The Power Of Taunt Champions in Raid Shadow Legends
In this guide, we explore the importance of Taunt Champions in Raid: Shadow Legends. We break down how Taunt works, why it’s such a valuable for controlling targeted attacks, which Champions use it most effectively, and where you’ll get the most value from using it across PvE and PvP.
What Taunt does in raid
Taunt is a buff that forces single target attacks towards the Champion who has it, helping protect more vulnerable allies from dangerous enemies. This makes it a valuable defensive effect across both PvE and PvP, especially when the Taunt Champion is built to withstand incoming damage or punish attackers.
If multiple Champions have Taunt, enemies can target any of them. However, if one Taunt Champion is under Veil while another isn’t, the Champion without Veil will be prioritised. If a Champion is affected by Provoke, they will ignore Taunt entirely, as Provoke takes priority. Taunt also cannot be spread or have its duration increased, although it can still be stolen, removed, or have its duration reduced.
Taunt is still useful in Hydra for controlling certain attacks, but it no longer prevents a Champion marked with the Mark of the Hydra from being devoured. Previously, if one Champion had Taunt and another had the Mark, the Devouring skill would wait until the Taunt buff expired or was removed. Now, the Champion with the Mark will always be devoured when the skill is used.
Why Taunt champions are valuable
Controlling Single Targets
Taunt is valuable for redirecting dangerous single target attacks onto a Champion built to absorb the damage, helping protect more vulnerable allies. Against AoE attacks, the Taunt Champion must still be selected as the initial target, but the remaining allies will take the area damage as normal. This makes Taunt an effective way to control enemy targeting.
Countering Key Bosses
It’s also effective against bosses that rely on targeting specific Champions. In encounters such as the Demon Lord, it can redirect the Stun attack onto a Champion built to handle it, while against the Phantom Shogun, it helps lure the boss’s targeted attacks away from more vulnerable allies, or to a champion without Enfeeble to counter the spread, making these mechanics much easier to manage.
Best areas to use Taunt champions
Clan Boss
Against the Demon Lord, Taunt is particularly useful for speed tuned teams, allowing you to consistently redirect the Stun attack onto the same Champion regardless of affinity changes. This helps maintain your speed tune and prevents key damage dealers or support Champions from being disrupted by the Stun.
PVE Waves & Bosses
Taunt is especially useful against difficult PvE waves and bosses that rely on targeted attacks, allowing you to redirect those abilities onto a Champion built to absorb them rather than your more vulnerable allies. This is particularly effective against bosses such as the Phantom Shogun, where Taunt can lure its targeted attacks away from the rest of your team, preventing Enfeeble spreads, and making the encounter far more consistent to manage.
PVP
In PvP, Taunt is a strong way to counter single target Champions like Rotos by forcing their abilities onto a Champion built to withstand them. Champions such as Arbais combine Taunt with Stoneskin, making them difficult to kill while protecting the rest of the team. Other Taunt Champions can also punish attackers through unique passives or reactive abilities, turning enemy attacks into opportunities to apply crowd control, enable damage, or provide additional support.
Taunt Champion Examples
Here we’ve highlighted some of the top Taunt champions in Raid: Shadow Legends, showcasing the different strengths they bring. While this list isn’t exhaustive, it should give you an understanding of what makes these champions so effective. For more options, be sure to check out our Champion Tier List.
Michelangelo
Michelangelo uses Taunt to lure dangerous single target attacks onto himself, while Decrease ATK, Leech, Shields, and an increased chance to Evade help him withstand the pressure. This makes him a strong defensive option for controlling enemy targeting. He also brings Decrease DEF, Stun, Debuff Spread & damage, while his passive Join Attacks add extra damage throughout the fight.
Packmaster
Kro’khad is a powerful damage dealer who benefits greatly from the Packmaster’s Taunt, allowing the hounds to counterattack more frequently upon being hit. Alongside this, he brings irresistible Block Buffs, Turn Meter fills, self buffs for potential Mischief Tanking, and Hex, making him an excellent source of both enabling damage and utility.
Mathias
Mathias combines Taunt with Reflect Damage and Increase RES, placing all three through his A3 to lure single target attacks onto himself. This makes him a strong option for controlling targeted attacks in content like PvE waves & the Phantom Shogun, while helping the team resist incoming debuffs.
His passive triggers Counterattacks whenever he’s hit under Taunt, creating more opportunities to remove enemy buffs. Combined with Ignore DEF on his A2 and a triple hit A1 for encounters like Fire Knight, Mathias offers a blend of control, utility, and damage for progression.
Lethelin
Lethelin is a supportive Taunt Champion, placing the buff on an ally through his A2 alongside Reflect Damage to redirect dangerous single target attacks. This makes him especially useful against bosses such as the Phantom Shogun. He also brings team healing and debuff reduction through his A3, while his A1 places Decrease C.Rate to reduce the chance of enemies landing critical hits.
Emic
Trunkheart combines Taunt with team protection, placing Unkillable on all allies before Taunting enemies onto himself behind a Shield. This makes him a strong option for redirecting single target attacks in both PvE and PvP, while enabling his passive to increase a random skill cooldown on enemies who attack him under a Shield.
Alongside this, he brings Shields and decreases ally skill cooldowns, making him a great support Champion for both survivability and faster ability cycling.
Sir Nicholas
Sir Nicholas combines Taunt, Unkillable, and support into a durable defensive kit. When paired with Lady Noelle, he gains Taunt on himself, 30% Ignore DEF on his A2, and a guaranteed Freeze. Taunt lures single target attacks onto him, creating more opportunities to trigger his counterattacks and repeatedly Freeze enemies.
Alongside this, his A2 provides large Shields and Strengthen for the team, while his passive reduces enemy Ignore DEF against shielded allies, making him an excellent support for both PvE and PvP.
Greenwarden
Greenwarden is a durable Champion, placing Taunt, Increase DEF, and Strengthen on himself to lure attacks while giving himself the protection to withstand them. He complements this with Decrease ATK through his A2, transfers his own debuffs onto enemies with the A1, and passively places Shields on allies as they lose 10% or more HP from a hit, offering protection throughout the fight.
Arbais
Arbais’ Base Form is a strong support kit, providing Turn Meter fills, Increase ACC, buff removal, Revive on Death, and Block Active Skills. Her passive also gives enemies a chance to become Petrified whenever they attack allies under Revive on Death
Her Alternate Form shifts into a durable protector, placing Taunt and Stoneskin on herself alongside Continuous Heals for the team. Stoneskin helps her safely absorb the targeted attacks drawn in by Taunt, while her passive recieves 20% of the damage dealt to allies. She also brings HP Burn, Leech, Decrease SPD, and Turn Meter manipulation.
Tekteon
Tekteon combines Taunt, Poison Cloud, and strong defensive scaling, using Taunt to lure single target attacks while Shields and Poison Cloud help keep him alive. His passive further boosts his durability by reducing incoming damage from critical hits and permanently increasing his MAX HP when hit. He follows this with a powerful A2 that ignores protective buffs, increases enemy skill cooldowns, and deals heavy damage, while his AoE A1 provides additional Stun control.
Pelops
Pelops combines Taunt with survivability, placing Taunt, Magma Shield, Increase ATK, and passive damage reduction on himself to lure dangerous single target attacks. This enables his passive to repeatedly place HP Burn and potentially Petrification on attackers, creating a strong cycle of control.
He also brings an A2 that ignores 50% DEF if they’re under burn, scaling its damage from active debuffs, while Stunning and stealing all buffs if it doesn’t deal enough damage, making him a powerful blend of control and damage.
Duedan
DuedanDuedan is a defensive support Champion who uses Taunt to redirect single target attacks onto himself, pairing it with Counterattack to enable more opportunities to cleanse random debuffs from all allies through his A1. Alongside this, he provides a Shield for the team and extends ally buffs through his A2, helping improve your team’s overall survivability and buff uptime.
How to build Taunt Champions
Build Focus
Building Taunt Champions effectively comes down to maximising their survivability, allowing them to consistently absorb the targeted attacks they redirect away from allies. HP%, DEF%, and RES are often the most valuable stats, helping them withstand incoming damage and prevent key buffs from being removed or stolen.
Speed is also an important stat, enabling Taunt Champions to cycle back to their key skills more quickly and maintain control over enemy targeting. If your Champion also brings debuffs alongside Taunt, be sure to build enough Accuracy to land those effects consistently, while hybrid damage dealers can invest in offensive stats to complement their utility.
Recommended Artifact Sets
Artifact sets for Taunt Champions should focus on improving their survivability while helping them cycle back to Taunt as often as possible. Sets such as Speed, Supersonic, Impulse, and Reflex are excellent for maintaining uptime, while Perception, Pinpoint, or Feral are ideal for Champions who also rely on landing debuffs.
For later game content, 9 piece Protection is a strong option for safeguarding Taunt and other important buffs from being removed or stolen, while Mercurial provides additional survivability through Total Guard stacks. Hybrid damage dealers can opt for Savage, Lethal, or Merciless to increase their damage output, while Stoneskin remains an excellent PvP choice for absorbing the targeted attacks redirected by Taunt.
Tips for using Taunt Champions
Taunt Champions are most effective when built to survive the attacks they redirect, allowing your damage dealers and support Champions to continue performing their roles. Pairing Taunt with defensive buffs such as Shields, Strengthen, Stoneskin, or passive damage reduction can greatly increase their reliability, while reactive passives that trigger when hit become even more valuable.
Taunt is at its best against enemies and bosses that rely on targeted attacks, giving you control over who receives dangerous abilities. Just remember that it does not stop AoE damage, so you’ll still need additional forms of protection to keep the rest of your team alive. Also be mindful that Provoke takes priority over Taunt, and having multiple Taunt buffs active at once can make enemy targeting less predictable.