Io is a Support Champion in Paladins, added on July 17th, 2019.
Lore
For eons, the moon goddess Io watched over the Realm. Then, disaster struck: the Darkness smothered the goddess's light and shattered the moon that hung above the lands.
Pieces of the moon fell to the Shattered Desert, where Io's faithful watched over them. They kept vigil for the shattered goddess, praying that one day she would return to guide them.
As the Magistrate marched on the desert sands, intending to claim the power of the moon shards in their vicious struggle with the Resistance, that day finally came. At the urging of her celestial contemporary, Io revealed her true form to fight for her people and stand against those who would threaten their survival.
Summary
Io is a support character who can hold her own for a decent amount of time. Her Moonlight can rapidly heal any teammate and also mitigate some damage with the Goddess' Blessing talent, and with the Life Link talent, she can also provide AOE heals with the Guardian Spirit ability. Additionally, because Luna is able to contest objectives, this can be very useful for all five members of a team to push forward. Her mobility ability, Lunar Leap, can both get her out of difficult situations and make her a harder target to hit while leaping. However, if she can't escape a flanker, Io can also rely on Luna's stun to win fights.
Skills
Template:AbilityInfoUltimate
Talents
Cards
This is a list with all cards available to Io:
Name | Image | Description | Cooldown | Category |
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Broken Deity | Increase Luna's deploy range by {20|20}%. | Guardian Spirit | ||
Celestial Body | Increase your maximum Health by {50|50}. | Armor / Weapon | ||
Crescent | Reset the Cooldown of Lunar Leap after dropping to or below {15|15}% Health. | 15 | Lunar Leap | |
Eternal Reliquary | Lunar Leap restores {2|2} Ammo. | Lunar Leap | ||
Feral Strength | Increase Luna's Health by {225|225}. | Guardian Spirit | ||
Full Moon | Gain a {100|100}-Health Shield for 3s after activating Lunar Leap. | Lunar Leap | ||
Half Moon | Reduce the Cooldown of Lunar Leap by {0.8|0.8}s. | Lunar Leap | ||
Lunar Connection | Reduce the Cooldown of Luna's initial deploy by {1.2|1.2}s. | Guardian Spirit | ||
Moonlight Garden | Generate {2|2}% Moonlight for each enemy hit with Light Bow. | Armor / Weapon | ||
Moonwalk | Increase your Moonlight's capacity by {8|8}%. | Armor / Weapon | ||
Protectors | Regenerate {2|2}% Moonlight every 1s while within 30 units of Luna and not using Moonlight. | Guardian Spirit | ||
Restored Faith | Heal for {10|10} every time you Heal an ally with Moonlight. | Moonlight | ||
Sanctum of Faith | Regenerate {1|1}% Moonlight every 1s when not using Moonlight. | Moonlight | ||
Sky Walker | Lower your gravity and increase your air control by {50|10}% while firing your Light Bow. | Armor / Weapon | ||
Spirit Arrows | Reduce the Cooldown of Luna's redeploy by {0.1|0.1}s after Healing with Moonlight. | Moonlight | ||
Swift Arrows | Increase allies' Movement Speed by {6|6}% while they are being Healed by Moonlight. | Moonlight |
Pre-Built Loadouts
All of the following cards are in Io's pre-built loadouts:
Cosmetic Items
These are the Cosmetic Items currently available for Io:
Champion Skin Collections
Default | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Default Light Bow | ||||
Rarity | Common | ||||
Availability | Standard | ||||
Release | July 17, 2019 | ||||
Cost | Free | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Free | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Feral | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Feral Light Bow | ||||
Rarity | Uncommon | ||||
Availability | Standard | ||||
Release | July 17, 2019 | ||||
Cost | 60,000 • 300 • • • Bounty Store • Season Pass 2019 - 2020 (Feral Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | 60,000 • 300 • • • Bounty Store • Season Pass 2019 - 2020 (Feral Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Starfall | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Starfall Light Bow | ||||
Rarity | Rare | ||||
Availability | Limited | ||||
Release | July 17, 2019 | ||||
Cost | Season Pass 2019 - 2020 (Starfall Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Season Pass 2019 - 2020 (Starfall Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Pirate's Treasure | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Pirate's Bladed Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | September 11, 2019 | ||||
Cost | • • • • Pirate's Treasure Battle Pass Level 1 (Pirate's Treasure Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Pirate's Treasure Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | • • • • Pirate's Treasure Battle Pass Level 1 (Pirate's Treasure Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Pirate's Treasure Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Eight Oceans | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Oceans' Bladed Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Limited | ||||
Release | September 11, 2019 | ||||
Cost | Pirate's Treasure Battle Pass Level 50 (Eight Oceans Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Pirate's Treasure Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Pirate's Treasure Battle Pass Level 50 (Eight Oceans Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Pirate's Treasure Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Default) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 1 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 1 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Magenta) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 2 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 2 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Teal) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 16 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 16 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Green) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 57 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 57 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Red) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 75 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 75 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Yellow) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 94 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 94 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Black) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 110 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 110 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Stellar Protector (Inverted) | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Astral Bow | ||||
Rarity | Epic | ||||
Availability | Exclusive | ||||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 117 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 117 (Stellar Protector Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Stellar Protector Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Golden | |||||
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Loading Art | Icons | Character Model | |||
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Weapon | Golden Light Bow | ||||
Rarity | Legendary | ||||
Availability | Mastery | ||||
Release | July 17, 2019 | ||||
Cost | Rewarded at Mastery Level 50 (Golden Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Cost | Rewarded at Mastery Level 50 (Golden Io Collection) | ||||
Voicelines | Io voice lines | ||||
Voice Pack Preview | ▶️ • ▶️ • ▶️ | ||||
Character Model | |||||
Emotes
Default | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Common | |||
Availability | Standard | |||
Release | July 17, 2019 | |||
Cost | Free | |||
Cost | Free | |||
Character Model | ||||
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Yawn | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Rare | |||
Availability | Exclusive | |||
Release | July 17, 2019 | |||
Cost | • | |||
Cost | • | |||
Character Model | ||||
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Radiant Joy | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Rare | |||
Availability | Exclusive | |||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | |||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 2 | |||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 2 | |||
Character Model | ||||
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MVP Poses
Default | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Common | |||
Availability | Standard | |||
Release | July 17, 2019 | |||
Cost | Free | |||
Cost | Free | |||
Character Model | ||||
Cunning | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Rare | |||
Availability | Exclusive | |||
Release | July 17, 2019 | |||
Cost | • | |||
Cost | • | |||
Character Model | ||||
Star | ||||
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Icon | Character Model | |||
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Rarity | Rare | |||
Availability | Exclusive | |||
Release | July 29th, 2020 | |||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 23 | |||
Cost | Radiant Stars Battle Pass Level 23 | |||
Character Model | ||||
Trivia
- Io's story arc is about finding and accepting herself after she was split apart into her current incomplete form, as revealed here.
- As revealed here, Io took her current appearance due it being how her worshippers imagined her.
- According to a dev blog found here, Io and Luna are not the same being, but two distinct entities.
- For ease of access, the line in question revealing this can be found here: "So while Io is fox-like she isn’t the same being as Luna but they obviously relate to each other thematically in such a way that you as the player know wherever Io goes Luna is never far behind."
- According to the same dev blog, Luna is Io's familiar, as stated in the sentence: "This is her familiar so that where Io goes Luna is never far behind."
- However, it was later stated here, that Io and Luna are two beings that split apart from Io's original form.
- Luna is meant to be the fox representative of the goddess of the moon, as mentioned here.
- As stated here, Io definitely noticed when Jenos originally ascended.
- The reason Io sounds as though she's always about to stutter is due to the moon being shattered, as revealed here.
- Yagorath implies (▶️) that Io isn't the moon, but merely inhabits it. It is unknown how true this is.
- It's mentioned here that the reason Io didn't come down to help until requested to by Jenos is due to her being incomplete and not able to do everything all the time.
- It was mentioned that if Io had the chance, she'd date Ra from Evil Mojo's other title, SMITE, as stated here.
- Based on a dev statement revealing Viktor to be around 5'9 or 175cm tall, it was discovered that Io would be around 4'7 or 139cm tall.
- Corvus is present in the card Protectors. This was prior to his reveal as a champion.
- Io is present in Raum's card Desperation as a small figure.
- Io appears in Vora's cards New Purpose and False Idol, as a statue on the latter.
- Io also appears in Yagorath's card Out Of Time.
- Io and Luna both appeared as statues in the map Bazaar prior to their reveal.
- Cottontail Seris's splash art features a billboard that reads "Now Playing: Fox from the Moon Starring Io", this being prior to Io's reveal. It can be seen more clearly here.
- Io is a moon on the planet Jupiter, just as Io is the moon goddess.
- Io's fox companion is named Luna, in ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon.
- Io and Luna took inspiration from both Kitsune mythology, as well as the Triple Goddess mythology, as stated here.
- One of Io's jokes "Don't touch the t-tail it takes an eternity to get it looking this good." (▶️) references a similar joke of Jenos' "Don't touch the hair! It takes centuries to get it looking this good." (▶️).
- Though Io's card Sky Walker is reminiscent of a popular Jojo meme, when asked, it was revealed this was unintentional.
- The icon for Io's Sacrifice talent uses the same art as her Broken Deity card.
- The icon for the talent Life Link uses the same art as the icon for Io's ability Guardian Spirit when Luna has not been summoned.
- The icon for the talent Goddess' Blessing uses the same art as the icon for Io's ability Moonlight.
- The card Full Moon is featured as the background of Vora's card Unified in Purpose.
- For one of Vora's teasers, an alternate version of the art featured in the card Sanctum of Faith was used, which removed the two characters present, as well as the faint orange light.
- Prior to Io's reveal, Paladins artist Thunderbrush would change his Twitter profile picture to this image on June 4th, 2019.
- As stated here, Io was initially intended to be Korean, but her design changed.
- Originally, Io was going to summon a moon that would slow and stun players for her ultimate, as revealed here.
- Io's healing was also originally meant to be different, instead, functioning as a sort of "seeking projectile", as mentioned here.
- The animalistic aspects of Io's design were meant to show Io as a druid-style character that would represent all creatures and life in the Realm, as stated here.
- It was briefly considered giving Io a talent that allowed Luna to spawn or redeploy herself, as mentioned here. As also mentioned there, the idea was shot down immediately upon being mentioned.
- As mentioned here, Io originally used Cassie's animations for testing.
- Feral
- Feral is a term used to describe animals that live in the wild, but descended from domesticated species.
- This skin lacking Io's headpiece could be a reference to her now appearing slightly wilder.
- Starfall
- This skin may be named after shooting stars, a type of meteor that burns in the atmosphere, creating a trail in the sky.
- Pirate's Treasure / Eight Oceans
- Several lines reference Davy Jones' locker, which is a metaphor used to describe death on the sea.
- The Eight Oceans skin is likely a reference to the eight seas mentioned in one of Dredge's Top Play lines "Ye been graced by the scourge of the eight seas." (▶️), as is one of the skin's line "No better pirate in the eight oceans." (▶️).
- The Eight Oceans skin's color scheme may be a reference to ghost ships.
- During a brief period when the official Paladins Twitter account was put under the control of Pirate's Treasure Io, it was revealed here and here that Dredge and Remix Pepper are both Pirate's Treasure Io's crew. Dredge was also implied as such during another period when he was in charge of the official Paladins Twitter account.
- These skins share their theme with Swashbuckler Barik, Dutchman Makoa, Pirate's Treasure Ruckus, Eight Oceans Ruckus, Pirate's Treasure Maeve, and Eight Oceans Maeve.
- Stellar Protector
- These skins' are based on Magical Girl anime, particularly Sailor Moon.
- These skins' personality is a reference to a stereotypical anime protagonist, as a result, also making many references to the power of friendship.
- The joke "The enemy captured the objective during my transformation sequence last game! Not one of my finest moments..." (▶️) is a reference to how magical girl transformation sequences often go on for far too long.
- The joke "Is it 7 AM already? Oh no, I'm already late for school and it's just my first day!" (▶️) is a reference to a common trope in anime, where the main character is late for school on their first day.
- The line "They're on our fluffy tails!" (▶️) may be a reference to the anime The Helpful Fox Senko-san, which features a kitsune with a very fluffy tail; one the main character enjoys fluffing a lot.
- These skins' spawn chatter line with Koga "Haven't I seen you somewhere before? Reading a uh... *clears throat* book of sorts?" (▶️) references male anime characters shamelessly reading questionable magazines.
- The line "Heal me, senpai!" (▶️) is a reference to a common term used in anime to describe an upperclassman.
- The line "Eh..." (▶️) is possibly a reference to Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion, which featured her saying this line very frequently.
- One of these skins' jokes are a reference to a popular phrase amongst the "weeb" culture; "Your waifu is trash!" (▶️).
- Waifu refers to a fictional character an anime fan considers a wife. Husbando, an alternative, means husband.
- These skins share their theme with Stellar Sorceress Imani, Stellar Sentinel Inara, Stellar Mender Seris, Gentleman Jenos, and Galactic Conqueror Vora.
Videos
Ability Breakdown
Changelog
- Abilities
- Guardian Spirit
- Reduced base Health 4000 ➞ 3000
- Luna is now able to be Cauterized
- This is something we are still testing and would like to feel confident about before ultimately including this change in this update
- Cards
-
- Increase Luna’s Health by 200|200.
- Increased Health 200|200 ➞ 225|225
- Increase allies’ Movement Speed by 8|8% while they are being Healed by Moonlight.
- Decreased Movement Speed bonus 8|8% ➞ 6|6%
Paladins Release Version 3.3.3657.3 (April 29th, 2020)
- Abilities
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- Increased Healing 125 every 0.15s ➞ 150 every 0.15s
- Decreased base maximum Moonlight 200 ➞ 150
- Cards
- Moonwalk
- Increased Moonlight capacity scaling {6|6}% ➞ {8|8}%
Paladins Release Version 3.1.3487.7 (January 8, 2020)
- Talents
- Goddess’ Blessing
- Reduced damage reduction 25% ➞ 15%
- Life Link
- Reduced Healing per second 300 ➞ 180
- Sacrifice
- Now resets the Cooldown on Luna’s deploy
- Abilities
- Lunar Leap
- Increased Cooldown 10s ➞ 12s
- Moonlight
- Reduced Healing per tick 150 ➞ 125
- Rush (Luna’s Stun)
- Increased Cooldown 15s ➞ 18s
- Guardian Spirit
- Reduced Luna’s Health 4,500 ➞ 4,000
- Cards
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- Increased Cooldown reduction {0.6|0.6}s ➞ {0.8|0.8}s
- OLD: Lower your gravity and increase your air control by {50|10}% while using Moonlight
- NEW: Increase your Moonlight capacity by {6|6}%
- Bug Fix
- Fixed an issue with the description of the Spirit Arrows card.
Paladins Release Version 2.11.3416.8 (November 6, 2019)
- Fixed an issue where Moonlight would sometimes not target a teammate when Io’s cursor passed over them.
- Fixed an issue with Io bot where it would not summon Luna or heal for a significant length of time without stopping with Moonlight.
- Fixed an issue where Luna could get stuck inside the Payload.
Paladins Release Version 2.10.3351.2 (September 11, 2019)
- Abilities
- Moonlight
- Moonlight will no longer break on immediate loss of sight, but instead has a small window before the link breaks.
- Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where Io could no longer heal allies through Inara’s Impasse.
- Fixed an issue where Io’s 3P camera did not center properly when camera was rotated above her head.
- Fixed a text error with Io’s Guardian Spirit ability description.
- Fixed an issue where players would not see “Create New Loadout” buttons on Io’s Loadouts screen unless they owned her.
- Fixed an issue where the wing visual effects from Furia’s ultimate display on Io’s back instead of her front.
Paladins Release Version 2.8.3275.5 (July 17, 2019)
- Io was added to the game.
Champions |
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Front Line |
Damage |
Support |
Flank |