath has to step in and remind Vora she's supposed to be the bad guy)

The most tragic thing is that Io did not abandon her followers. In her weakened state she stepped down from her lunar home to defend the Bazaar, a safe haven for all, led by her followers. In her fragmented state, she could not save both the town and the desert. She left the seals to the guardians and took to the Bazaar rooftops to stop the invasion. Io did not abandon her followers, but she abandoned Vora.

[goathog666]

I'm so not sorry for this it had to be done and is too flawless

[poppyrays]

Some Makoa fanart

[rebeleon]

More sticker designs I did

[kazuiichiii]

“YOU CHALLENGE MAKOA??”

hmmm

[zanark99]

Paladins by SplashBrush

[yilinzc]

You challenge MAKOA?

Another icon request I could’ve finished like three days ago, but I’m really busy with school, so that means I procrastinate by doodling on actual paper instead of doodling with my tablet.

[darealsaltysam]

what your paladins main says about you

a comprehensive essay by a paladins player of right around 4 years

this is like really long so i’ll make it under the cut so my followers don’t have to scroll through this if they don’t wanna

(for context i’m a current maeve main, i used to main skye and sha lin and played tyra a long while ago)

.

Androxus

it’s not a phase, mum

“i don’t care we don’t have healer, i’m really good at him i swear”

you ult every time it loads in and you die before the final shot

your favorite mode is siege because you can fly up and shoot the whole point on ult

you’re usually really stand-offish and don’t communicate much and/or a 13 year old boy with anger issues

.

Ash

you are level-headed but in a scary way

you will hold the point solo even if it costs you your streak

“get on the point” “guys get on the point” “attack the objective”

you’ll ult to save yourself 99% of the time

good leader

.

Atlas

you probably used to main lex or androxus before he came out

“he’s like a flank, but a tank, he’s great!”

you chase after solo kills instead of sticking to the point

healers hate you, flanks and damages fear you

your favorite mode is death match

.

Barik

you’re a former/current tf2 player looking for something fresh

you don’t like working too hard so you spam turrets on the point and hope for the best

“healer stick to me i’m boutta ult”

actually really nice between rounds

but you don’t communicate much mid-game and kind of do your thing

.

Bomb King

you’re a really old player. you have the beta makoa skin and you were there when lex was first released. veteran’s discount.

your favorite maps are the old ones and they barely show up any more

the team always underestimates you

“who plays bomb king in 2021 lol?”

you need a hug

.

Buck

“wait, he’s a flank? i thought he was a tank??”

you’re also a veteran in the game

you’re a dying breed. i like never see you. do you even exist?

you’ve been here since like the first day of the game

buck gets so many skins and you want all of them but the best you have is a random recolor

.

Cassie

sweetest person alive

“we can do it guys! let’s try to all rush the point this time!”

you are the bane of every flank

the opposing team hates you, your own team kind of doesn’t notice you’re there

*casually gets a pentakill*

.

Corvus

you know those weirdly political kids who like ww2 and know the details of every tank to ever exist? yeah that’s you

but like that’s corvus. as a character.

but no one ever plays him.

like i never even see him do you exist???

you are a cryptid.

.

Dredge

yo ho you’re a hoe

no seriously the other team views you and they FEAR you

“yeah i just got a penta kill” “YOU WHAT?” “eyes on the point mate don’t get distracted”

hella good at the game and hella casual about it

you like onslaught on the one sea map the most

.

Drogoz

another veteran, are we?

you’re either useless or can wipe out a whole team in seconds. there is no in-between.

you always have a really cool skin.

dovahkiin, dovahkiin...

“i don’t care about the point i gotta get them trips”

.

Evie

you bought her because you thought she was cute, admit it

*turns into ice right before dying* *turns into ice right before dying* *turns into ice right be

your personality type is identical to her. no question about that.

always buys faster reload and better speed

strangely good communication with the team

.

Fernando

gay gay homosexual gay

“he’s kinda hot if you look at him the right way”

fernando is the tank for gay people

you are gay people

i don’t have much more to say

.

Furia

mum energy. not as much as inara mains, but still, mum energy.

will protect every member of the team with your life, even the flanks

you’ve been maining her since she was first added

i bet you didn’t even know she’s canonically seris’ sister

“we’ve literally failed to capture the point the last 3 times we might as well give up and go to another game”

.

Grohk

“yeah i have a gremlincore tumblr blog, how could you tell?”

i honestly have no words

you’re kind of like a catboy but a racoon

do you even heal the team or do you just pretend

you were there when lex got announced and thought he was cringe, now everyone finally agrees with you

.

Grover

he was your first purchased character and he’s stuck around ever since

he’s the only healer you can play well

“i am groot lmao”

you would never say a word to your team

would give your life for the tank but that’s about it

.

Imani

daenerys targaryen on drugs

your favorite anime is my hero academia

your husbando is todoroki

you see where i am going with this

“team protect me i’m gonna ult” *dies 5 seconds into ult*

.

Inara

BIG MUM ENERGY

your team is your family. you will protect them with your life.

can only hold your own with a good healer so you have good teamwork going for you

*cutely places wall in front of your ult*

useless in tdm so you stick to onslaught, siege and koth

.

Io

are you a furry, furry, or a furry?

“victow! dont ult on my tweam pwease! uwu!”

you 100% find her attractive in some way shape or form

you are either a 30 year old redditor who enjoys loli content or a 16 year old teen who is playing a shooter for the first time

she’s kind of cute, i guess

.

Jenos

i can never tell if i’m going to absolutely destroy you or if you’re gonna kick my ass

*cutely holds you up so the whole team can shoot you to death*

kamehameha

you’re a healer??? i guess???

your character has such deep lore and i bet you don’t even know half of it

.

Khan

one day you were playing and your team desperately needed a tank. you picked the first one you saw. suddenly, you’re lian’s foot stool

despite 2 layers of heavy armor, you’d still let this man walk all over you

“this skin is really cool, wish it wasn’t behind a pay wall...”

YEET

you actually know the game’s lore, for some reason

.

Kinessa

i never trust people who are good at a sniper. if you’re bad that’s natural and you’re 99% of the population. if you’re good you are definitely up to something

you’d sell your sister for 5 pennies if you could

you’re missing from the team all game and somehow have the most kills

“we have a kinessa???”

you are an urban legend to your team

.

Koga

someone’s been watching naruto

you are so shit at the game. like i’m sorry. no one’s good at koga i’m so sorry

how do you have so many skins for one character???

you’re always missing from the point

healers hate you. so does the enemy kinessa.

.

Lex

quit the game /nm

“who mains lex in 2021??? lmao???”

wall hacks, aimbot, and it’s all legal for you as an ability. you are a hacker in a world of puny vanillas. you like it easy so you go for the easy min max character. have fun getting hated

you think he’s hot and press on his loading abilities just so he can scold you and you can hear him being mad at you

*bonk* go to horny jail

.

Lian

"she could step on me”

you used to main some sort of healer but switched over when you got sick of everyone being needy

you can hold a point all on your own for a really really long time but the moment your team gets there you start flunking

you wish you had more skins for her

you don’t

.

Maeve

so imagine this. it was like 2018 and you were just chilling playing the game. you kept getting killed by maeve. in every game. she was in every game you went to and she kept killing you over and over and over again. you got frustrated, snapped, and bought her to see if you could do the same to others. you are now the maeve in every game. the cycle repeats.

your whole team doubts you but then you casually get a quad kill and they just sort of look away

you die a total of two times each round and 99% of the time it’s because you go too fast and fall off the map

you repeat everything she says in her accent because you think it’s cute

“welcome to ze meant streets, kitten!” “can you shut the fuck up” “i hate to cut and run, he-he!”

.

Makoa

you have the plushie skin or the beta skin, otherwise you don’t main and only play casually stop lying to yourself

“attack turtle go brrr”

you’re really good if you get paired with a good healer

otherwise you’re useless

you wish you could get better teammates because you could really thrive with an organized group. but on paladins you won’t get that, i’m sorry-

.

Mal’Damba

i always forget this guy is even in the game

you’re definitely under 6 foot IRL

you have an older sibling you always fight with

you’d love to have a snake irl

you’re really chill outside of the game, but when playing you hella rage

.

Moji

you are so precious

but also such a little shit

you annoy me but i also want to give you a hug

“let’s go guys!! to the point!! wheee!!”

please never change but also get out of my sight

.

Octavia

you always main the new character until the new person drops

somehow always have enough credits to buy the new champion whenever they come out

you don’t like having a stable main cuz you get bored

you like hanging out at the training rage

hate siege and love team death match, you like your games quick

.

Pip

you are the worst and best thing to ever happen to this game

you only pick him to heal yourself and hardly ever heal your team

no one notices you there until you ult

then you get focused

honestly you just seem like you wanna do your thing and i can respect that

.

Raum

you probably go to therapy or desperately need it

“BIG MAN BIG. HE IS BIG. BRRRR”

you always love the demons in media

you like being in charge of the team and wreck the point any time you are there, you like fighting on your own but having a healer nearby is nice too

you probably have daddy issues

.

Ruckus

you think ruckus’ and bolt’s dynamic is cool and that’s one of the main reasons you started playing him

he’s the only tank you can play

you used to main either inara or ying at some point but chose violence instead

really short irl. you physically relate to ruckus and spiritually to bolt.

“funny goblin man :)”

.

Seris

certified girlboss

you can hold an objective all on your own or heal your whole team no problem. either way you are SLAYING

“alright. who’s ass am i kicking today?”

mum energy is inferior to inara but still kind of there

i’m like 50% sure you have a foot fetish

.

Sha Lin

*pointing and chanting* incel, incel, ince-

whether that’s about you or the character you can decide

you like minecraft bedwars on the side

“if i don’t get this headshot i am literally going to spontaneously combust”

really useful when there’s no other long distance people - otherwise a nuisance

.

Skye

AWOOGA *jaw drops to ground, eyes roll out of head* BOOBA BOOBA BOOBA

you bought her for the tiddies, didn’t you?

she’s actually really satisfying to play once you get the hang of her, but can be real tough on rough days

you need a break i think - maybe play some other game for a bit?

*casually gets team kill with ult*

.

Strix

you own at least one pretty knife

you played him when he was unlocked on rotation, fell in love, and spent a whole evening collecting credits to buy him fully

“haha bird man”

i’ve said what i said about snipers. if you’re actually good at him you are hiding a body somewhere. i fear you.

why does everyone ship him with viktor????

.

Talus

little furry child

he reminds me of tommyinnit because he is small and annoying

if you play him you are tall and intimidating 

i’m friends with a tall scary talus main

i can’t say bad things please spare me

.

Terminus

you always ult at the worst time and just get killed again 5 seconds after

“hey losers watch this” *goes on the point, dies, revives, kills one person and dies again*

you’re only a good tank if you cooperate

you don’t

on your own you’re a pretty good player

.

Tiberius

*sigh*

you think the cat is hot, don’t you?

“his accent is kinda cute tho hehe”

you saw that one ending scene in zootopia with the dancing tigers and it CHANGED you

you are probably a furry. if not your awakening is coming. be ready.

.

Torvald

you’ve been playing this game for too long

you’ve seen skins rise and fall. you’ve seen nerfs and buffs. you’ve seen reworks and remakes. you are ancient. older than the dragons and wiser than makoa. respect.

people see you on the opposing team and get really annoyed

“the point is really crowded, we can’t move in” “don’t worry guys, my ult is charged up”

you’re really good at all the characters but you like this guy a lot because you think he’s funky fresh

.

Tyra

you’re either new to the game or have been playing for too long

either way you can KICK ASS but you need to keep behind your team to do the most damage

flanks are the bane of you, especially the fast jumpy ones

you really want one of the cooler skins but you can only ever get the basic ones. such is the curse of maining one of the OG characters.

“bite me”

.

Viktor

you are level 100+ guaranteed, and everyone fears you

“oh shit they got a victor. flank focus him”

you probably play COD and CS:GO normally and wanted to go with something familiar and easy. your skill from the other more advanced games DWARFS everyone else

but why are you playing “guy with gun 132″ in a game with magical elves and fairies. like come on bro.

you don’t have any in-game friends because paladins is your guilty pleasure game you would never admit to

.

Vivian

“step on me” syndrome cranked up to 100%

this woman could spit on you and you’d still respect her more than your own mother. good for you

“i’m not a simp. i’m just tier 3 subbed to pokimane ironically”

you sweat the game hardcore. former victor main or he’s your secondary.

you’ve got her on level 50+ at least

.

Vora

like the maeve mains but somehow worse

bought her out of spite or played her while she was on rotation, now here you are grinding credits for her a day after she became unavailable

honestly you’re really good at the game i have nothing else to say

you enjoy the newer characters more than the OGs - you’re either a former vivian or lian main

you miss the play of the game feature in the game because you’d get all of them with this girl

.

Willo

you seem like the moji mains at first but show your true colors soon after

“fuck you” x50

you are a trash talker on max overdrive. you need to sit down, do some breathing exercises and have a drink.

you hate your own team more than the opposing guys

when you see a willow on the opposing team you make it your sole goal to eliminate her as many times as humanely possible

.

Yagorath

i bet you didn’t know she was canonically female until you read this

you don’t like sweating too much so you pick the tank that leaves you heavily relying on your healers and damages

you can hold a point really well so you like siege and onslaught

“are vora and yagorath connected in the lore somehow and do i really care?”

you have a friend who you always party up with to be your healer, otherwise you might switch to another character

.

Ying

“tanks love me, flanks hate me”

you are too powerful. literally. how are you so strong

you’ve mastered the most difficult healer in the game. the others are really easy for you to play but you have trouble with seris

motivate your team a lot but start shading and trash talking if they don’t cooperate

you’ll gladly play someone else for a long while and like taking breaks from her

.

Zhin

this is your first main after switching over from overwatch. we can smell it on you.

you’re really annoyed with his personality and voice lines but the character is too good to play for you to pass him up for that. you respond to his voice lines aloud very aggressively to let him know he’s an ass

“YES ZHIN HEALERS AREN’T USELESS YOU SELFISH PRICK”

you try your best but you’re not a great team player

infinite trips on a good day, die repeatedly without kills on a bad one and you switch over to vora or skye for a bit.

.

this took me hours to write out pls leave reblog and note thanks uwu

[slugsandslime]

Had a normal one drawing in call tonight.

[wayfarerxiii]

If you have the mental capacity and problem solving skills of a shred of kelp than maybe don't play a fucking team oriented PvP game you fucking chodes

[xaidesu1]

1, 2, 3, 4... here are the four avatars I made for the Paladins 3rd year contest!