Paladins (PC, PS4, Xbox One) will gain a lot of new content this year. A new Champion will be released every 3 weeks. How will this affect the balance? We asked Hi-Rez.
Champions, Champions, and more Champions. This is what we can expect in Paladins this year. The studio Hi-Rez aims to bring a new Champion every three weeks to its hero shooter. This promise was kept with the release intervals of Inara and the latest Champion Lex.
What are the motivations of Hi-Rez to release so many Champions in such short intervals? And how will the balance between the Champions be maintained? We asked Hi-Rez and Paladins’ lead designer “DryBear” provided us with answers.
More Dynamics Through More Champions
With the latest Champion Lex, there are now 25 characters in Paladins. The goal was to release at least 30 Champions in 2017. However, Hi-Rez is not stopping there. The studio will continue to release Champions at a fast pace until the end of the year.
Lead designer DryBear emphasized that a diverse Champion pool is important. Players need to have a wide range of Champions to choose from for every role. This is especially important if players feel particularly comfortable with a specific role.
Always the Same Champs Get Boring Quickly
Hi-Rez believes that team compositions only start to become varied with a minimum of 28 Champions. The studio is also keeping an eye on the professional scene and tournaments. Paladins should be exciting for players and spectators alike. It would be boring to see and play the same Champions all the time.
It requires crazy surprises: Professional players choosing Champions considered weak in the meta during tournaments and rocking it. These are the things that keep a competitive game like Paladins alive.
One Champ Every Third Week: How Should Good Balance Be Found?
In a hero shooter like Paladins, “balancing” is a big topic. How does each individual Champion stand against the rest? Who is currently too strong, who is too weak? Usually, it takes some time after a Champion’s release to find the right balance. Champions are adjusted shortly after their release, and abilities are changed, weakened, or strengthened.
However, DryBear is confident that Paladins will achieve the right balance. He personally worked on the prototype of Paladins “Global Agenda” and on Smite. Smite is a successful eSports title from Studio Hi-Rez that features over 80 Champions. Through Global Agenda and Smite, the developers were able to develop a system that helps them find the right balance for Champions today.
“We Rely on Three Pillars to Find Good Balance”
Hi-Rez relies heavily on three pillars to determine how a Champion is perceived by players:
- Community Feedback
- Feedback from Professional Players
- Statistics and Hard Numbers
Hi-Rez listens to community feedback and wants to know how Champions feel for players. The feedback is compared with hard numbers and player statistics. The developers look at the win rates of the Champion and “Kill/Death” statistics. Figures like damage distribution or healing are also taken into account.
Maeve is a good example here. According to DryBear, Maeve’s statistics were rather average, sometimes even below average. Still, the community complained that she was too strong. It simply wasn’t fun to play against her. So, she was adjusted.
Before a Champion is even released, professional players test it and provide feedback. This is handled by an in-house eSports team that is available to Hi-Rez. The professionals submit a report on each Champion to the developers. They focus on mechanics and potential strategies.
Lex Just Came Out, the “Oracle” Is on the Way
With OB 46, Lex “the Hand of the Law” was released. When asked which Champion we can expect next, we got a little hint: A dark oracle that brings ominous messages.
What kind of dark figure could this be? In three weeks, we will find out at the latest …
How do you like the idea of welcoming a new Champion in Paladins every three weeks? What do you suspect is behind the dark oracle?
Paladins OB 46: Patch Highlights – New Flanker Lex
Free2play: To the Official Website of Paladins and play for free.
