Hero shooter Paladins will leave its early access status in the dust next week.
Paladin’s executive director Chris Larson revealed the launch last week with a blog post, thanking the community for playing the game:
“We want to thank you all for being a part of this wild ride since our Sept. 15, 2016 Steam Early Access launch. We’ve always believed in developing our games alongside the community — even if we sometimes take a few wrong turns before we find the right path.
Even now, with Paladins a million times more polished than it was at the start of Early Access, we do not consider Paladins a truly “finished” product. We know there’s still work to be done. We are going to keep polishing, keep refining, keep fixing bugs, and keep putting out awesome new content on a regular patch cycle.
But what this does mean is that we are planning no more major system changes. We’ve found a formula that works for everyone: Free cards and sweet cosmetics. If you’ve been afraid to get really invested into Paladins because we might change things again, don’t worry: This launch is our commitment to this vision for Paladins future.”
To celebrate Hi-Rez are giving everyone who participated in the beta 200 crystals (a premium currency in the game) and an exclusive beta avatar; all you have to do is log into the game from May 8-31st. Be quick though, the offer ends tomorrow. A launch event has also been teased but no details other than “you’ll be able to hang out and play with your favorite Hi-Rez developers” has been given.
Larson also teased an expansion to the lore bringing new game modes and new champions. This comes after a successful campaign called Siege of Ascension Peak which brung 3 quest chains and expanded the lore of the Paladins realm.
Paladins has come a long way since it’s initial debut as a free to play early access title in 2016; some might say it was an instant hit thanks to its shared similarities with the classic Team Fortress 2 and served as an Overwatch alternative. Throughout the two years, new content (such as battle royale) and major changes to the gameplay has seen the game go from a tacky shooter to a fully fledged product worthy of awards. Currently, the game enjoys a steady stream of anywhere between the ranges of 20,000 – 30,000 players a day placing it 21st on Steam’s official stat tracker. Paladins has recently undergone a change to its infamous card system (a feature that makes the game unique to other fantasy shooters) known as cards unbound. The feature had been implemented in December, removing the old system which angered players but Hi-Rez have confirmed cards unbound will be changing to sway from pay to win.
Paladins is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One and launches 8th May.