During a livestream at Paladins the new champion Inara was introduced. She will be the first female champion on the frontline and seems to wield the element of earth.
So far, the frontline in Paladins consists exclusively of men. However, it is already colorful and diverse in the frontline, as we have:
- A laser grandpa – Torvald
- A turtle – Makoa
- A shining knight – Fernando
- A dwarf building towers – Barik
- An anti-tank and gnome – Ruckus
What Paladins is still missing, however, is a lady in the frontline. Starting with patch OB 45, Inara will support the gentlemen in front with her stone spear and barriers.
Paladins OB 45: Inara – What we know about the new frontline lady
So far, we don’t know what Inara looks like, but we have already gotten an impression of her abilities and weapon. Inara briefly appeared in the champion selection on the PTR. Her planned abilities were visible here, but nothing more.
During the last Paladins stream, Inara was officially confirmed and introduced as a frontline champion. With her abilities, she manipulates the ground and stone, and her weapon also has stone elements.
Inara’s abilities – Will she be a barrier tank?
It is still uncertain whether the presented abilities will remain exactly as they are, as they have only been briefly seen on the test server. They have not been officially confirmed yet.
However, the abilities give a good impression of what the planning is for Inara’s role. She seems to be some sort of barrier tank.
- LMT: Stone Spear – Fires three projectiles, each dealing 350 damage in 0.6 seconds, every 6 seconds.
- RMT: Earthern Guard – Enter a defensive state that lasts 5 seconds. You receive 50% reduced damage.
- F: Warder’s Field – Place a stone obelisk that pulses, slowing enemies by 60% and dealing 150 damage per second.
- Q: Impasse – Place a thin wall that grows from the ground and lasts for 8 seconds. Activate the ability again to make the wall grow to its full height.
- E: GAE Bolg – Prepare a devastating spear throw and gain increased jump height. Once the spear is thrown, it will pierce through shields and immobilize enemies for 2 seconds in a radius of 25 units from the impact of the spear.
The translations of the abilities are not official.
Inara’s weapon and gameplay – How will the spear function?
During the stream, it was possible to take a look at Inara’s weapon. It is a spear with three sharp, floating stones at its end. In the following video from “Joshino”, some initial gameplay of Inara can be seen. Unfortunately, there is still no look at Inara herself, but the function of her weapon and abilities.
Leya says: Inara’s spear outwardly looks to me like a ceremonial staff, and I could imagine that she is some kind of elemental priestess. Her spear and abilities suggest that she can manipulate earth and stone. Perhaps she is also a witch/mage like Evie. The winter witch Evie influences ice and snow as she wishes and also has a staff as a weapon. Who knows …
Inara’s planned abilities seem to be suitable for holding back opponents and protecting objectives. I wouldn’t want to get too close to her spear, it deals good damage and additionally has an AoE stun with the ultimate. I’m curious whether these abilities will make it into Paladins or if a lot will change for Inara. I’m definitely looking forward to the frontline lady and can’t wait to test her.
How do you like Inara so far, and what do you think her background is? With the new heroine, Paladins’ current tier list will surely shift again.
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