Paladins - Raum Character Guide (How to Play and Defeat)

In this guide I'll explain how to play and defeat Raum. Keep noted this is entirely in my opinion and I'm just simply pointing you the direction. Whether you wish to follow or not is entirely up to you respectively. It should also be noted that if any update changes Raum, it might take effect on the guide as well depending on the changes. Whether you wish to follow some or entirely is also up to you.

How To Play And Defeat Raum

First Thing To Do

I need you to look over Raum's ability. Whether you are new or inexperience with him its important to check him out.

These are worth keeping noted when playing as him.

• Hellfire Gatling: Your weapon, it shoots slow at startup but builds up as you shoot. Interesting thing to note is that if you just shoot single fire after shooting at full speed, it can also help you save up on startup, so if enemies appear you can shoot at full speed quickly. Useful strategy if you need to keep your weapon running without ignition (although not recommended since ignition is useful to use anyways but can help if ignition is still on cooldown).
• Ignition: This ability is what you'll be using very often in the game. Not only does it help improve your startup alot (having you shoot fast instantly), but you have unlimited ammo for limited time. Its cooldown isnt much so you'll be active on using it.
• Juggernaut: This is your getaway ability, can be used for fighting or escaping. Use it wisely because the cooldown is not that good.
• Soul Harvest: Useful only if the skulls you got out of the enemies are too far to reach. You can use it to bring them to you. Using it while not having skulls wont do anything at all. But with the cards ability, it can be useful for something other than skulls.
• Cataclysm: Raum's Ultimate, its range is fairly good though recommend on close or probably mid range. It stuns enemies. Its also a threat to shield and deployable users. Any deployables will be instantly destroyed. Keep noted it doesnt work on all of them, such as Evie's ice shield since its invincible. This can also destroy Barik's ultimate since its deployable.

My Loadouts

Here are my loadouts and will explain each on what they do to help me.

• Hellish Lodestones: Reducing your damage can help when engaging in combat. Ignition is your best friend in this one and will explain further why on the next card. What you need to know from this is that you need to always use it even right off the bat the moment you spot an enemy, not only because it give you unlimited ammo and faster startup, but because the card's ability will help you take less damage when fighting. It makes it difficult for others trying to kill you especially with the amount of base health you have, especially on 1 on 1.
• Abhorrent Vista: Just like I said, Ignition is your best friend in this one. It reduces your cooldown for your Ignition. Which means you'll be able to use it more often, which means more fighting for you. With some tests, you can last ALOT longer before reloading. Giving you about 2 or perhaps 3 more times to use Ignition before reloading. This makes reloading pretty useless if you use it actively.
• Void Lord: Using Soul Harvest helps you reduce damage. When absorbing skulls, it can also take effect on your health shield. Therefore, makes you a even more compatible fighter. Its almost useless when using it on close range (due to having already obtained skulls if all of them were from close range). Reason why I said almost useless because this card will help you get reduce damage. So this can be helpful to keep yourself alive a little longer.
• Abyssal Connections: Another Ignition ability, this helps with Hellish Lodestones ability along with Abhorrent Vista. You'll get a 100 health shield every time you activate Ignition.
• Desperation: About to get beaten? Fear not, this ability will give you health shield if you are low on health. This can be a good combo for Hellish Lodestones if you are in a middle of a fight. This can be useful for Juggernaut as well because you can react before dying, which I will explain later further why Juggernaut is so important (and not mentioned).

My Talent

This is what I always use, and always helped me through the fight. I prefer this personally because it helps me survive longer, and if I wish I can use this to help me prevent from dying. With the desperation card, you have more time to react. This may also varies on enemy tactics on you, but more likely you can survive if they are not smart or aware enough. Here are things you must know about Juggernaut.

With this talent, Juggernaut is reliable for both fighting and escape strategy. I recommend not using it unless if needed because Juggernaut has horrible cooldown. So if you intend to use it for fighting purposes, you are risking getting yourself killed depending on enemies you are facing. No matter how overwhelmed you are.

• Escape strategy: If all fails where you are either last one alive or you are dying, you can use this as a desperate act of escape. You want to run back to your team. You'll be able to outrun most of the enemies. Running forward to enemy base is risky because some of the teams might spawn and can run into you. Which can result of them finishing you off. Its safer if you run back to your base and get healed. Then come back and continue where you left off, unless if you wish you can wait for your team so you can group up.
• Attack strategy: This one I dont recommend much because the talent is more focused on escaping than attacking. Using it means you might not have another chance if you get overwhelmed later. It can still be useful however. As a attack strategy, you can charge through enemies, you get health shield from running over them. More of all, you can use it to charge through them and attack behind while your teams attack ahead, confusing the enemies in some maps. This might not be the best idea because enemies can be around at that area too and attack you as well. This can also be used to help you live longer if you are in a tight game, such as running around on the objective. Remember the talent activates the moment you use it.

Items

Here I will explain on certain item choices I make, I will separate them so you will know which ones I choose often and others I dont. Keep noted it doesnt mean they are "not important" but more of it varies on the enemies you are facing. So there will be "Permanent" and "Optional", permanent are the choices I made in every game. "Optional" is items I sometimes use, but not entirely. Which again, varies on the enemies I'm facing. So here are the items.

Very reliable for survival, you can take any direct hits from enemies. Keep noted it doesnt help against explosives, so any explosive damage on you it'll be the same. Blast shield is the one you are looking for, but I recommend Haven because more than likely you will face enemies that will do direct damage on you.

Its the first choice I make, usually if I have medics on me or if I'm using other items like Life rip (especially if I dont have a medic on my team). Rejuvenate will help you combat against enemy's Cauterize, which reduces your healing. It does NOT help your health shield, should be worth noting. Always get this if you have healers or using healing items. Medic and Frontlines are best friends when it comes to focusing on objectives, and adding healing items adds a bonus.

While not recommended to some, its still useful to me. I prefer to use this with Rejuvenate so you can still get some good amount of heals when enemies use Cauterize, you'll see that often. Whats useful is that remember every hit gives you heals (though a very small amount). With Raum, his weapon contains alot ammo, and using Ignition very often helps push it further to be reliable. Keep noted without Rejuvenate, you'll get even lesser heals. WIth the health shield in effect, it can help you get heals while the health shield covers you.

This is something you'll likely gonna buy often in the game, because without it the enemy is practically bullet sponges with the healers keep constantly healing them as you fight. Raum may have alot of ammo, his damage isnt big comparing to others. Specifically others who can do big damage with their weapons. Cauterize is something Raum will need to prevent them from healing further. For every game involves a medic in the enemy team, make sure you have room for Cauterize, its important.

I hardly use it, but it can be very helpful fighting characters with abilities that stuns, blinds, or freezes you. With Resilience, you have more resistance. This is also important when fighting most characters with those abilities so you can break free quicker. Do not buy this sooner, buy it later only if really needed. Make sure to study your enemies before making that choice, it all depends if they are that big of a problem or not. Otherwise, dont bother buying it if they dont slow you down or put you into halt (even if its just a little, in other words it doesnt annoy you much).

Any other items I dont mention are the items I dont use at all. Reasons are either because its unnecessary due to having the stuff I already need to help me, or because they dont benefit my character so much, or at all.

Strategy Of Using Raum

Last part on playing as Raum. You can use Raum with either direct approach or flanking. Personally I would use it for direct approach many times because I'll know where they are attacking as I retreat using Juggernaut. But I sometimes flank in case I want to let them attack first so I can ambush them, if things go bad then I will always use Juggernaut if by means to escape. Ignition will be something you will ALWAYS use in every fight, make sure to use it upon enemy contact. Use it the moment the cooldown is gone to extend the fight further. If you dont use it so often, then you'll end up reloading and it can be bad if you are in a middle of a fight.

Remember to use Soul Harvest, it helps gather skulls for your health shield and temporary decrease the damage you take from enemies.

You can also use Raum's ultimate in a way to make a combo Ultimate with others. Such as using Raum's Ultimate first and then Dredge uses his after on the victims Raum has stunned, which can give out devastating damage. Raum's ultimate can be useful in other ways. Remember to use it against shield users and deployables. I prefer to use it on Ultimates that uses deployables like Barik's Ultimate, which can cancel out and can change greatly if its destroyed.

Defeating Raum, Explaining His Weaknesses

Raum may be very powerful but there are ways to defeat him, this also varies on the characters you use. But its still not impossible when it comes to how to deal with him.

What you need to know, is despite Raum's weapon having alot of ammo and does a good amount of damage. Its also inaccurate when it comes to far range. Fighting him from a distance is advised, make sure not to get hit too often, which is ALSO why you need cover as well. Because it makes it harder for him to hit you if you keep hiding behind cover. Some teamwork can help, but if you have a character with some serious firepower (in my case, Viktor with his 3 round burst or Vivian with her Opportunity in Chaos, both of their talents respectively), you can easily deal with him and his health shield. Potentially killing him as well in the process if its a 1 on 1 just as long as you keep your distance and have cover. Items also matters as well to help improve your chance.

If you are Raum, it shouldnt matter because you have the same ability as well. While it doesnt matter much for Frontlines to confront Raum up close, its worth noting that Frontlines really do need support from their teams to take him down because of his health shield ability. Killing him together helps balance the odds. If he uses Juggernaut, stay away from him because if he runs you over he will get health shield from it.

You can also stop Raum's Juggernaut by stunning him, doing it in successfully would result leaving Raum completely helpless and widely open. He would have no choice but to fight. When he uses Juggernaut, you will see him preparing to charge before running off. If you see that, stun him right away. Then he will be in trouble. Stunning him also helps up when he charges at you. This can ruin both his escape and attack strategy.

Conclusion

Raum is a Frontline, a tank. While he mainly focus on objectives, he's more of a fighter than a defender. Unlike other Frontline Champions, he doesnt have a shield of his own. He relies on health shield which is obtained by hitting enemies. He can have a very large health if stacked with health shield. It should also be noted that his health shield is temporary so it can disappear if its there for a long time. It extends every time he obtains a skull from hitting his opponent, which is why its important to not get hit so often (depending on character and class). Teamwork is also important if you want to take down Raum, but dont take too long or else others will assist him and watch out for his backup if he had any.

Remember also despite the fact Raum is a fighter, he IS a Frontline. Which means to always focus on objective in other modes. Especially Siege.

Before You Play As Him

I need you to go to training room on the shooting range, see if my advice feels more comfortable for you to use. If not, you can forget everything what you read and move on, find other guides that is more suitable to you. If it does help you, then I am glad to be helpful. This is entirely up to you on what you choose.

Source: https://gameplay.tips/guides/5835-paladins.html					

More Paladins guilds

• All Guilds
• Paladins - Cassie Guide
• Paladins - The Drafting Guide
• Paladins - Buck Guide
• Paladins - How to Escape the Gold Hell and Get to Diamond
• Paladins - How to Play Imani
• Paladins - Who is the Best Tank (Top 7 Tanks)
• Paladins - Battle Pass 3 - Remix Challenges Guide and Tips
• Paladins - Lian Guide
• Paladins - Furia Character Guide (How to Play and Defeat)
• Paladins - Evie Character Guide (How to Play and Defeat)