Leya has been intensely playing Paladins for weeks and wants to tell you why she can’t put the game down.
A few weeks ago, my boss asked me if I would like to delve deeper into Paladins. Naturally, I am curious about new things and immediately went on an exploration tour of Paladins.
The result: I searched for Paladins and have to hold myself back from playing late into the night.
GGEZ! I know what I’m doing
Without much prior knowledge, I jumped into the first match. At first, it reminded me of Overwatch and I thought: GGEZ, I know what I’m doing. I need to capture control points and roll into the base. Then I got smacked hard and realized that I actually know nothing.
Paladins’ simple complexity attracts me
What are these cards about? I started to research and quickly learned that Paladins is quite complex in its apparent simplicity. The card system allows for free customization of your champion and adaptation of their abilities. Suddenly, I found myself reading cards and assembling decks late into the night.
I caught myself thinking about a new possible deck while grocery shopping in the supermarket and forgetting what I originally wanted in the store. The champions feel different from standard champions since I can freely adapt them to my playstyle. Or just try out crazy decks that probably won’t work at all, but are fun.
Hi-Rez maintains open contact with the community
Once I completed my first testing phase, I was active in the Paladins community on Steam and Reddit to learn more about the game. To my surprise, I found out that the developer Hi-Rez is actively involved and writing everywhere.
Hi-Rez benefits from the fact that the community is still manageable and actively discusses feedback and ideas. The community called out for a glitter unicorn as a mount, and Hi-Rez delivered it for Valentine’s Day. These are the small but meaningful gestures that show me as a player that my wishes matter. The overall demeanor of the community feels friendly, which is why I enjoy being part of it.
Matchmaking and card variety need improvement
Paladins has a few weaknesses. The matchmaking is definitely not refined yet. I had some frustrating games where I was simply knocked out. There are only a few maps where you have to play the same one multiple times in a row.
However, I must admit, to my shame, that I am hopelessly directionless and need a lot of time to learn the maps. The small number of maps suits me well (in this regard) at the moment.
I won’t be putting down Paladins anytime soon, and I’m really looking forward to new content and the ongoing development of the game. The upcoming release on PS4 and Xbox One will surely cause a lot of movement in the community.
Paladins: Champions of the Realm is the answer from Hi-Rez Studios to games like Overwatch or Battleborn. In the hero shooter, 5 players compete against each ot...
