How to play as Drogoz

Meet Drogoz! He doesn't like it when people call him a lizard.

Drogoz is one of the few champions that I started with as it had a quake-like cannon and well, it's looks like a Dragon! I enjoyed using him on my first few rounds in Paladins but I didn't know how to fully utilize his mobility by flying until a week after. Yes, I did use the Thrust Skill but I would only fall back to the ground because I didn't know I could suspend him on the air by flying and maintaining altitude for a period of time. This is done by hitting the thrust Button (F) and holding spacebar or what Jump key is binded to your configuration. It is indeed important to keep your distance from enemies but I'd usually ambush them and it's either them or me by that point. Flanks could annoy you (Skye, Androxus, Mave[the Worst], Buck and etc) so prepare to use Salvo(the skill that shoots multiple of rockets) while flying(because you're rockets can actually damage you if they are too close), 

FIYAH SPIT

Thrust(if in an Open space) and maintain altitude while hitting them with  your rockets. Remember, the amount of rockets shot by Salvo is the same amount of ammo(6) that you have so remember to reload before using it or if you're panicking then just use it. It's also possible to mix it up by thrusting yourself into the air and then shooting the Fire Spit first and then right as it almost gets to your enemies you use Salvo and gain maximum damage output as  Fire Spit gives you a knockback effect and deal 1000 damage to your enemies.

Mix Em Up with em Salvo

BOOM BOOM BOOM! Get rekt!

It is especially useful to get Front Lines/other enemies off the objective or payload as Salvo deals an additional 200% damage towards shields and cause 250 damage per hit. I also use this when Salvo is cooling down while Fire Spit is ready, I'd just use Fire Spit first and then shoot it with my rocket causing a big explosion. It's hard to time it sometimes and they can disappear when it hits an enemy before you fire but causing the enemy to receive 150 damage and you will also increase your rocket damage towards said enemy by about 30%. Lastly, the Ultimate(Dragon Punch) is the most useful skill to takedown enemy Front Lines as it is One Hit KO Skill so use it wisely and preferably behind walls or out of enemy sight as you are vulnerable for about 4 seconds while charging the Ultimate and after that just charge and look for the Front Line enemy. 

Hide from enemy views to avoid getting damaged and surprise them when  you come out of a corner.

As of now, I'm still experimenting the best build for his loadout, as of now this is my personal build and I'm happy of it. Each card costs about 1.5k gold and they can be unlocked randomly by opening loot chests. Cards are free baby!

Loadout Build and Talent

 This deck build is used for Combustible Talent. It grants Drogoz 75% of Cauterize when Fire Spit explodes and reduces his cooldown for 2 seconds. It also increases the height of Thrust and prolong it's life capacity by 10%. 

This loadout build is designed for using Salvo. It reduces it's Cooldown and increases the reload speed for Drogoz. It also increases the height of Thrust and heal Drogoz if a Fire Spit explodes on an enemy or a Salvo hitting a target.

Items

 For Combustible or Reign of Terror Talent

As for his item build, run Morale Boost when using the Combustible talent as it allows you to gain more percentage to ultimate when Fire Spit explodes on an Enemy. if you are using Thrust talent, you can take Nimble as it allows you more mobility and move quicker. Wrecker and Cauterize are situational picks. Drogoz would normally take Wrecker but if there's less than 3 players on your team that uses Cauterize do switch to it. It also stacks with Combustible legendary.

For Thrust

Additional Tips By Zillarawr

Disclaimer: This guide is not going to go over strategy's or anything like that, its going to be a list of tips and tricks that are not widely known about Drogoz. There are also going to be a lot of things here that more veteran players will already know about. But I can grantee that at lest one of them, even a veteran player will not know about.

So this will probably be pretty short, as most things about Drogoz as well known at this point considering how long he has been out. Buuuut... I like to experiment and try and find out all I can about things I like. So over the years, I have learned a great deal of many things about Drogoz that are not well known about.

So here are a few tricks, that I have gained over my 140 hours of Drogoz.

1. You can direct hit someone and still detonate a loogie from the explosion radius. Now I don't see this being used all that much, and I'm not too sure why. But, if you throw a loogie close to someone and then shoot a rocket directly at the person and hit them. You will do the damage from the direct shot of the rocket, and then the explosive damage from the loogie. Meaning you just did 1850 damage instantly. And over 2000 damage instantly if you used Fusillade, or Combustible.

Now this should be a general note to Drogoz, but you don't need to directly shoot the loogie to detonate it. It will explode as long as you hit it in the explosion radius of your rockets.

2. You can pre-load Salvo rockets before you get onto your horse, or before you ult. This should be common knowledge, but I still find a few people here and there that don't know about this. If you pre-load the salvo rockets before you get on your horse, they will still be pre-loaded when you get off your horse. This also happens with you ult. If you pre-load the rockets before you ult, they will stay pre-loaded after you exit your ult. Allowing for instant use of Salvo.

3. You can keep the momentum from your horse by jumping and dismounting, in that order quickly. This should also be common knowledge I feel, but a lot of people don't know it. If you are riding your horse, then jump and then you quickly press a key, any key that will dismount you, you will keep all the momentum from the horse, and will be able to fly around shortly at horse speed.

3.5. Just as a mini fact, Booster will try and slow you down to the flight speed of booster while it is active and going faster then its flight speed. Keywords, 'While it is active'. You can delay the slow of it by just not using Booster as much as possible. Easier said then done I know.

4. Nimble will increase your booster speed. Again, this should probably be common knowledge, but I still find some people that are not aware of this. If you buy Nimble, it will increase your booster flight speed. Nimble will also stack with W.Y.R.M Jets, but will have diminishing returns.

5. The Fire Spit is affected by Gravity. This should be pretty obvious, but again, some people don't know. The loogie is in fact affected by Gravity to a small extent. Try it in the shooting range even. If you fire completely level over a flat portion of ground, the loogie will eventually drop down till it hits the ground. So if you are trying to snipe someone at long range with a loogie, fire it slightly more up and your rocket at the lower part of the loogie to make sure your going to hit it.

6. You do have self knock back from your rockets. Now this is a bit more situational... Well, very situational. But it has come in useful a few times. Jump, fire a rocket at your feet and Thrust at just the right time, you will gain a bit of extra height. Not enough to compensate for the uncalled for 30% nerf to his vertical mobility. But you will gain about 15-20% extra height if you get it just right.

This is the most noticeable on Salvo. If you fire your Salvo directly below you, then booster and move to the left, you will gain a ton of horizontal speed. This sometimes can help you cross a gap a sniper is watching, as they won't expect you to be moving as fast.

But generally, this is not a good tactic to use. It will sometimes come in useful, and can save you in certain situations. But it is extremely situational, and most times its not worth the self damage.

7. Spitfire and Hyper Boost will proc on Shields and Deployables. Now this, I feel should be very well known, considering it actually tells you on the card it self. But still, some people don't know. This should be a general note, if it says targets hit, it will mean it will proc on deployables and shields as well as champions. Basically anything you are able to deal damage to will proc it. If it says on Champions hit, it will only work when hitting another champion.

8. The on hit effect of Fire Spit is actually universal, not just for Drogoz. This is interesting, and it is true. All weapon attacks made to a champion hit by a loogie will deal 30% more damage. Not just for Drogoz.

9. The 30% bouns damage effect also applies to shields and deployables. Not much to say here really. But the damage amp also works here as well. So if you loogie a shield, all weapon attacks to the shield will deal 30% more damage.

10. Dying does not reset your cooldowns. This is more general for every champion. But it will only come into play for a few of them with long cooldowns. Such as Drogoz. His 20 second Salvo ability will be on cooldown still even after you respawn if you used it just before you died. This can get you caught out as you were expecting to have a Salvo ready, but you didn't.