Welcome League of Legends’ “first true tank support” – a man built like one. Braum has the physique and accent of a circus strongman, and a suite of shielding powers set to lengthen the lives of your teammates should you learn how to use them effectively.
Here’s the latest champion spotlight on the subject. As an aside – can other developers adopt a video format as comprehensive and comfortable to sit through as this, please? Riot have been doing these for yonks.
Braum was a goat herder, goes the lore, but stumbled upon an unbreakable door he decided would make a better shield for protecting his people.
In-game, the shield is best used to deflect enemy attention – and arrows, naturally – away from your teammates.
In the lanes, Braum players can use Concussive Blows to do their share of the damage – but should also make use of his symbiotic relationship with the marksman to fire off a passive stun.
Together, Braum and the marksman sound a little like that more famous tactical pairing – TF2’s Heavy and Medic.
“While Braum is undeniably useful on the offense, he’s an absolute colossus when defending,” say Riot. “The additional defenses provided by Stand Behind Me help both Braum and his marksman survive otherwise lethal damage, while [Braum’s E] Unbreakable has the potential to completely shield his ally from all incoming damage when positioned correctly.”
Riot advise using Glacial Fissure’s shockwave to break apart opposing teammates before they have a chance to come together. Then, you can pick off routing enemies with Winter’s Bite.
Sound like your sort of strategy? In his Braum review, our Josh advised holding off unless you’re part of a coordinated team.