How to Play Viktor - Paladins Characters Guide

This is a new series I would like to introduce here on my Steemit page. I want to include more gaming articles in my feed to help grow the gaming category here on Steemit. The first character we will be looking at is Viktor which is a relatively easy character to master. I will be sharing the skill sets I focus on and strategies when I use Viktor.

Let's begin by discussing what the abilities of the character are:

The assault rifle is your main damage dealer. Iron sights let's you zoom in for a better aim. If you stay firing at the enemy team you can rack up some serious damage. It can put on pressure from a long range but deals more damage the closer you get. Medium range is ideal because you don't want to leave Viktor in the open unless you have a tank with you. The frag grenade is also an important tool and is very effect on the point because there are usually multiple people from the enemies team on it. It hits for up to 750 and can hit multiple targets. I use the grenade heavily in my own play style, but we will get into more detail about that later. Hustle allows versatile movement because there isn't a cool down. You can speed up when you need to but this also means you can't make the quickest escape at times. Other characters have cool downs but escape to a farther distance much quicker. Finally, there is the Ultimate which is Barrage. This is a great one for dispersing the enemy team on a point. There are two important things to keep in mind when using Barrage. You are very vulnerable because you are moving very slowly so it is important stand in a somewhat hidden place when using Barrage. Second, everyone knows a barrage is coming because they can hear the "Barrage Incoming" line and see a red target on the ground. There is not much that you can do about the second one except time it after a character has used their movement ability. Either way people have to move away from the point to escape massive damage leading the way for your team to counter-attack.

This is the first screen you will see when playing as Viktor.

The best legendary card to choose in my opinion is Cardio. Gaining HP as you run makes you less vulnerable when you are trying to escape. If you are focused on dealing damage and sacrificing retreat options then you could go for Gunnery because you will almost always be using Iron Sights when you are firing. Firefight is really not good because like I just mentioned you will almost always be using Iron Sights when firing. This could only be somewhat useful if your enemy team has a lot of tanks who can't move away quickly and are susceptible to the hip fire. The best balance option is Cardio and the best attack option is Gunnery. In my opinion balance wins because you can't deal any damage when you get eliminated.

Next you have to decide what to pick from the item shop:

I use Haven for a lot of characters, and I think it works wells with this characters as well. Blast Shields could be used only if your enemy team has a lot of terrain damage, but it is highly unusual for it be a better option than Haven. If you are very concerned about flanks, which you will often be targeted by you could go the Illuminate route. Moral Boost could be good if you become good at using your ultimate. I used to use Deft Hands, but with Viktor's clip being 30 bullets at the moment I don't think it is necessary.
Best Options :

• Haven or Blast Shields
• Morale Boost or Nimble
• Wrecker (If there is a lot of tanks)
• Illuminate (If there is a lot of flanks)

And finally on to my personal card set.

XL Mag Count II - This one could be replaced now with the recent upgrade to Viktor's clip, but it helps reduce the need to go for Deft Hands.
Flak Jacket - Viktor's health isn't too high. Usually to win a 1v1 you will need to get some grenade damage off. The little bit of extra health is helpful.
Grenadier IV - This helps grenades become a main focus of damage. You can get off two grenades in the center within 3 seconds.
Hot Potato IV - Again. Getting those grenades out there.
Scramble - This one could be replaceable. Sometimes you need to get out a little faster.

As you can see my set is very focused on grenades. I think they are very useful for capturing the point and weakening multiple members of the opponents team. I made this set a while ago, and so I might change it up again in the future. I still think grenades will be a great focus for Viktor for a while.

Well, I hope this was helpful to new Paladins players out there. Hopefully this article can bring more attention to the gaming category of steemit! Pictures in the article are from me or from the paladins wiki. Let me know what characters I should do next, any way to improve the formatting, and if I should add more or less detailing. Thanks for reading, commenting, and upvoting!

-Schubes