'Paladins' Tank Guide: How To Play Makoa

KEY POINTS

Makoa is a tank who can be played offensively or defensively
He excels at disrupting enemy formations by pulling important targets or diving into the backline
Makoa can act as a frontline tank or backline defender

Makoa is one of the original frontliners in “Paladins,” and while he may have changed a lot over the years, his core identity remains the same. The tanky turtle excels at reeling enemies in for a quick pick and shielding his allies from incoming damage.

Due to his unique skillset, Makoa plays a little differently from most tanks. Here’s a short overview of his ideal playstyles as well as some tips on how to be effective with him.

Makoa’s Playstyles

Makoa is a tanky bruiser that thrives in close quarters. He wields a naval cannon and a washed-up anchor that can be used to pull enemies out of position. Makoa also has the ability to create a dome-shaped shield and hurtle toward or away from danger with his Shell Spin skill.

One tip for players is that Dredge Anchor can be used to throw enemies down ledges.

Meanwhile, his ultimate ability turns him into a threatening melee champion with high durability and decent damage.

Compared to other tanks, Makoa has a bit more flexibility in terms of what playstyles he can use. Players can be an objective-focused frontliner with strong shielding, a backline diver with high disruption or an off-tank/protector who can keep enemy flankers away from important teammates.

Either way, Makoa’s playstyle depends on what cards and talents players decide to go for.

Makoa uses a chained anchor to drag enemies toward him - Paladins — Makoa uses a chained anchor to drag enemies toward him Paladins

Cards, Items and Talents

Aggressive Makoa players will want to use Pluck as their main talent since it increases the damage of their next cannon shot against targets hit with Dredge Anchor. Take Chronos to reduce the downtime between skill casts.

The default Pluck card loadout works perfectly fine for this playstyle, though the Surf and Ebb and Flow cards can be replaced with others if players prefer to protect their carries and supports instead of diving into the enemy team.

On the other hand, defensive players should go for the Leviathan talent instead as it makes Makoa’s ultimate charge faster, grant more health and fully refresh the cooldowns of his other abilities. Half-Shell can also be a great option, but it might make pushing payloads a bit more complicated.

For players who want the most out of Shell Shield, use the following cards: